I’m halfway through my second year as an IB analyst at a tier-2 bank and starting to realize promotions aren’t just about grinding models. Last week, an MD asked my thoughts on a deal team reshuffle during coffee chat - I froze like a deer in headlights. What are these invisible tests they don’t teach you about? Specifically curious about:
- How to navigate conflicting feedback from different VPs
- When to voice opinions vs. keep your head down
- Identifying which MD relationships actually matter for promotion votes
What survival skills did you wish you’d known before your first promo cycle?
newsflash kid: every ‘development conversation’ is a loyalty test. that MD who asked about reshuffle? wasnt looking for ideas - wanted to see who you’d throw under the bus. pro tip: track which VP’s analysts keep getting staffed on live deals. that’s your real promo committee.
lol @ ‘voice opinions’. heres the math: every unsolicited thought = 5% reduction in promo odds. your job is to validate egos, not share insights. seen 3 ‘high potential’ analysts crash by trying to act associate-ready before getting the title.
my senior told me to map the deal team power structure using lunch patterns - like who eats wth MDs regularly? trying to chart this but get conflicting signals. any1 have framework 4 this?
had similar prob last month! started tracking which VPs get cc’d on MD emails more. not sure if correlating with promo outcomes tho. maybe we should compare datasets?
You’ve got this! Every interaction is a chance to show growth. Stay curious and document your contributions - visibility follows consistency!
When I was up for promo, an ED told me to ‘stop acting so hungry’ during client dinners. Turns out I was out-talking the MD. Now I coach analysts to mirror the alpha’s communication style in each group. Different rules for industry teams though - M&A wants more fire.
Analysis of 27 promo cases shows 68% successful candidates had at least 3 cross-staffed deals with different MDs. Recommendation: Volunteer for 1-2 projects outside your group yearly. Also, 82% of declined promotions cited ‘cultural mismatch’ over technical gaps.