One thing I’ve realized is that being busy doesn’t equal being visible. I can spend 80 hours a week on some internal ops project, and nobody senior even knows I exist. But I see other analysts get real visibility from seemingly smaller work.
I’m trying to figure out the actual calculus here. Is it the size of the deal? The seniority of the banker running it? Whether clients are involved? Something else entirely?
Like, I got staffed on this consolidation project that looked huge on paper, but the partner wasn’t really engaged and most of the work was grunt stuff. Meanwhile, a peer got put on a smaller strategic mandate where the client was meeting with the partner constantly, and suddenly that analyst became someone everyone knew.
I don’t think it’s about working harder—I think it’s about working on the right things. But how do you actually know which projects move the needle versus which ones are just going to bury you?
Is it something you can figure out before you get staffed, or do you just have to get a few of these wrong first?
Project selection is strategic, and yes, you can learn to identify which ones matter. The strongest project signals are: senior banker engagement (they show up to calls, they review your work directly), client interaction (especially when clients request you specifically), and strategic importance (deals that lead to follow-on business or strengthen key relationships). Operational or administrative projects rarely advance your profile, regardless of hours spent. My advice is to observe which projects generate partner conversations and cross-team interest. When you have the option, choose visibility over workload. A well-executed 60-hour mandate where you present findings to leadership beats a 120-hour process project every time. Early in your career, project choice matters as much as execution quality.
yeah its honestly luck mixed with asking the right people where the action is. sometimes you get staffed on garbage and you’re just stuck. but if someone asks what you want to work on, pick deals that have a living breathing client and a partner with a reputation. dead weight projects are career black holes. learn to recognize them fast and figure out how to minimize damage time.
ooh so like asking ppl about projects before getting staffed is okay? that’s smart! sounds like visibility + real work = the winning combo
I got assigned to this pitch process that seemed boring at first—just a smaller client mandate. But the MD running it was this legend in the firm, and turns out he was building a whole new sub-practice. Over six months, I ended up presenting to like five different clients with him, and people started knowing me by name. The deal itself wasn’t massive, but the visibility was insane because I was in the room with someone important doing work that mattered.
Analysis of analyst career progression shows that project type correlates more strongly with promotion velocity than total hours worked. Strategic mandate projects (M&A advisory, capital structure work) with senior banker oversight advance analysts 18 months faster on average than operational or process-heavy assignments. Projects involving direct client interaction increase promotion probability by approximately 45%. Analyst visibility and recall among senior ranks increases measurably when they’re staffed on fewer, higher-impact deals versus many lower-visibility projects.