Sell Side ER vs. Buy Side Ops (special circumstances)
I'm pretty sure I know the answer already but I'm not familiar with the equity research world so I wanted to get opinions on this. Under the given circumstances, I was wondering which path would be best to ultimately become a buy side analyst. The choices available to me are:
Sell Side ER, entry level at a middle market level, not at a BB
or
Equity L/S 1.5B fund with under 10 total employees, awesome track record and am the only person working the ops. No previous history at the fund where people have been moved from one role to another. Haven't asked about the possibility.
Is the sell side ER job the obvious choice?
ER
Do ER, stay in contact with this small fund, then re-apply to them in a couple of years for an analyst position.
I would vote ER also.
That said, does not hurt to inquire about possibilities of switching roles during your time at the small fund. It could also promote your story for why you are taking the other offer and leave the door open for coming back later with more experience, as htw said.
Sell side ER. The exit op is to the buy side as an analyst. There is no clear exit op from the back office.
http://www.lifeonthebuyside.com/trapped-in-back-office/
Go Sell-Side ER. I had a friend who was in the exact same situation as you a couple of years ago. He took an OPs position at a growing fund...been stuck ever since.
I'd say sell-side ER, BUT given that you are likely to turn down the ops position, you should at least ask about the possibility of advancement. If they say no, you have your answer, but they might just be open enough to it to sway you.
ER for sure. Doing the OP's just because it's buy side will not get you into a buy side analyst gig.
well i've been at the buy side shop for a little while so it's more of a should I take the opportunity of going sell side ER. The previous shop I was at moved people freely and one of the ops guys was a PM when I started there - I was just wondering how hard it is to go sell to buy side from ER to analyst.
Thanks for the feedback guys -
It's pretty standard to go ER analyst to buy-side, you shouldn't worry about that. The skillsets are very similar and it's a natural transition
Shouldn't be that hard to go from sell to buy as analyst.
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