Who Wants to be an Investment Banker?

Investment bankers usually outperform their peers in terms of income. Investment banking is one of the careers that enables ‘retire young and retire rich’.

I always encourage my readers to start building their investment banking career while at college. I recently come up with a website that well describes the life of an investment banker along with some useful career information. If you want to be an investment banker, please spend a few moments on this link: The Princeton Review.


Recommended career tools:

Amazing Resume Creator
A DIY resume is good enough for an entry level job. Investment bankers always want the best out of the best. To stand out from the crowd, get Jimmy Sweeney’s help to craft a best resume for yourself.

Amazing Cover Letter
A powerful cover letter is the perfect partner of your resume. Personalize and customize your amazing cover letter with Jimmy Sweeney’s help.

IB Career Overview

Investment Banking Resume Template

I am recently searching for a head of fund management. This is a very senior position. Most of my candidates are very good at their businesses, very good at managing money and very good at managing people. Unfortunately some of them are unable to produce even a one-page resume for themselves. In terms of writing an investment banking resume, you as a fresh graduate, could be more capable, if you were my blog reader. I ended up have to write resumes for those candidates.

Headhunters make money out of placing candidates, so you must be confident with their resume writing skills. I am here to make resume writing easy for everyone, especially those who are looking for jobs in the investment banking field. Either you are looking for senior or entry level positions, you would need to write a resume if you are in the job market looking for opportunities.

Here is a template I use. I use it to write resumes for candidates whose income packages are in 7-digit US dollars. Of course I’ve modified it for my young graduate blog readers. If you were an experienced banker, just omit the ‘activities’ section and move ‘education’ to below ‘experience’.

Resume Template for Young Investment Bankers

Candidate Name
One line address
Telephone number (with voice mail service)
email

EDUCATION / SCHOLARSHIPS
2007 Name of University, City, Country
Degree, Subject, GPA: xxx, First Class Honour / Dean’s List … etc
* Coursework description
2006 Name of Course (by scholarship??)
Institute/University, City, Country
2007 Type of Scholarship
2007 Any other Academic Achievement

EXPERIENCE
Company Name, Location City, 2006 - 2007
Title, Department
Job description

Company Name, Location City, 2006
Title, Department
Job description

Company Name, Location City, 2005
Title, Department
Job description

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
2006 Activities at university
2005 Activities at the public, volunteer work etc.

SKILLS
Language: Native English, fluent Cantonese and Mandarin, basic Italian
Software: Word, Powerpoint, Excel
Work 4-8 hours/week to partially finance education without loans (2004-2007) – replace this by any other money-related facts that will present you as a unique and outstanding young individual.

Give Your Resume a Professional Look & Feel (L&F)
Resume writing tips from Anna Maria D’Souza

The other day, one of my blog readers asked me to do a resume critique for him. The content of his resume was actually very good. However he just lacked a professional layout to capture the hiring manager’s interest in reading. His resume was full of different fonts and sizes, effects like bold, CAP, italic, underline and all kinds of symbols ►. Proper use of effects is a powerful tool to capture your reader’s attention, but over use of them will only spoil your resume.

Though good L&F won’t guarantee success, bad L&F loses readers quickly. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression!

Good resumes have one thing in common, simplicity. Make it your mantra.

Recommended career tools:

Amazing Cover Letter

A powerful cover letter is the perfect partner of your resume. Personalize and customize your amazing cover letter with Jimmy Sweeney’s help.

Amazing Resume Creator
A DIY resume is good enough for an entry level job. Investment bankers always want the best out of the best. To stand out from the crowd, get Jimmy Sweeney’s help to craft a best resume for yourself.


Resume Template

Why is This a Sample Resume?

David’s resume is not an investment banking resume, but it is a good sample resume for any one in any industry. A good work history is the soul of a good resume. In this respect, David is perfect. His resume is also perfect in many ways. Let’s look at them one by one.

Education: Good education with outstanding results.

Age: David is 39 years old and has a young family. He is old enough to have sufficient experience to contribute, and he is young enough to grow with any organization. Due to discrimination law, personal info like age and status are usually not required, but David chose to disclose these on his resume, which is certainly appreciated by hiring managers.

