Overview
Introduction
Harris Williams is a global investment bank based in Virginia that specializes in merger and acquisition advisory. It’s been named “Merger and Acquisition Mid-Market Investment Bank of the Year” and “Investment Banking Firm of the Year” by Mergers and Acquisitions. The firm’s excellent internship program gives interns live-deal experience and exposure to senior management. Its culture is collaborative and open—the firm is very focused on diversity recruiting and mentorship, and has substantial D&I programs.
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Vault Verdict
Harris Williams is ideally looking for smart, down-to-earth, highly responsible candidates with strong technical and communication skills (they need to show well in front of a client). The firm runs a highly regarded internship program, offering students solid training, deal experience, and access to mentors across the senior team. Meanwhile, Harris Williams’ full-time junior bankers have access to fantastic formal and informal training, helpful mentoring, and every opportunity to advance within the firm.
The firm is said to have great, collaborative culture, and junior bankers are encouraged to have lives outside of work. Still, hours can be long and unpredictable, and work/life balance can be hard to achieve here. On the plus side, WFH setups allow professional...
About the Company
Harris Williams is a global investment bank specializing in M&A and private capital advisory services, with offices in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Frankfurt, London, Minneapolis, New York, Richmond, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. The firm advises clients worldwide on the sale of their companies, helps them identify growth opportunities for their businesses, and enables them to realize their investments.
The firm regularly wins awards and honors from top industry publications. In 2022 and 2023, Harris Williams was named USA Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year by M&A Atlas Awards. The M&A Atlas Awards also named Harris Williams Americas Private Equity Investment Bank of the Year in 2022. In 2021, the firm was named Global PE Investment Bank of the Year and Outstanding M&A Investment Bank by ...
Employee Reviews
“Harris Williams does put a lot of emphasis on employee happiness and a good work culture. They have lots of events, and they strive to emplace policies that help facilitate work/life balance. An example is allowing employees to leave the office around dinner time to continue working from home. Hours are long as a result of the nature of the work (not as a result of Harris Williams trying to extend those hours unnecessarily). Vacation time is strongly respected, though needs to be planned out so that other deal team members aren’t shouldering an unfair level of the load during high operational tempo periods of time.”
“The firm has a great culture, and we are encouraged to have lives outside of our jobs. We are not required to be in the office late at night; instead, HW supplies WFH setups to use once you go home to your family. There could be better communication about taking ‘unprotected time’ for travel. It is allowed and even encouraged, but not done so very vocally to where some analysts and associates believe you're only allowed to travel for ‘protected time’—one weekend per quarter and one week per year.”
“The culture at HW is very group-dependent. The overall culture is VERY collaborative in nature. Some groups have excellent sub-cultures, whereas other groups not so much. On average, analysts and associates work a lot, and work/life balance is very hard to achieve here. Senior members in my group are appreciative of hard work, but there is little done to actually increase work/life balance. I am up working until at least midnight most nights. One other area for improvement that would go a long way is having more vacation time. Analysts and associates receive only one week of protected vacation each year. And we get four protected weekends each year as well.”
“Senior bankers understand that junior bankers are humans and have lives outside of the office. I’ve had times where I’ve had personal matters come up and VPs/associates were willing to cover for me while I was offline. Easy to travel as an analyst on the weekends, as long as you communicate with your deal team. HW hosts a lot of fun events for junior bankers (quarterly analyst events, industry group specific send-off events for departing analysts, etc.) as well as fun events for the entirety of the firm (firm off-site event every year, holiday party, etc.). In-office five days a week, but have optionality to finish the evenings remote from home.”
Why Work Here
Harris Williams is a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services. We are ambitious in our goals and steadfast in the belief that clients deserve our very best. To achieve our highest aspiration, we invest in world-class, team-oriented individuals who are smart, driven, and principled – those who are eager to be part of something bigger than themselves. When you join Harris Williams, you are welcomed into a collegial environment where every individual has the opportunity to make an impact in a powerful and significant way. We invite you to learn more about careers at Harris Williams.
Getting Hired Here
“Significant increase in applications this year, to the point where HW had to close application portal early. The firm is seeking someone who can show well in front of a client, is a great culture fit, and has strong technical skills to build on as an analyst. First round is a 30-minute phone screen, with mostly behavioral and some technical questions. Superday consists of 45 minutes along with a company teaser, followed by a 45-minute debrief with a senior banker on the teaser (case study/dialogue format), then a 45-minute technical interview. Superday also includes lunch with two analysts to assess professionalism/culture fit.”
“You hear back fairly soon after interviewing and are reached out to by the head analyst recruiter. The firm is seeking an individual who has a desire to learn, has demonstrated strong technical proficiency, and is an individual who all get along with.”
“The ideal candidate is smart, down-to-earth, and highly responsible. Our firm is organized and nimble when interviewing and putting forth an offer. The greatest challenge is recruiting talent to smaller cities (Richmond, Minneapolis, etc.).”
“Looking for capable leaders who are a strong cultural fit and can grow into managing directors over the course of their career.”
Perks & Benefits