Suspicious about our group’s promotion ‘holistic review’ process. Noticed last year’s associates all got staffed on deals led by the same MD right before bonus season. Could staffing allocations secretly signal promotion trajectories? What other financial breadcrumbs actually predict promotion timelines better than official feedback?
welcome to banking bingo. check three boxes: 1) staffer putting you on MD’s pet project = trial run 2) getting pulled into ‘strategic’ meetings you shouldn’t attend = test 3) if your bonus is 15-20% above grid with no explanation = golden handcuffs before promo. track those, not HR rubrics.
but how do u even FIND staffing patterns?? our deal list is confidential. do i hack the staffer’s outlook calendar or smth??
While I don’t endorse cynical views, pattern recognition matters. Cross-reference two data points: 1) Number of times you’re staffed with rising-star VPs vs. legacy MDs nearing retirement 2) Whether your deals appear in leadership’s external presentations. Promotions favor those advancing the group’s narrative, not just individual performance.
Analysis of 2022-2023 bulge bracket promotions shows 82% of promoted associates worked on ≥2 deals that closed within 3 months of bonus decisions. Timing visibility matters more than deal size. Recommendation: Align your push for high-profile deal closures with Q3/Q4 evaluation windows.