Investment Banking

Professionals within investment banking serve institutional clients and work as part of a firm’s team dedicated to helping clients address a range of banking needs. The strategic financial advice and products supporting the advisory services are designed to help clients address major finance-related business decisions. It may mean providing strategies regarding an M&A deal, or raising needed capital for a global market expansion. The investment banking team is typically the client’s first point of contact with the firm. As a team member, your interactions with clients will typically be with CEOs, CFOs, general counsels and others on the finance team. Depending on your experience, interest and qualifications, you may work in an industry group, an advisory product group or in a capital markets product group.

As part of its financial advisory services, investment banking teams often provide clients with securities and other financial products and research in equities, fixed income, rates, foreign exchange and precious metals. Through relationships with investment banks, institutions (including corporations, governments and countries) gain access to the world's capital markets.

The work is fast-paced and intellectually stimulating. Success demands a results-driven, creative mindset—a professional who can generate ideas, draw a team together and execute effectively. Work is deadline driven and requires the ability to process and analyze quickly. While you work as part of a team, you’ll often have sole responsibility for parts of a transaction, so need to be comfortable working independently and then plugging in” to the team. Given the environment, firms look for strong entrepreneurial, analytical, quantitative, communication and client relations skills. Deep analytical / quantitative proficiency is a must, even for career switchers.

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)

M&A professionals thrive on the deal, working as part of a team charged with identifying, analyzing and orchestrating the purchase of a company, or the merger of their company (or client) with another business. The goal is to provide all stakeholders with increased shareholder value (ie, through economies of scale/operations, expanded market or manufacturing strength, etc) due to the combination.