I’m mid-analyst and starting to think seriously about exiting to tech or product management in a few years. I know plenty of ex-bankers at Big Tech, but when I do get coffee chats with them, I feel like I’m getting generic answers about ‘passion for product’ or ‘better work-life balance.’ those are true, but they don’t actually help me understand what doors they had to open, what signals (like specific skills or projects) tipped the scale, or what recruiters at their companies were actually looking for. I want to ask questions that bypass the canned answers and get at the real playbook. what should I actually be curious about? what specific moves did they make while still at the bank that positioned them for a tech transition? and how much does it matter that I start building a network in tech now versus waiting until I’m ready to jump?
the ‘passion for product’ answer is what they tell interviewers. what u wanna know is—did they get recruited by someone they knew? did they do a side project that caught recruiter attention? ask how they structured their exit. most tech companies don’t care abt ib experience—they care abt whether u can actually think like a product person. ask what skills they developed before leaving.
ooh, this is so useful. i’m gonna ask abt side projects and how they built credibility in product thinking. thanks for the framework!
def starting my tech networking now—better to have relationships when i’m ready to move than wait til last minute
Your instinct to dig deeper is exactly right. The most valuable question is: ‘What specific project or skill convinced the recruiter you could succeed in product, given your banking background?’ Most bankers transition by demonstrating product thinking before they jump—whether that’s through a side project, leading a client-facing initiative that required product strategy, or proving analytical rigor on a tech company’s business model. On timing, building tech network now matters pragmatically. Relationships with 2-3 years of depth carry credibility. Ask them when they first started intentionally building those connections and what the lead time from network-building to actual opportunity was. That timeline is valuable context.
Love your strategic approach! Asking thoughtful questions now will absolutely position you better. Start those tech conversations early—you’ve got plenty of time!
Exit success to tech correlates strongly with three factors: prior relationship in target company (60%+ offer conversion), demonstrated product thinking through a tangible project (increases interview progression by 40%), and 18+ months of intentional network building before transition. Bankers who reached out cold to tech contacts averaged 12-15 month timelines to offers. Those with existing relationships compressed timelines to 6-9 months. The skill that transferred most successfully was analytical rigor applied to business model analysis, not deal execution. Start early.