William Blair & Baird
Can anybody provide a little color on W Blair or Baird? Hours, comp - specifically 1st year Associate, best groups, etc.
Thanks in advance.
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have a buddy in PE now he was an analyst in Chicago w/ them. Everyone makes a big deal out of their culture but he worked (for what sounds like) a couple of dick senior guys. But he went to a great PE shop afterwords.
I networked pretty hardcore with Blair/Baird guys and even because friends with some of them, so while I never worked at either I think I can confidently say that their bankers are generally a lot more chill than guys I met at other banks. I talked with a few senior guys too, and they were really great and helpful. I could even probably say that they helped me land a job offer elsewhere. Maybe they're different in a work environment, but I didn't get that vibe from the Analysts and Associates I talked with.
They do exit to great PE shops though.
Hours are the typical banking hours, although some guys mentioned working a little less than their peers at BBs. Comp was in line with the street for Analysts, so I assume the same goes for Associates.
I interviewed at and networked with many bankers at baird. They were all affable and appeared to enjoy their work. When I interviewed, Baird placed a large emphasis on providing a work/life balance and collegial culture. For a prospective associate, it seems like a great place to build a career.
I do not know enough about Blair, so I will refrain from commenting.
Thanks for all the great info.
I know some of the Baird guys actually exit to Baird Capital Partners...so they've got that going for them...which is nice.
Yeah like one every few years.
Anybody else have any experience w/ Baird or William Blair? Any more insight on hours, comp, groups, etc as an associate?
Thanks
I have heard the same positive things about their culture and have also heard they pay street at an analyst level. I spoke with a Director at Baird a few times and coming from a top BB she emphasized how much better the culture was and how much flatter the corp structure was, BUT she did say she took a solid pay cut from being at a BB. I'm not to sure at what level the pay begins to differ, but at an analyst level, it is pretty similar to the best of my knowledge.
William Blair Culture (Originally Posted: 10/05/2011)
i have an interview w/ blair tomorrow, i've researched their deals and background a little bit. was wondering if somebody could shed some light on firm-specific culture, the types of people they like to hire, etc.
used search but most stuff was outdated or not very helpful
thanks in advance
i talked to one trader on the phone who was a mm in something and he sounded like a nerdish person with above average iq
The bankers I've spoken to have been nice and helpful. Not sure I have any specific anecdotes apart from personal ones though, but it seems like a place where I'd definitely like to work. They obviously focus on the mm, mostly sell side engagements iirc.
Just curious, what school do you go to?
very friendly and slightly nerdy was my general impression back when i was interviewing
very strong place you be if you are interested in chicago or working in the middle market
my school is a huge target for them. They're a great bank. But the people who I've known that decided to work there are kind of strange/toolish.
But, that's only a select few. One guy for sure was a freaking weirdo.
they love the ivys. met a couple yale / princeton types there. agree with everything previously said. a very "cerebral" bunch. that said, extremely smart and hard working. excellent mm shop in chicago with good placement to pe.
fuck...i was thinking of Robert W. Baird, not William Blair. My bad. A good friend of mine did his SA there last summer and got a full time offer. He's cool as shit. I don't know anyone else who's an analyst/SA there though. Sorry about the mixup.
William Blair - Reputation? (Originally Posted: 01/16/2009)
What's the reputation of William Blair in the banking community? They are based in Chicago.
Any thoughts? I have an interview with them coming up.
William Blair has a great reputation. Their healthcare group in particular has won some great mandates (trust me, im annoyed with them)!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~ CompBanker
I'm also very interested in them. I want to work in a healthcare industry group, and I heard good things about them. Unfortunately, they do not recruit at my school.
They're a good shop - very good buyside analysts and PM's and probably an A-list client for most.
William Blair - Exposure for analysts (Originally Posted: 09/17/2006)
I'm curious to hear what you all think about William Blair concerning the following areas:
-exposure for analysts -culture of the company -hours -compensation (is it significantly discounted from NY banks?) -anything else worth commenting on
Craven
anyone have anything to say about blair?
Just wanted to bump this. I'm planning on speaking with someone at Blair for an analyst position next year in Boston or possibly Chicago and want to see people's opinion. I've seen some call it MM, others boutique. Which is it? And I've also heard it's very fratty- any truth?
Bump. Any Info
I interviewed with this firm and attended their recruiting events at my school, so I can provide some perspective.
Exposure - you are put into a generalist role, and will be assigned to a variety of deals. They focus on the middle market, in a variety of industries/sectors, and somewhat equal exposure to M&A/debt/equity (though probably not much debt going on right now). They seem to get decent placement into MM PE shops, and they bragged about someone who got into something good (maybe GTCR, can't remember right now). They like to do a lot of direct-to-associate promotes with a third year in between.
Hours - standard IB hours, not a sweatshop but on the higher side for a MM firm.
Compensation - not sure but I have heard that they pay over street. They will pay for b-school if you make a commitment to return.
Culture - seems pretty conservative. Not diverse at all.
It was probably Madison Dearborn. I know Blair is well respected in Chicago.
Ah I think you're right.
Blair is decent at what they do which is a lot of sell-side advisory work for MM companies. analysts work typical banking hours and compensation is in-line with the street. they happened to overpay one year so they have a reputation of paying over the street, but this isnt true for the most part. exit ops are decent in the Chicago area as I think analyst have previously placed at GTCR, MDP, CHS,etc. Culture is pretty fratty and as mentioned before, they are not very diverse.
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