Experience: He had three jobs only in 18 years of time, proven to be stable.

Career history: You can see distinct promotion records in the two companies he worked for. His AUM grew from A$200K to A$70m in eight years’ time while he was with Famous Chemicals. The number of people he managed grew from 18 to 325 in nine years’ time while he was with Famous Exhibitions. His responsibilities grew from a domestic account manager to president, bearing regional P/L accountabilities.

Look & Feel: A clean and tidy layout, easy for readers.

Length: Just right. David has 18 years of experience and he's targeting a CEO role, therefore a page and a half is fine.

Weakness: David didn’t include his contact info on his resume. Please make sure you won’t omit this when writing a resume.

Think Before You Accept A Lateral Move
Career tips from Anna Maria D’Souza

The other day I received a resume in which the candidate had four jobs within the same company in four years. Actually he changed job every year however without a single promotion. Hello, this isn’t a healthy trend. Unless you are on a pre-planned rotation trainee program, otherwise you have to be very careful when accepting a lateral move. Once is fine, but once a year is too much. David Smith’s resume is sure to make all the hiring managers eyes blink because he had distinct promotion in each of his move, not only upward movements, but distinct growth in AUM and the number of people he managed.

In any resume, hiring managers want to see upward vertical movements and not continuous lateral movements. Keep this in mind towards building your own sample resume.

Recommended Career Tools
These career tools are seriously short-listed by Anna Maria D'Souza for those who serious want to start an investment banking career.

Investment Banking Interview Guide

Amazing Cover Letters

Amazing Resume Creator


Sample Resume

Sample Resume – CEO Level

Quite frequently I receive outstanding resumes from candidates of non investment banking background. Here is one. I am shame that I can’t get him a job, because he is not a banker. However I am sure his next move is a CEO role.

I don’t always grade a resume as a sample resume, as there are lots of criteria to fulfil. David’s resume is one of my most admired non-banking resumes. Read it and come back tomorrow. I’ll tell you why. In the long run, I hope all my readers will work towards building a similar resume for themselves.

David Smith

EDUCATION
University of Sydney, Australia - 1996
Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, completed with Distinction average

University of Queensland, Australia - 1987
Bachelor of Science, Double major in Chemistry and Mathematics
First Class Honours

PERSONAL
Language: English, Mandarin, Spanish
Date of Birth: July 1, 1968
Interests: Reading, surfing, wine, traveling, photography
Family: Married, with three children

EXPERIENCE
Famous Exhibitions, China/Australia, 1998 – present
2005 – present: President, Greater China
Based in Shanghai with responsibilities for Famous Exhibitions Greater China.
• In charge of the XXX/YYY JV, XXX/ZZZ JV and FE offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.
• Total of 325 staff, 45 exhibitions annually
• Board Director of Famous Exhibitions, Famous YYY and Famous ZZZ
• Full P/L and balance sheet responsibility
• Responsible for M&A activities in China
• Responsible for integration processes, culture development, training program, Corporate PR program, succession planning, localization of management, implementation of corporate policy etc.

2002 – 2005: Managing Director, Australia
• Responsible for a staff of 198, 22 exhibitions
• Full P/L and balance sheet responsibility

2001 – 2002: Divisional Director, Australia
• Responsible for staff of 95
• Responsible for management of consumer, mining, manufacturing and printing events

1998 – 2001: Exhibition Director, Australia
• Responsible for staff of 18
• Responsible for management of mining, manufacturing and printing events
• Received the Famous Exhibitions Chairman’s award in 2001.

Famous Chemicals, Australia, 1990 – 1998
1996 – 1998: Commercial Manager
Reported to the Managing Director and was a Management Committee role. Total business turnover being A$70M per annum.
• Sales and Marketing manpower management, planning and development (Total of 12 sales and marketing Staff)
• Development of the 3-Year Operating Plan and implementing growth strategies
• Management of annual sales, cost centre budgets and the National Customer Service Office.

