#1 in Investment Banking. - Summer Analyst Goldman Sachs Employee Review

5.0
13 Sept 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

To the outsider, the most attractive thing about Goldman may be the reputation of the firm and the doors it opens. Once you're in, you will discover that there is much more to the firm than that. You will have the opportunity to work on deals and with clients that other firms can only dream about. The place is a meritocracy in its purest sense - salaries, bonuses and promotions are 100% performance based, even for interns. If you are good, you will get ahead, regardless of how old you are and who you are jumping over to do so. The only downer is the difficulty in moving between divisions, especially to highly sought-after ones like sales and trading. Making the jump is very difficult even for qualified internal candidates who have demonstrated high performance. Ivy-league names matter more than actual accomplishments or capability at the entry level, and for experiences hires, past success as a salesman/trader is all that counts. This explains the fact that most traders are lateral hires. Finally, if you are in the Investment Banking division, work-life balance is a myth.

Cons

Moving between divisions is very difficult, even for qualified candidates. See above for details.

Explore other reviews about Goldman Sachs

5.0
25 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Professional environment, good coworkers, enjoyed my time there.

Cons

Beware of flu season, because many people come in sick.

2.0
23 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You’ll get to work with the latest technologies depending on the team you’re in and also have a decent work-life balance. They give you a good amount of vacation days and let you use them whenever you want. You get to work with people who are good and smart and barely hear of any bad people who make your life hard. Taking internal mobility to other teams would also be super easy out here and they encourage it.

Cons

The pay increases are very bad. As you get promoted and grow, your pay will only increase about 3-5% no matter how good your performance is and you’ll feel like you’re barely beating inflation if you’re lucky. Your pay will be massively under the market for your role. Not to mention, there’s a huge risk of layoffs and it happens twice a year. You’ll end up being a part of it if you’re working from home a lot or express your dissatisfaction with your pay (although they mostly brush it off as a performance or a budget/role issue). The risk you take from the layoffs is not worth the reward you get. If you’re taking this job and reading this review, just consider this job as a stone you can step on while looking for another job to switch to

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