Investment Banking Exit Opportunities

Why put yourself through the hard work of 100 hour work weeks? Bottom Line: The exit opportunities.

A big reason why investment banking is so appealing under very stressful working conditions is the exit opportunities.  Exit opportunities are what most do after the investment banking program.  Many treat investment banking as a stair-step to the high profile jobs in Private Equity (PE), Hedge Funds (HF), and Venture Capital (VC).

Investment banks are commonly labeled “sell-side,” this is because the investment banks are selling securities to investors on the “buy-side” where Private Equity, Hedge Fund, and Venture Capital firms are buying securities. The “buy-side” consists of Private Equity, Hedge Funds, and Venture Capital where these firms use their own capital to make smart investment decisions. These “buy-side” investments are made in the millions and sometimes billions of dollars so top-talent is recruited out of investment banking every year.

Investment bankers generally start meeting with Headhunters recruiters 6 months into their first year and start interviewing for buy-side positions as soon as 8 months into their job.

The “buy-side” provides a lot of positives to investment banking; there is usually a much better lifestyle!  Most people on the buy-side no longer work weekends and spend anywhere from 10-14 hours per day in the office, it is rare to hear of all-nighters being pulled on the buy-side.  There are outliers; large private equity firms such as KKR, Blackrock, etc. have well known stereotypes of working longer hours than investment banking.

Another positive is the money.  While investment banking paydays are big, candidates have the opportunity for much larger payouts on the buy-side.

So better lifestyle and higher payout, why wouldn’t everyone make the jump? Well making the jump is highly competitive and will take lots of preparation.  The Street-of-Walls team has made that jump and has built comprehensive products for Hedge Fund and Private Equity recruitment.

How do you prepare? The recruiting cycle on the buy-side is much less structured and very difficult.  With that being side, the Street-of-Walls team has everything you need to make the jump. Visit the Hedge Fund and Private Equity pages for more information.

Other interesting articles: