Career planning - Investment Banking

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Investment Banking:
Skill and Talent Requirements

Investment banks want employees with a combination of strong analytical and interpersonal skills. Some jobs lean more towards one skill set than another (e.g. brokers need to be mainly sales people). A typical job of an equities analyst requires both analytic and interpersonal skills. The skills involved include:

Hard Work Expected and Respected

Investment banking is a high work, high risk, and high reward profession. When you start your hours will typically be long but the work can be exciting. Be prepared for moments of frustration where you are stretched too thin and moments of exhilaration where everything clicks.

Tough to Break In

It's relatively hard to break into investment banking. You need to be prepared to pursue firms on your own after you have thoroughly prepared yourself.

Analyst Jobs Are the Best Entry Point 

Many college graduates start in investment banking in an  position. To succeed in these positions you need to be extremely dedicated, have good spreadsheet skills and be analytically fluent. Your next step will be to become an . Same skills just raise the volume.

Communication and Completion Abilities Key 

In mid-career, your success usually will depend on your ability to communicate with clients and get deals done. At this level it is also important to have a good understanding of market trends, the political and macroeconomic environment and deal mechanics.

Math Skills Can Help 

Some jobs in investment banking call for very strong mathematical ability. If you are good at math think about getting an advanced degree in a technical field (studying areas such as stochastic calculus and differential equations)

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Accounting Skills Valuable 

The ability to analyse accounting numbers critically is important in most analyst positions. Ultimately, you should aim for the  designation if you would like to be a securities analyst. The CFA helps you become much more mobile over time.

Breaking in to Investment Banking

The Job 

Entry level positions for recent college graduates are referred to as  jobs. Your title will be Analyst or Financial Analyst. An entry level position with a masters (e.g., MBA) degree is as an . Typically, an analyst will stay in position for two to three years before leaving for ...

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