Career in banking

A number of banks and financial institutions entered the Indian market in recent years. This sector now requires a lot of technical and administrative staff to further expand their operations. Plenty of jobs are available and the institutions are outdoing the packages they offer in a bid to woo the best candidates to their firm. The banking sector requires people with every kind of skill. They need people who can sell, people who have operational, managerial and IT skills.

The education that you will need for a career in banking will highly depend on which particular career you are planning on pursuing. Some jobs, such as bank tellers or customer service managers only require that you have a high school diploma or a GED. Other jobs, such as loan officers, and investment officers, will require that you become certified within your state to sell special products such as IRA's and Annuities. Some careers in this field may require that you have a degree in business or another similar type degree as well. The great thing about a career in banking, is that once you start out in this field, many times the bank you work with will help you get the education you need to advance in your career, which can save you a great deal of money and make you an extremely valuable employee.

Over the last year the recession has also affected the living standards of investment bankers with salaries cut by as much as 40% and bonuses all but eliminated. Nevertheless everything has not turned gloomy for students who are seeking investment banking jobs. Aspiring bankers seem to have confidence that current difficulties are like the proverbial passing cloud and in a short while salaries and bonuses are going to return or even exceed the levels they reached a few years ago. Interest in investment banking degree courses remains high and intern positions are keenly sought after.

Sales and Trading is responsible for buying and selling financial products. "Sales" in i-bank means Institutional Sales, whose role is to offer trading ideas to the institutional clients (e.g. mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds and other fund houses). In many cases the institutional sales will help promote the IPO and new equity/debt issuance arranged by the Corporate Finance arm.

Understanding the mindsets of people is the key to asking the right questions and success to life in general. Knowing why different questions attract different responses from different people is crucial. Don't leave it to chance or the mood of the interviewer on that day to decide what to think of you. Take control of your own interview and be prepared.

It is impossible to avoid tough questions; though as many financial job interviews are similar there are plenty of things you can bear in mind to avoid any unnecessary heart ache. It's usually safe to assume the interviewers might adopt a "good cop/bad cop" dynamic even if it isn't deliberate. By expecting this you can learn to respond to questions in they way the interviewer will expect and show how capable you are of dealing with difficult people.

Financial Planning Consultancy - You may set up a financial planning consultancy of your own or seek employment in an existing one. This work involves helping individuals in planning their finances for their children's education, or their retirement needs. It requires answering questions and educating clients about risk factors, to help them to invest their money wisely. Being employed in a corporate setting is also an option, with a job profile related to future financial planning. It would require a firm understanding of investments, estate and tax planning.

Investment banking is one of best options for candidates who possess drive, confidence and stamina. It is not meant for the feint of heart, as investment banking requires very a strong personality. Stamina and drive are both important, as financial services industry employee work long hours, particularly when they have to deal with deadlines. Generally, the working hours of an employee in investment banking ranges between 60 to 70 hours. However, during busy times, working hours may extend through the weekend.

Employees working with the research department provide clients with up-to-date reports on certain areas of interest. Analysts in the research department specialize in a specific business sector or area, thereby developing reports that can be safely distributed to clients. Besides having effective analytical abilities, good analysts working with the research department in investment banking need to have effective communicative skills, ability to think clearly and present clear ideas with confidence to the clients.