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Investment banking and finance field?

Augustus Medici

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Hey all, I'm a new member here so please forgive me. I'm currently just an undergraduate double-majoring in economics and finance. I should graduate by this time next year. Anybody here involved in these fields care to share some advice in regards to how to go about getting a job in an investment bank? I was thinking more along the lines of Goldman Sachs or PIMCO or something like that. Honestly, I just want lots of money
tounge.gif
Any help would be much appreciated!
 

Margaret

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Well, As are a good start.
 

Lucky Strike

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Do you know the collective noun for a group of bankers?
devil.gif
 

pdizzle

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given my (limited) experience with the banks here in Australia - its a matter of satisfying academic criteria, and then all about the interviews...

Do you know which area you want to go to? Because thats a start... Echoing M8, undergrads talk about Investment Banks as mythical institutions that gurantee prosperity, without understanding what the work invovles...

PDiz
 

Morris

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Originally Posted by Augustus Medici
Hey all, I'm a new member here so please forgive me. I'm currently just an undergraduate double-majoring in economics and finance. I should graduate by this time next year. Anybody here involved in these fields care to share some advice in regards to how to go about getting a job in an investment bank? I was thinking more along the lines of Goldman Sachs or PIMCO or something like that. Honestly, I just want lots of money
tounge.gif
Any help would be much appreciated!


Prior to speaking with any bankers you must do your diligence. Your best bet is to do the following:

1. Assuming you do not have relatives in IB, start with your career planning office. Determine whether recent alumni have entered IB and contact them about their experience as analysts.

2. Take a look at: http://www.wetfeet.com/Content/Caree...20Banking.aspx. This a career site where you can learn more about IB and has guides as well as message boards.

3. Next read any of the following:
- Monkey Business (very realistic perspective of IB)
- Predator's Ball
- Buffett - The Making of an American Capitalist
- When Genius Failed
- Liar's Poker
- FIASCO
- Greed and Glory on Wall Street
- eBoys - Benchmark Capital Partners
- Big Deal

4. Rent "Wall Street" and "Barbarians at the Gate".

This will give you the fundamental background to begin asking intelligent questions of bankers. More importantly, you may realize that IB is very different than what you initially perceived it to be and you may look at other career paths.

Above all else, it's a job (many better, many worse). If you are looking at it for the money, then you are a fool. On a dollar per hour worked basis, the homeless make more.
 

Pennglock

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If you go to a top school and have a great GPA, all that's left is to ace the interview. Sell yourself. Know why you want to be a banker, and know why you want to work at their firm. They're looking for kids with a lot of drive and a passion for analytic work. Make sure that comes through in your interview. It's also important that you give them a "competent" vibe- have them come away knowing you're not the kind of person to drop the ball.

Be ready for a grilling of your financial knowledge, too. Know how the financial statements flow into each other, know how to value stock and bonds, and be ready to do a DCF. If you're interview for M&A, be ready to talk about a recent deal you found interesting.

I think it also helps to have a few people inside the bank pulling for you, even if they're junior. Call or email their recruiting contact for your school, and ask if there are any alumni willing to talk to you. It shows your interest, and you'll learn a lot of things from talking to them.

The main thing is, get your story down and sell it to them. Lots of people get good grades and can answer their quantitative questions. People who get hired are the ones who convince the interviews theyre in the right place.
 

Lucky Strike

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Originally Posted by Lucky Strike
Do you know the collective noun for a group of bankers?
devil.gif

Wunch. A wunch of bankers. Is "wunch" a crass reference to female genitalia?
 

gdl203

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As was already mentioned, best entry point will always be your school team at the bank(s). Of course, top grades, interesting curricular and extra-curricular activities, and solid understanding of the basic finance and accounting concepts are necessary. What makes a difference is showing your drive and desire to go through the hell of working as an analyst on the street because you understand the rewards are worth the suffering. You need to be convinced that working 100+ hours a week for a couple of years is OK and will help lay the foundation of your career in finance. If you are not convinced yourself, it will be hard to be convincing and stand out of the crowd of applicants.

Also, if you're graduating next year, I don't understand why you have not pursued a summer internship on the street for this coming summer (or have you?). It's the perfect introduction and the simplest way to get a full time job offer
 

pdizzle

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Out of interest - any one here working in investment banking or markets?
 

Spencer Young

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A few of my friends are going into ibanking (we graduate in a few weeks). If you have the option, take the Training the Street courses that might be offered at your school (they're an organization that goes around teaching ibanking skills). They'll help you get into the excel modelling and terminology. Also, be persistant. I know Goldman Sachs has an early apply option, where you might have a job lined up by July *before* your senior year. My friend failed that, tried again, failed, and tried again - he finally got in. All other advice given here is quite solid, as well. Just be sure you know what you're getting into.
 

gdl203

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Originally Posted by pdizzle
Out of interest - any one here working in investment banking or markets?

I work in investment banking
 

vc2000

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I'm not an i banker I just employ many of them.
frown.gif


I hope you at least have some passion or interest in the field? Too many people have tried to go into the field for the money. And they very poor at it. The hours will be long, the projects dull, and working for people like me will be a real pain. I'm not sure what the churn/burn rate is in the industry but it has to be high. Perhaps somebody in the field could address this. That is why they high all those new graduates - to abuse them and then toss them out for a new crop.

Now that you have had your dose of medicine. The best route in is probably through an internship program. Even if you have to delay graduation to do an internship - do it to get into the field.
 

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