Career Coaching Engagement

Break into — and advance — your investment banking career, coached by an investment banker actively doing the deals.

1:1 coaching for candidates breaking in and bankers moving up — resume, positioning, technicals, and interviews — built from what's actually happening in banking right now, not recycled advice.

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Background

A decade on the other side of the interview table

Concrete experience, not just a title.

10 Years

Interviewing & Hiring

A decade spent evaluating candidates directly — seeing firsthand what actually separates an offer from a rejection.

50+

Candidates Coached

Interviewed and mentored informally over the course of a career, long before this became a structured practice.

Dozens

Analysts & Associates Trained

Hands-on development of junior bankers — technical skills, judgment, and how they present themselves in the room.

$10B+

Deals Executed

Across the credit spectrum, backed by hundreds of financial models built and reviewed along the way.

This is the experience behind every session.

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The Situation

Most career advice in banking is generic, outdated, or both.

Whether you're just starting to explore a career in banking, deep in a recruiting cycle, or already in the seat and not moving up the way you expected, most of what's out there doesn't fit where you actually are. Forums and old YouTube videos tell you what worked five cycles ago. Here's where people actually get stuck.

01

The resume looks fine — and gets no callbacks

Formatting isn't the problem. Positioning is. Most resumes fail to tell a coherent story a recruiter can repeat to someone else.

02

Networking calls go nowhere

Candidates ask questions Google already answers, then wonder why no one refers them internally.

03

Technicals are memorized, not understood

Scripted answers fall apart the moment an interviewer asks a follow-up.

04

Final rounds are treated as one big test

They're a series of small, specific reads on fit — and most candidates never learn what's actually being evaluated.

05

It feels like your school is the whole problem

Usually it's not the school — it's not having a system to get in front of the right people yet. Target candidates get warm intros handed to them by default; everyone else has to build that pipeline on purpose.

06

You've performed, but the next step isn't coming

Doing great work doesn't automatically get you seen for the next seat. Visibility and how you're positioned matter just as much as the work itself — and most people never get coached on that part.

If any of this sounds familiar — or you're just getting started and want a clear plan — the Strategy Call is a fast way to find your footing.

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The Math

It takes street smarts to make it on Wall Street.

The recruiting process is hard because what's on the other side of it is worth a lot. Weighed against the actual earnings trajectory, the cost of getting it right isn't really a cost — it's the highest-leverage money you'll spend in the entire process.

$150K–$350K+

Analyst → Associate → VP

What total comp typically looks like within the first several years of the job.

$500K+

Director → MD

Where the earnings curve really bends — for those who make it through those first few years.

Getting the entire process right — not just one piece of it — is a rounding error against that arc. The Strategy Call is where you'll see exactly what that looks like for your situation.

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Engagement Scope

Three ways to work together

Every engagement starts with a free Strategy Call — that's where the right approach gets figured out together.

Single Session

One Focused Hour

One session

When you're stuck on one thing — a resume that isn't landing callbacks, a final round in three days, or positioning for your next move. One session, one focused fix.

  • 50-minute live video call
  • Resume, interview prep, or positioning strategy
  • Reschedule anytime up to 48 hours out
Most Booked

Focused Sprint

4 sessions

When you need focused progress fast — mid-recruiting-cycle, or building a case for your next step — and want it tightened up quickly, not spread over months.

  • Resume or positioning + your story
  • Networking or internal visibility strategy
  • Technical or case prep
  • Full mock interview or presentation, with feedback
  • Reschedule anytime up to 48 hours out
  • Sessions valid for 180 days from purchase
Complete Engagement

Start to Finish

8 sessions

When you're starting from zero — no story, no plan, no prep — and want one person walking the entire process with you, from where you are now to where you want to be.

  • Everything in the Sprint
  • Multiple mock interview or presentation rounds
  • Offer or promotion negotiation guidance
  • Priority booking for follow-on sessions
  • Reschedule anytime up to 48 hours out
  • Sessions valid for 180 days from purchase

Every package starts with the same first step.

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How It Works

From strategy call to offer

Step 1

Book your Strategy Call

20 minutes, free. We'll go through exactly where you are — whether that's a specific snag or just getting started — and map out the right package for your situation.

Step 2

Your package, decided on the call

If it makes sense to keep going, we book the right package right then and there.

Step 3

Sessions, with homework between them

Each call ends with a specific, concrete next step — not vague encouragement.

Step 4

Interview-ready, on a real timeline

Built around actual recruiting deadlines, not an open-ended course you finish whenever.

Ready to start? The Strategy Call is the first step.

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FAQ

Common questions

Which package is right for me?

If you're not sure, that's exactly what the Strategy Call is for — a quick working session to figure out whether you need a single focused fix, a full sprint, or the complete process, before anything gets booked.

How much does coaching cost?

Each package has set pricing. The free Strategy Call is where the right package for your situation gets figured out — not where the price gets decided.

Is the Strategy Call really free?

Yes, completely free — no card or payment required to book.

Do I have to buy something after the call?

No. The call is a conversation, not something you're locked into. If it makes sense to keep going, a package can be booked right then — but there's no obligation either way.

What happens during a session?

Sessions are held over live video and focus on whatever's most useful for your situation — resume, networking, technicals, or interview prep.

What should I walk away with?

A tighter resume, a clearer "why banking" story, a real networking plan, and sharper interview performance — tailored to whichever package fits your situation. Results still depend on your own effort and circumstances; see the note on guarantees below.

How quickly can I get started?

Usually within a few days. Book the Strategy Call whenever works for you, and sessions typically get scheduled within a week of that.

What if my situation changes after I start?

Sessions can focus on whatever's most relevant at the time — resume, networking, technicals, or interviews — so the focus can shift as things change, within your package's session count and 180-day validity window.

What if I need to reschedule or cancel a session?

Sessions can be rescheduled with at least 48 hours' notice at no charge. Cancellations or no-shows inside that window forfeit the session. Full policy details are on the Policies page.

How long are package sessions valid?

Focused Sprint and Complete Engagement sessions must be scheduled and completed within 180 days of purchase.

Is this confidential?

Yes. Everything discussed in sessions stays private and isn't shared with anyone, including any current or former employer of either party. Full details are in the Terms & Conditions.

Do you guarantee interviews or job offers?

No. Coaching improves your resume, story, and interview performance, but outcomes depend on individual qualifications, effort, and circumstances outside anyone's control. Full details are in the Terms & Conditions.

Is this affiliated with any specific bank or employer?

No. This is an independent, personal coaching practice. It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated on behalf of any bank or employer, and nothing shared reflects any employer's confidential or proprietary information.

Michael, Street Smart IB Coaching
About

Meet Michael

Coached by someone doing the work, not teaching from the sidelines.

Michael has spent 15 years in investment banking, including the last decade interviewing and hiring for his own team. He's coached and mentored candidates informally throughout his career. He's also come up through a non-target school himself, so he knows what that side of the process actually looks like — not just the version where a target pipeline does half the work for you.

Over the years, students, career-switchers, and working analysts and associates have found their way to Michael for advice on breaking in and moving up. Street Smart IB Coaching turns that into a structured 1:1 process instead of a one-off favor.

Michael speaks independently here — not on behalf of, and without any confidential information from, his employer
Get Started

Book your Strategy Call

20 minutes, free — we'll map out the right package for your situation. Strategy Call slots are limited each week to keep sessions unrushed — book early to get a time that works.