Becoming an Investment Banking Analyst

Investment banking is one of the most challenging and reputable professions. Obvious reasons for many include the fact that it deals with the single commodity that has never seen a drop in demand since its inception ever - Money! In recent times, the banking industry has witnessed several peaks and troughs with the growth and stabilization of several economies around the globe. With the advancement in time it has also given opening to many professionals from different spheres of the economy that are looking forward to make their career in the banking and finance industry. Banking and finance is a vast sector and has number of streams where one can make his/her career. Some of the well known streams of the banking and finance analyst jobs sector are credit analysis, business analysis, investment banking analysts, price analysts etc. If you are an individual who is interested in the various aspects of money and its implications on everyday life, being an investment banking analyst can allow you to adopt a career out of something that inspires you and can grant you immense job satisfaction.

Investment banking analysts also termed as financial analysts, equity analysts, etc have to perform financial analysis for the internal or external clients and help them make investment decisions. More responsibilities include:

• Analyze financial data, spot the market trends
• Carry out research in order to give useful and profitable suggestions to fund managers
• Assists fund managers to make key investment decisions
• Work with stockbrokers and assist clients
• Analyzing and evaluating financial information related to company accounts and profits/losses
• Staying abreast with financial market trends by keeping track of latest news and happenings in the financial arena
• Prepare a financial projection with charts and models as per the requirements of the clients
• Develop marketing presentation on IPO, excess cash alternatives and many more

It is very much essential for the employee to have at bare minimum a bachelor's degree in banking and finance and further you can do specialization in a particular field to gain access to higher prospects. A person possessing a master's degree like a CFA, CIIA, and MBA (Finance) has laid the foundation stones to make a great career for himself in this field. The Cumulative GPA of the person should be better than 3.5 to avail a good job in a company of repute.



The person looking forward to make his career as investment banking analyst must possess great interpersonal traits and strong analytical assessment skills. It is highly essential for the investment banking analyst to have an outgoing mindset along with a good communicating power and effective sales skills.

It is very much expected from an investment banking analyst to be hard working and fully devoted to the profession. Besides these skills the investment banking analyst should have reasonable familiarity with the myriad technological tools currently available, which enables an individual to perform intensive research and make impressive presentations. Investment banking analyst jobs requires the person to have exhaustive knowledge of Microsoft excel, Power Point and other applications that continually get updated.

He or she should also have the ability to succinctly communicate intricate idea both in the written and oral medium. He or she should also be able to manage multiple clients and projects effectively without imposing unnecessary delays on any client. The investment banking analyst should be able to detect and solve critical issues quickly. He must have an ability to work autonomously while being team oriented. Possession of strong calculating skills can prove to be an immense advantage in the long run.

The investment banking analysts are hired by securities firms, insurance companies, pension and mutual funds based company, banks and other businesses. Therefore there is ample opportunity for job opportunities for the Investment banking analysts. The banking and finance sector is the core part of commerce and therefore the need of the investment bank analysts will always be there. The global employment outlook for such kind of a job is exceptional as the banking and finance sector is expected to grow much more than what it is today. There will never be a shortage of jobs in this sector, therefore you can make a great career as an investment banking analyst. However, having a successful career in this field requires an individual to have some distinctive qualities that gives him an edge over the competition. In order to avail a job in the initial phase of your career in this sector, having in possession a degree from a highly reputed university will save you a lot of trouble.

New graduates in the financing sector can expect an income package of around fifty thousand dollars annually at the junior analyst level. People having an MBA in finance, degree of qualified accountant, or MSF degree can look out for a senior investment banking manager post and can draw approximately seventy-five to eight five thousand dollars initially. Prior experience of around 1-2 years as an investment banking analyst can help you to get better remuneration and a respectable job designation in a reputable company.

Last but not the least, there are many firms which have come up with the requirements of banking analysts and so it is a wise decision to take it as a career in banking and finance. Known banks in any part of the world look up to these professionals and give them opportunities to prove what they have and build a good career ahead. Banking analysts are growing and are drawing amazing remunerations depending on the firms they are working for and based on their experience.