1995 – 1996: Product Manager, Chemicals and Catalysts
• To manage all commercial facets of the two product groups in the Australasia markets
• Successfully managed the merger of the XXX and YYY chemicals businesses in Australia. Turnover being A$7M with 50 products involved

1993 – 1995: Product Manager, Personal Care
• Business grew from A$200K per annum to A$3.5M
• Doubled personal care sales in a six-month period

1991 – 1993: Account Manager, All Product Areas

Macquarie Explosives, Australia, 1989 – 1991
1990 – 1991: Marketing Officer
1989 – 1990: Graduate Marketing Trainee

Test of Your Knowledge on My Blog
Which of the following are frequently asked investment banking interview questions?
A. Finance
B. Financial Market
C. Brain Teaser
Answer: all of them

Recommended Career Tools
These career tools are seriously short-listed by Anna Maria D'Souza for those who serious want to start an investment banking career.

Investment Banking Interview Guide

Amazing Cover Letters

Amazing Resume Creator




Sample Resume

Investment Banking Interview – How to Shoot Yourself Straight to the Top of The ‘Must-Hire’ List?

Isn’t there such a thing that will shoot you straight to the top of the ‘must-hire’ list? I doubt it until I come across Jimmy Sweeney’s “WOW…You’re Hired!” Though my blog is investment banking focused, I am always keen to look for powerful career tools for my readers. Here is one.

What is “WOW…You’re Hired!”?
Remember Jimmy Sweeney, whom I’ve mentioned several times in my blog? He’s one of my most admired figures in the career industry.

Jimmy has recently created a job interview secret called the ‘Secret Career Document’.

Here’s what Jimmy says:
When my company was hiring last year, I knew if I had interviewed a person who handed me this type of 'Secret Career Document' I'd have three words to say immediately, "WOW... You're Hired!"

That's exactly why I've named this secret strategy, "WOW...You're Hired!"

Does the Secret Career Document Work for Investment Banking Interview?
According to Jimmy, it works like magic for top level executives, career changers, students fresh out of college… ANY field, industry or position you can imagine. Hello, ‘students fresh out of college’…these are my readers. I can’t wait to introduce this Secret Career Document to you.

Quote from the Website of Job Interview Secret
…Puts you in such high regard during the interview process that employers don't want you to get away—and many times are prepared to pay you more for this fact.

Now, for the first time ever, you can create a customized 'Secret Career Document' for your job search in just 10 minutes flat using my fill-in-the-blanks templates and step-by-step system.

The HEART of this system is my step-by-step, fill-in-the-blanks template provided to you in Microsoft Word format for easy customization of your very own job-landing "Secret Career Document."

Return On Investment
What return do you expect out of an investment of $97? How about landing a dream job at reduced time, less stress and frustration? Don’t forget, time is money. Secret Career Document is a unique investment that will change your life. Give it a go. Not up to your expectation? Jimmy offers a full 56-day money-back guarantee.

The Benefits of Acting NOW?
It is obviously expensive of getting a personal service from career gurus like Jimmy Sweeney.

As a bonus for a limited period, Jimmy offers One FREE Personal Review And Critique Of Your 'Secret Career Document', and send you an email with his thoughts and suggestions. This is a $200 value.

Read more about how to create a Secret Career Document

Test of Your Knowledge on My Blog
Which of the following are frequently asked investment banking interview questions?
A. Finance
B. Financial Market
C. Brain Teaser

Recommended Career Tools
These career tools are seriously short-listed by Anna Maria D'Souza for those who serious want to start an investment banking career.

Investment Banking Interview Guide

Amazing Cover Letters

Amazing Resume Creator




Investment Banking Interview

Best Resume Cover Letter

If you happen to land on my blog to look for tips to write an effective resume cover letter, I am not going to let you down. Investment banking is one of the most demanding careers. If your cover letter impresses a banking hiring manager, it is likely to impress most hiring managers.

Let me reiterate the golden rules of a best investment banking resume cover letter: short and precisely. It should contain answers to these questions precisely:

1. What are you doing?
2. What do you want to do?
3. What are you able to do?
4. What do you want the reader to do?

Very often I receive excellent cover letters and resumes. However I am shame that I can’t get the candidates jobs, because they are not bankers.

Here is a beautiful resume cover letter that I receive recently. I don’t think the author is my blog’s reader, but this letter perfectly fits all the criteria I set forth.

