Help me choose a mentor

I'm in the process of applying for an EMEA mentorship program which (talking to different people) I have a very good chance of getting into. The application process allows me to choose only ONE line of business for the mentor I'd like to be paired with.

Here's the deal: although I'd like to work in IB, that is only (as I assume many do) to later pivot to PE. This means that by expressing a preference for an IB mentor, I'm going to skip a PE or MBB one (I know people who got paired with partners at an MBB). 

Considering how IB is in EMEA right now and the overall high-finance job market, what would be the best choice to make in this regard?

Please consider that I'm a VERY non-target UG and that, God willing, I'll join a target MSc this fall.

 
Most Helpful

I mean, it sounds like you made your choice already. You want to go work in IB? In that case, an MBB mentor will not be very useful (to not say useless...).

However, logically, I would ask for a PE mentor. Statistically, they will most likely come from IB (small chance they'll be MBB or B4 deals team), so they should be able to give advice on not only IB recruiting / work / etc., they'll also be able to help navigate the best path to PE from there (even if well trodden).

On the off chance that you are paired with a PE mentor from MBB / B4, you'll at least gain a useful connection / mentor for your future PE career down the line, which is non negligible.

Choosing an IB mentor is not a bad choice, of course, but they might be someone who wants to exit to Corp Dev rather than PE, or just stay in IB for the long haul.

 

Thanks for the comment, really appreciate it. I'm just worried about wasting an opportunity to first break into IB. Would you say it's a risk worth taking in this EMEA market?

 

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