Question about a finance job opportunity and I really need your opinion

The opportunity you are describing has some real red flags. A firm that was just established this year, has zero clients, and the partners have no investment banking or Big 4 background. That does not mean they are bad people or that the firm will fail. But you need to understand what you are walking into. You are not joining a functioning M&A advisory practice. You are joining a startup that hopes to become one. Those are two very different things.

The fact that your first task is building a list of family offices and PE firms tells you something important. They are still in business development mode. They don't have deal flow yet. So the question you need to ask yourself is, what will I actually learn here? If there are no live deals, you are not going to build financial modeling skills. You are going to spend your time on prospecting, cold outreach, and admin work. That is not necessarily bad experience, but it is not what you said you want, which is strong finance exposure and modeling skills.

Now, will this help you get into a target master's program in France? Honestly, not much. Admissions committees at schools like HEC or ESSEC look at the brand of where you worked, the complexity of what you did, and whether your trajectory makes sense. A no-name startup with no track record and no deals does not move the needle the way a Big 4 role, a known boutique, or even a solid corporate finance position would.

Can this experience get you to the Big 4 one day? Possibly, but not because of this firm's name. It would depend entirely on what you actually end up doing there. If six months from now you have worked on two or three real transactions, built models, done valuations, and can talk about them credibly in an interview, then sure, it adds value. But if six months from now you are still building prospect lists and the firm has not closed a single deal, that is a problem on your CV.

Here is what I would actually suggest. Don't quit tomorrow, but start looking actively in parallel. Apply to Big 4 transaction advisory or corporate finance teams. Look at established mid-market boutiques that actually have deal flow. Even a corporate finance role at a decent company would give you more structured learning at this stage. If this current firm starts getting real deals and you find yourself doing actual M&A work, great, stay and learn. But do not sit around hoping it will happen while months pass by.

You are a fresh graduate. This is the time when every month on your CV matters. Make sure you are spending it somewhere that is genuinely building your skills, not just giving you a title.

Hi there,

This is a fair concern and it’s good you’re thinking critically.

A newly established boutique with no clients yet is inherently risky for a fresh graduate. While the partners’ industry experience is a positive, the lack of IB or Big 4 backgrounds means you may not get structured training in financial modeling or deal execution. Early tasks like building lists of family offices and PE funds are common, but if that becomes the main work, the learning value is limited.

For a target master’s program in France, this experience can help only if you can show real responsibility, progression, and ideally deal exposure. The brand alone won’t carry weight, and without executed deals or strong modeling, it may be weaker than experience at a more established firm.

Moving to Big 4 later is possible but depends on whether you gain hands-on deal and modeling experience. If the firm closes transactions and you’re involved end to end, it can be a stepping stone. If not, lateral moves will be harder.

If this is your only offer, it’s reasonable to take it and reassess after 6–9 months while continuing to recruit. If you have other options, more established boutiques, Big 4 transaction services, or corporate finance roles are generally stronger foundations for your goals.

Happy to help you think through next steps if useful.

Best,

Evelina

This is a fantastic situation to analyze because it forces you to weigh immediate employment against long-term strategic goals. I appreciate you bringing this specific context to the table.

Here is the reality check: This is not an M&A role right now; it is a business development and firm setup role, leveraging the partners’ deep industry experience. The firm has zero clients, which means you will be generating lists, organizing pitch materials, and cold-calling, not learning complex financial modeling or transaction structuring—at least not for the first six to nine months. Your initial task confirms this completely.

To answer your strategic questions: For a top Master’s program or Big 4 recruiting, the resume value of this experience is extremely high-risk. Recruiters look for verifiable deal experience and recognizable firm names or scale. If you stay a year and the firm closes three transactions, that experience is excellent. If you stay a year and the firm still has no clients, you have essentially done administrative work for a startup, and that will be a significant challenge to explain in future interviews against candidates who worked at firms with reliable deal flow.

My advice is to treat this as a strategic, time-bound opportunity rather than a long-term career launchpad. Take the role, as it gives you a platform, professional context, and a paycheck. But set a clear internal benchmark: If verifiable, fee-generating mandates are not secured and actively worked on within 9 months, you must pivot. During this time, utilize the partners' industry network aggressively, absorb their domain knowledge, and simultaneously dedicate structured time to formal modeling training and networking with Big 4/target school alumni. The goal here is not to strengthen your profile through this firm, but to use the firm as a launchpad for your next, higher-caliber move.

All the best!

It sounds like a decent place to start in. 

Do you have any other offers? If not, get going with this one and keep an eye out for 'better' in the meantime. 

But this is already an entry into the industry and that's often what's keeping the best 'out'.

So go for it, try to learn and try to get as good as you can through the feedback that you receive. 

And then, when you feel you're ready to pivot, start looking for the ideal opportunity and work towards.

If you need help with any of this, feel free to reach out and I can guide you through.

Best,

Cristian