Q&A

Today I'm going to answer a few questions that I've received about what it's like out here.

1) Do analysts go out together ? If they do, how often ? Where (bar or club) ?

The answer is yes, but I think it really depends on the group that you’re in. Each bank has its own “culture” or “feel” to it. This on a global sense is very true. You can get an overall feel for the different banks by talking to people who work there and visiting the banks. But within each bank there are tons of groups, each with its own sub-culture. Some groups like to “work hard and play hard,” while some emphasize face-time.

My group is definitely one that likes to go out together. We have a family feel in our group and everybody works really well together. Every Friday our group goes out for drinks together to a different bar in the city. I don’t drink, but I go anyway because it’s important to be a part of the group. A few we interns from my group have gone out together to different places in the city. So the answer is yes – I think most groups do go out together.

2) Do you sometimes talk with analysts about non business related topics ? If you do, when do you do it ? (lunch I guess)

We talk all the time about non-business related topics. Definitely at lunch, although a lot of the time at lunch we just talk about people in our group and stories that have happened. During the day you often don’t have time to be telling stories or talking about the NBA finals because you are jammed and have a deadline to meet, but when things slow down all people do is talk about stuff outside of the deals we’re working on. I’ve had conversations about French poetry, Big Brown, traveling in Greece, religion, and tons of other things.

3) What are your relations with the other interns ? You don't seem to talk with them much!

I guess I didn’t realize that I don’t talk about the other interns too much. There are six of us in the group and we all get along really well. The other interns are from east-coast schools and are all pretty sharp. Not all of them have finance backgrounds, but most do. I sit right next to a guy from Trinidad and he is awesome. All of the interns usually eat lunch together every day, and like I said, we’ve gone out as a group of interns a few times.

It doesn’t feel too much like we’re competing for full-time jobs against each other. I think it would be detrimental to have that kind of mindset because you would always be out to get people. Instead we help each other a lot and rely on each other a lot. I feel like if we just do well and work hard, each of us could get an offer to come back. We probably won’t all end up back here, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see most of these kids back here a year from now.

4) Do you sometimes work together with another interns on a project ? Or is it always 1 analyst + 1 intern ?

The group size depends on the size of the deal and the amount of time it takes to get through things. Usually it’s just 1 Vice President, 1 Associate, 1 Analyst, and 1 Intern. On all of the projects I’ve worked on it’s just been me and the analyst or me and the associate working on the parts that I’m given. I think there have been deals where more than one intern worked on it, but it’s not how it normally is done.

5) What kind of guy is the typical analyst ? More like a social person, more like a hard-worker who stays focused and doesnt go out ?How about their humor ? Do they often joke ? Can you make jokes or is it not a good idea ?

A typical analyst around here is smart, a quick learner, funny, outgoing, and pretty type-A personality. There are very few people who are introverted and shy – banking is a pretty open lifestyle. People joke around all the time, but I think that also is a function of what is normal for the group you’re in.

So hopefully that adds a little color to the life out here. I'm not doing too much today, just checking some work to make sure the numbers are right. It will be a nice weekend.