eFinancialCareers

There are now literally thousands of unemployed bankers in London. Some, but not all – or probably not even most – will find jobs in banking. What else can the others do? If politicians and central bankers are to be believed, the UK economy isn’t going to come out of this quickly. So, while some unemployed 'star' bankers may well be snapped up by other firms 'upgrading' their... Read more

In order to decompress from a stressful job, I feel that you need two consecutive weeks of holiday. Maybe this is why Americans are so stressed and Europeans – comparatively – more relaxed. Many Americans get only two weeks’ vacation a year and it is often frowned upon to take them consecutively. In London, the expectation is that you will take two consecutive weeks over the summer. If you... Read more

If you want to get yourself known to the right headhunters, you’ll need to ensure you’re a well known name in your sector. There are a few shortcuts to achieving this. And they are... Conferences: Get on the conference circuit. And when you attend a conference, talk to as many people as possible. Networking at the coffee break can be more important than actually listening to the speeches. Chat to... Read more

I don’t know that many successful working mothers in investment banking – I’d like to think I was one once, before I opted out. What discourages women from entering the profession – and then sticking with it? The most obvious answer is the hours. All junior bankers – male and female alike – tend to put in “face time”, working hard and long, simply to show that they can... Read more

In difficult compensation years, banks often “promote rather than pay”. 2007 may have been such a year, with apparently large numbers promoted to MD. Years ago I heard a statistic somewhere that the highest rate of professional attrition in investment banks (other than at the end of the analyst programme) was first and second-year MDs. I have no idea if it is true, but once I got over my surprise and... Read more

Work hard, network hard, and don’t complain about your bonus. Happy New Year! It’s 2008 and hopefully we can put all of the turmoil of 2007 behind us. Or can we? Although many have made it through the redundancy rounds unscathed, the business environment and recruiting situation in 2008 could also be tricky. So what can you do to make sure that you don’t lose your job in 2008? Work hard... Read more

Watching a boss walk is a dangerous pastime, but it’s not necessarily callous to try and optimise the outcome for yourself. If you work in banking for long enough, you will certainly have colleagues, mentors and friends who are let go. Although the event may be anticipated, the timing will generally catch you off guard. The office environment will turn weird, anticipatory and stressful. Senior management will closet themselves in... Read more

Congratulations. You’ve been in your job a few months, found your feet, and may even get a bonus. First you’ll need to be a success. If you are junior, to my mind the most important thing is your attitude. You are only junior once. Your bosses will accept mistakes (for now) but they will not be tolerant of insolence or arrogance. I’m sure you want to climb the corporate ladder quickly,... Read more

The world is global. What a cliché – or is it? You have only to look at the credit crisis to know that it’s true. Who would have thought that the American sub-prime mortgage crisis could lead to a run on Northern Rock? Or look at the labels on anything and everything that you buy. I’ll bet that most of it is made in China. The same is true in banking. The... Read more