What position/field in finance, more particularly in IB, PE, VC, HF, etc. requires the LEAST "socializing" and why
I am curious to hear what positions involve more "solo" work, less small talk. For example in IB the industry groups may deal with a lot more socializing and selling to clients than product groups doing M&A etc. If you have any insights please let me know.
In other words I seriously need to brush up my social skills because I've never been the best. I am good at what I do but I really do think this is a place where I need some improvement. It just does not come naturally to me
The Graveyard janitorial service. You have analyst pulling all-nighters who do not want to talk.
Its not that I don't want to talk....... but I am not necessarily the most "skilled" and I want to get better before I throw myself into the most talkative position and mess up. I have always been very short and introverted and sometimes I come off as rude. I just wanted to see where I might be able to ease my way in.
It may sound foolish but I generally want to improve because this is a skill I lack
Just do networking calls to have a chance to speak its what I have been doing.
Compliance
Ops
OP is trying to get some honest advice to improve their social skills. We should hear them out. My rankings from least social to most social below. Rankings are based on junior to middle level positions. Rankings not meant to be a knock on any industry as “fun” people exist in each. Senior roles will be social across all industries you mentioned.
I agree w/ HF as a clear #1 and VC as clear #4 - IMO IB / PE can be interchangeable depending on the role exactly, but would generally agree there as well.
W/ HF, you can even do like a quant strategy and never have to talk to management teams.
Thank you for the feedback! This is very helpful. My end goal is VC but I know I DEFINITELY need improvement on the social spectrum before I try to go that route!
kudos to you for recognizing a deficiency and wanting to better yourself, that's a very hard first step. I came in here thinking you were someone who wanted a paycheck but not to have to talk to people, and that shit doesn't fly.
good on ya for wanting to improve
Thanks! and definitely not, I'm a hard worker but that would definitely be a weakness of mine. I figured it would be easier to start off with a less social job and then get more accustomed to it over time.
The ranking above is pretty accurate.
I just read your other thread (should you take the job) and I want to commend you on how mature and hard-working you are. I'll reply in that thread too, but I don't have time right now to give your question there the attention it deserves.
One bit of advice I want to share with you is that you should reflect heavily not just on what your interests are, but also on where your abilities, interests, and personality intersect.
You need to know yourself, otherwise you might pursue an entire career field that's a mismatch for the global picture of who you are.
If you're someone who is great at socializing (ability) but who finds interacting with people draining (personality), I can tell you VC is not going to be a great match. You'll get to exercise a skill-set you're capable in, but you'll constantly be fighting emotional or psychological fatigue.
If you're weak at socializing (ability) but find interacting with people stimulating (personality), then it does make sense to try to improve your social abilities. Your skill gains let you perform better on a thing that you find charges you up.
I see a lot of people of all ages (young and starting their career, older and in the middle of it) frustrated without seeming to know why. It's like trying to drive 90mph in second gear. Your transmission won't support it: the car will groan loudly, fail to perform, and eventually suffer complete mechanical failure.
Heavily research-oriented fields tend to require less interaction. On the sell-side, equity research is a good front office option. On the buy-side, hedge fund jobs are a great option. Quant strategies tend to involve a tremendous time in front of your screens.
Private equity at the mid-senior or senior levels are entirely 'people' jobs. I'll borrow a phrase that George_Banker coined: you're a money salesman. You have to convince someone that your money is better than someone else's so they sell the company to you instead of another fund. You have to convince a Limited Partner to invest in your fund.
Beyond selling money, you have to sell your ideas. Once you own the business, you have to build the right board of directors. You have to direct a C-suite; literally convincing seasoned senior executives who are used to being the boss that what you say is what they need to do.
Venture capital is even further on this spectrum, and starting at the most junior role. There aren't many analysts: you can read more on that in a couple of other posts I've made on the junior roles (analyst and associate) in VC: 2015, 2016, 2017.
Associates are all about sourcing. They help a partner leverage his time better by doing all the work that anyone reasonably smart, communicative, and up-to-date enough can do: talking with the founder about his/her background, team, strategy, prior funding, etc.
Principals (some firms call this VP) begin to sit on boards, work more with founders who the fund has already invested in, and do more 'thinking' work on how the world is evolving and where the fund needs to be spending its mental energy.
Partners basically meet people for a living. Meet and woo founders you know you want to invest in, plug qualified people from your network into employee roles within the startups in the portfolio, sit on boards, talk to all your friends in industry to learn about their problems (potential market opportunities that startups can address) / what they're paying for / what they see happening / who they know moved where / etc.
This is obviously reductive and I can't adequately sum up everything involved in each of these roles, but you get the point.
My larger message is that it may seem like a great idea to point yourself like a missile towards the thing you think you want most, but you're setting yourself up for a higher probability of long-term dissatisfaction if you don't take the time to figure out whether what you're aiming for is what you should be aiming for.
You're awesome. Keep asking sharp questions, never give that up. It's what's helped you succeed as someone so young on your own, and it'll be what helps you continue to outperform all through your career.
First of all, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to really answer this question! You’ve made some really great points, and points that I’ve been reflecting on for the past few years. I worked in sales for a little over a year before I started accounting (my current role) and I was very good at it. The only thing I didn’t enjoy about it was my shady companies pay out, and I felt like the role was “cheesy”. I am good at talking to people when it comes to specific topics where I have opinions or ideas but just “social” conversation can b a bit awkward for me. I would like to improve on it just bc I believe it’s an important life skill to have. Personality wise I do love talking to ppl but it has to be about interesting things for me to really feel comfortable.... if anyone knows I heard VC requires a LOT of outings and that’s where it begins to concern me. Will I have to go to outings all the time? If you know this please let me know. Again thank you for your reply and I will consider those other positions you mentioned!
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