Those who work in trades and sales work closely with clients, too, but transactions are generally much faster, and can be completed in seconds or minutes. ''Per trade'' or ''per job'' fees are generally given in cents per share instead of as a percentage of proceeds from making a deal.
With this type of finance employment, too, those in sales in trades get into work early and leave early as well, working within the timeframes of the stock market. That also means that they never work weekends, which is another possibly positive characteristic.
Investment bankers, however, have among the more time-consuming of the financial banking jobs, in that they are expected to work holidays, weekends, and at all hours. Therefore, although those in sales in trades may have nonstop workdays during the week when the stock market is in operation, investment bankers can literally work around the clock. Compare sales and trading to sprinting, and investment banking to a marathon that never stops, in other words.
Both banking jobs with finance employment have as their main focus to make money, of course. Investment bankers, as one example, collect percentage fees; every time a deal is done. In sales and trades, employees in these banking jobs enhance or detract from an investment bank's bottom line with every trade won or lost.
Those in sales in trades absolutely enhance investment banks' ability to their jobs right, too. Because investment banks provide mergers and acquisition advisory services and capital raising services as well, salespeople and traders contribute greatly to a secondary market with these se ctors. Everything within an investment bank is either toward raising capital, to some extent, and salespeople and traders contribute greatly to this most important cog in the wheel for investment banks.
Which is right for you if you want to get into this type of finance employment?
Sales people and traders have to operate in a high adrenaline, fast-paced environment that's geared on a ''sprint'' mentality. That is, get in, get out, and finish quickly. You don't have to work nights, weekends or holidays, but when you're working; you're working hard and working fast.
Investment bankers are of a different focus. Because their deals are often long term, they work nights, weekends, holidays -- anything they have to do to get the job done, and they may have to work around the clock. This is more of a ''marathon'' type job, and if you have the financial wherewithal to do this type of work, AND you like working on long-term projects where you're going to have to hunker down and put in lots of time to close deals, that may be a better bet for you. In terms of financial banking jobs, though, both the sales people/traders banking jobs AND investment banking jobs have as their goal to help clients and investment banks raise capital. The question is, do you like long-term results, or would you rather focus on short-term results? The choice is up to you.
