SA Decision Time: Which Investment Bank will be best for my career?
Ok so I have FIVE final rounds and I think that all but one should potentially lead to an offer.
Greenhill: obviously my first choice...just don't know if I'll get it.
BMO Capital Markets (NY)
Pros: Love the analysts I've met. Great analyst compensation (way above street from the analysts I've spoken with). Has a very large commercial bank backing and should be healthy. Great office in Times Square (top 4 floors of reuters building).
Cons: Little/no brand recognition in the US. Not sure about exit opportunities (anyone?). Mostly middle-market deals...no big name corporations.
Jefferies (Broadview Tech NY)
Pros: Good name recognition. Good deal flow. Tech M&A should be great for the next 2-3 years. Know a couple people there...very entrepreneurial...decent compensation. How are exit opps? Have a friend going to a late stage VC firm from the Tech group there.
Cons: Only middle market deals. Don't know much more
Peter J. Solomon (retail boutique)
Pros: Love the analysts I've met. Has the ability to get any retail deals, but only retail deals (i like retail though).
Cons: Poor compensation apparently. Very little name recognition outside of retail ibanking. Not sure about exit opportunities help?. Boutique firm with not a large amount of capital behind it.
Macquarie (NY)
Pros: Worldwide bank. Flat structure. Not just two years and out. Office is in rockefeller center.
Cons: Don't know anyone there or anything really about their deal ability, compensation, or exit opportunities...future outlook?
Anyways my criteria are in this order:
1) Exit Opportunities (kind of goes along with name recognition)
2) Offer back after the summer
3-tie) Culture (I like laid-back guys who I can talk about sports with and go out and get drinks with)
4-tie) Ability to get the large deal.
5) Ability to have experience on deal teams and exposure to senior management/learn a lot.
If anyone can give me more information about these and give me their suggestions I would GREATLY appreciate it...thank you so much. (p.s. if I sound ignorant about some of these places, I probably am)
Would avoid Macq, they've been found wanting in the Americas and in Europe. I think they've also masacared their 1st/2nd year analyst classes a few months back. In Europe they are 2nd tier when it comes to corp fin, with very poor dealflow (almost all of their recent completed deals involved macq funds). Don't know about exit options, but I'd guess in this market, with a scores of ML, UBS, MS, LB analysts out of job, there aren't any.
Just my 2c.
Obviously Greenhill would be the best opportunity out of the four, but if I were in your position I would choose Peter J Solomon. Their name brand isn't as obscure as you think, and they have been in the news recently, having hired some senior bankers from BBs. I don't know anything about BMO, but I can't imagine it having better deal flow or exit opps than Peter Solomon.
Macquarie is definitely a dangerous choice. If you don't get fired, it could open a lot of doors outside of the U.S though.
I'm not qualified to compare the exit opps between BMO and Peter J. Solomon, but that would be the deciding factor.
Hopefully you'll get Greenhill though, and it won't even be a question.
Macquarie did lay off a significant amount of "under-performing" employees right before thanksgiving, and they have had a bunch of write-downs recently. Their profit this year will probably be half of what it was last year. People have doubted their model for years.
However, as was written in a recent article on Reuters, they are still standing, and if they do get through this crisis, are some are saying they will, they should emerge stronger by picking up cheap assets and employees from other banks.
They recently completed the Puget Energy deal, and they are looking to grow.
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