The roles and responsibilities of an investment banker are going under tremendous change. The emphasis being on qualifications and skills along with certifications in investment banking. Organizations are seeking investment banking professionals with certain specializations.
So let’s understand what all would you need to have a successful investment banking career.
Qualifications, skills, experience and certifications are the four pillars on which the career of an investment banker stands. All the four pillars should be firm and strong for a successful career.
Qualifications required for an investment banking career: Usually the investment bankers are highly educated with an MBA. Here is the detailed list of educational qualifications
1. Strong foundation in Mathematics would be really good.
2. Opt for master’s degree in finance, accounting, mathematics, however recruiters also consider degrees in computer science and physics as well.
Skills Required for a Career in Investment Banking: There are some important skills, which you need to possess. And not only possess you should also be able to display it on your resume as well as during your interview. Here are those skills
1. You should have problem solving and analytical skills to succeed in investment banking career.
- Eye for detail in other words attention for details is one of the prerequisite skills. Not even a single thing should miss your eyes.
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Communication skills are necessary too. You would need remarkably good communication skills to succeed in an investment banking career because you would need it for negotiating it you’re your clients and presenting your thoughts/ideas in an articulate manner.
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You should display strong personality traits, as late nights, multitasking, no holidays and weekends when the work demands; is the order of the day for an investment banker. Think you could handle it? If yes, then you are the candidate an investment bank needs.
Experience Required: Investment banking is a career where just qualifications and skills are not enough and you need experience as well. You could go for internships with investment banking firms to gain relevant experience. Attend investment banking or any other financial institutions/firms conferences, workshops to know more about the nitty-gritties of investment banking. In fact, internships should continue even after the college is over, while you are searching for a full-time job.
Certifications: Certifications are a third party validation of your qualification, skills and experience. With all the qualifications, skills and experience go for certifications and become an apple of a recruiters’ eyes. You should go for certifications from reputed certification bodies that would teach all the latest in the industry and prepare you for the real time challenges of the job of an investment banker.
Other than the above mentioned things you should also —
1. Be disciplined
2. Be intellectual
3. Have entrepreneurial skills
4. Possess globalized approach like knowledge of international banking practices and rules, fluency in international languages
5. Possess relationship building skills that come handy when dealing with difficult clientele in extreme situations.
