Overview
Introduction
Greenhill is a leading M&A advisory firm that cares about giving its interns a strong learning experience. Interns work on live deals alongside clients and senior bankers. Full-time junior bankers work on lean deal teams, getting extraordinary responsibility and close interaction with senior bankers. At Greenhill, the people are polite, kind, helpful, and supportive.
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Vault Verdict
Greenhill is looking for curious, positive, hardworking candidates with strong academic backgrounds who can hit the ground running on day one. The firm runs a valuable internship program, during which interns receive a lot of responsibility, exposure to senior bankers and clients, and an overall unbelievable learning opportunity. Although the learning curve can be steep and the hours can be long, insiders say it’s very helpful that internships are accurate representations of the full-time experience.
Meanwhile, Greenhill’s full-time junior bankers also receive tons of exposure to very senior bankers at the firm, an extremely strong training program, great communication with international teams, many opportunities to lead various aspects of deals, and access to a ...
About the Company
Greenhill, which closed its acquisition by Tokyo-based Mizuho Financial Group in November 2023, calls itself “a unique investment banking firm,” and to be sure, it follows a model quite unlike the structure of its behemoth competitors. The firm (which kept its name and leadership team in place following the Mizuho deal) focuses primarily on its advisory work, which includes mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, financings, capital raisings, and secondary fund investment sales.
Greenhill is a relatively young one by Wall Street standards: about 28 years old. In 1996, Robert F. Greenhill, former head of Smith Barney and former president of Morgan Stanley, struck out on his own and founded an eponymous boutique firm. He led the company for 11 years before stepping down as CEO in October 2007.
Employee Reviews
“No face-time culture, hours are generally manageable, can work from home when needed.”
“The culture of like-minded, open and supportive colleagues in a demanding environment is one-of-a-kind. The culture is very cohesive across the globe. Hours are not great, but the no face-time culture allows you to leave early if there’s not too much to do at the moment. There could be more support and benefits compared to other banks.”
“We’re very good about creating work/life balance. The last thing we want is people to burn out or be overstretched, because that creates a poor work product.”
“You’re treated as a human being. No strict rules on where you work or how you get your work done. This allows you to maintain a strong quality of life. In terms of optimizing between pay, deal flow, and work/life balance, I'm convinced you can't find a better place than Greenhill Chicago.”
Getting Hired Here
“We typically have several interviews that are behavioral and technical in nature with a bit of a stronger focus on technical skills compared to other firms. The ideal candidates will have a strong work ethic and are mature enough to be able to hit the ground running with client interactions very early on.”
“One technical interview and then a Superday with five interviews. Whole process took about a week and a half. The ideal candidate is curious, has a great attitude, and has proven their work ethic in school/extracurriculars.”
“Interview/callback process is efficient. I had a first round, was notified of a Superday on the next day, which occurred the following week, and received offer the next night. Given our small size, the process is competitive and seeks applicants who are truly interested in and excited by Greenhill and are capable bankers.”
“For associate candidates, there is one 30-minutes first-round interview followed by a two-hour long Superday with four 30-minute interviews. All interviews are a mix of technical and behavioral questions. Ideal candidates are technically strong and personable. Greenhill is a small firm, so we cannot afford to hire folks who are not capable of contributing both professionally and culturally on day one.”
Perks & Benefits