Why don't you use it as a sample and tailor one for your own particular background?

Hiring managers usually spend 20 seconds reading a cover letter. We shall set this as a target.

I would like to introduce myself as a professional marketer with 17 years of marketing and sales experience in Healthcare and Diagnostics industries.

I am currently a Regional Business Manager in Famous HealthCare (Asia) and the countries under my responsibility include Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I am now seeking a Marketing/ Business management position that will maximize use of my knowledge and experience.

A copy of my resume is enclosed for your reference.

I look forward to have a discussion with you on any current opportunities that you are undertaking.

Resume Cover Letter Tips from Anna Maria D’Souza
Some people think that sending in a hard copy cover letter and resume is more polite and personal. However they don't realise that many companies, especially headhunting firms, have to enter their data electronically. Feel free to send in your resume together with a cover email (which serves the purpose of a cover letter). Hard copy resume senders are usually requested to resubmit electronically.


Recommended career tools:

Amazing Cover Letter
A powerful cover letter is the perfect partner of your resume. Personalize and customize your amazing cover letter with Jimmy Sweeney’s help.

Amazing Resume Creator
A DIY resume is good enough for an entry level job. Investment bankers always want the best out of the best. To stand out from the crowd, get Jimmy Sweeney’s help to craft a best resume for yourself.


Cover Letter

The Best Investment Banks – Citibank and Anthony Leung

Why is it Important to Start Your Banking Career at One of The Best Investment Banks?


If you start your career at a good place, your future is almost guaranteed, provided you do well. Therefore, ‘good’ or ‘best’ to some extent is related to ‘size’. If the bank is big enough, there are enough opportunities for you to learn and grow within the same organization without having to jump ship every now and then.

Few people plan to stay with their first employer for 23 years, but if opportunities are there, you’ll just naturally stay. Anthony Leung is a typical example of such.

Anthony joined Citibank in Hong Kong from university in 1973. He was a management trainee to start with. Before 40, he was Citigroup’s number one man in Asia.

Throughout his period with Citibank, he had chances to rotate among various departments. With the intensive training, he knows who’s doing what at every corner in the bank and get to know how to manage an investment bank. Before he left in 1996, he was the head of investment banking and head of private banking at Citigroup in Asia. He then became the chairman of Asia for JPMorgan Chase.


Anthony Leung – Bio

1952 – Born
1973 – Bachelor of Social Science, University of Hong Kong
1973 – 1996 Citibank, from currency trader to head of investment banking in Asia
1982 – Program for Management Development, Harvard Business School
1999 – Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School
1996 – 2001 JPM Chase – Asia Pacific Chairman
2001 – 2003 Financial Secretary of Hong Kong (read more)
2002 – Married to Olympic diving queen Fu Mingxia (read more)
2007 – present - Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Group


Recommended career tools:

Amazing Resume Creator
a DIY resume is good enough for an entry level job. Investment bankers always want the best out of the best. To stand out from the crowd, get Jimmy Sweeney’s help to craft a best resume for yourself.

Amazing Cover Letter
A powerful cover letter is the perfect partner of your resume. Personalize and customize your amazing cover letter with Jimmy Sweeney’s help.

Best Investment Banks

The Best Investment Banks - banking career

To consolidate the results of various polls, here are the top five best investment banks, in terms of career:

Goldman Sachs
Bank of America
Citi
Lehman Brothers
Morgan Stanley

Depends on the region where you are, there are top choices for beginners, such as:

Japan - Nomura
Europe - Deutsche
Australia - Macquarie

I have collected these best investment banks career sites for your easy visiting. They are all professionally laid out, and please do spend some time visiting them and look for opportunities that interest you.

If you are interested in private equity or hedge fund, we’ll talk about their key players later on.


Recommended career tools:

Amazing Resume Creator
A DIY resume is good enough for an entry level job. Investment bankers always want the best out of the best. To stand out from the crowd, get Jimmy Sweeney’s help to craft a best resume for yourself.

Amazing Cover Letter
A powerful cover letter is the perfect partner of your resume. Personalize and customize your amazing cover letter with Jimmy Sweeney’s help.

Best Investment Banks