When there seems to be large amounts of Bulge Bracket Bankers being thrown overboard, or due to uncertain conditions talented bankers are jumping ship before being asked to walk the plank! Hence making competition tough when looking for that next opportunity!

So how does a Bulge Bracket Banker shine brighter then the rest of their talented competition?   

Below are some very basic, maybe even obvious, but none the less top tips on how to be the most wanted banker paving the streets of Mayfair or Bank, the Boutique Banking havens.

Think of finding your next professional home like dating. 

 - You need to appear to be wanted by everyone, however not arrogant and aloof. It is also vital to be enthusiastic yet not desperate.

Keep your CV short and simple – advertise your achievements!  

 - Your CV is your promotional tool and your personal brochure. What would you want to read if you were looking at 40 CV’s a day – keep it relevant! 

Ensure to build a good relationship with your recruiter make sure they have all the tools to sell you correctly

 - a face to face meeting is essential for you. This will ensure your consultant will be able to talk about you with knowledge and animation. Remember that your consultant might have a very influential relationship with the client and therefore could be very beneficial when closing the deal and getting that contract with your name on it.

Register with 3 agencies MAX!   

 - This will help you keep tabs on where your CV is going and be certain to know exactly which company your CV is being sent too. If your CV goes out to too many companies; you can appear desperate and will eventuate in not receiving interviews.

 - Demand to be prepared from your Recruitment Consultant before your interview. 

 - Even though you may be an interview genius, your Consultant might have that one interview tip that could put you that little bit in front of the rest! “It only takes a horse’s nose to win the race”.

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!  

You can never over research!

 - Be Suited and Booted and have a good hair cut and clean nails!  

 - This may be seem obvious (so you have thought?!) – However a good suit is essential – this will also make you feel more confident and relaxed.   

 - Relax and be your self, show them you’re human!!  

 - People want to work with people they can get on with…. Simple!

Hope this helps you secure your next Bulge Bracket Banking Job!  Happy interviewing…. 

To search our current jobs

To contact one of our specialist consultants call 0207 492 0700 or email: enquiries@circlesquare.co.uk

OUTPLACEMENT SUPPORT

If you have been made redundant and are looking for outplacement support, Circle Square now provides an outplacement

We are hired by companies who wish to provide an outplacement service to soften the blow of redundancy and also by executives

Over the last 4 years we have seen the credibility of the ‘Boutique Investment Bank’ rise from the depths. Depths far far below the most snobbiest of ‘reading spectacle glares’, to a level competing and niching into a space previously owned by the all conquering ‘Bulge brackets’.    

The classic boutiques such as Evercore, Lazard and Rothschild have grown increasingly strong both in numbers and ambition, taking mandates from the major players as they are specialised, competitive and provide a more honest approach to partnership. Bottom line…they care about their bottom line!  Service is naturally better and the desire for longer term business is 100% genuine.   

Another major factor to consider is throughout 08/09/10 top bankers from the traditional big banks have had to reconsider their future, having either being ruthlessly tossed from the comfort of bulging teams and pension pots or realising that the dream may be ending have sought out opportunities in more stable and growing organisations. Obviously plenty of bankers move across to Boutiques for genuine reasons (which are the ones we want), so the amount of talent on offer to these organisations has increased on a pretty big scale. 

This has naturally led to the growth of younger brother and sister boutiques such as Gleacher Shacklock, Arma Partners and Greenhill who have become tier one organisations in their own right due to the calibre of not only the deals they are closing, but also the individuals they are retaining and continuing to hire.   

Naturally too much competition is not healthy as Lexicon found out (present long before 2008, graduated at a similar time to close friend Hawkpoint) having recently been gobbled up by Evercore.  However this is an example of the strength that boutiques are starting to hold in themselves, other examples fall in line with the previously unattainable Bulge Bracket Bankers seeing value in a move to one of these organisations.  In the last three years your average top tier banker has been knocked down a branch or two in the sacred Bulge trust tree and realised, God forbid, they may just get better experience and exposure in a busy, highly credible boutique.  

Circle Square - Financial Recruitment

To search our current jobs

Accountancy & Finance Jobs   Private Equity Jobs  Capital Markets Jobs

Venture Capital Jobs   Real Estate Jobs   Interim & Temporary Jobs   Corporate Finance Jobs

If you're not sure which career move would best suit your skills and experience take a look at our Job Profiles. The profiles provide advice on the qualifications, skills and experience

required for each career option. The job profiles also outline salary expectation, job responsibilities and career progression: M&A Analyst    M&A Associate    M&A Director    M&A Vice President

If you are looking for advice we have a dedicated career advice section. Our advice is not just generic recruitment advice we have tailored advice for each of the recruitment divisions we work in including: 

executive search, accountancy & finance, temporary & interim, Real Estate, private equity, capital markets & M&A Recruitment. 

To contact one of our specialist consultants call 0207 492 0700 or email: enquiries@circlesquare.co.uk

Which Accountancy Qualification? AAT, CIMA, CIPFA, ACA,ACCA

CIMA, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 

CIPFA, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants

ACA, the Association of Chartered Accountants

The ACA, Association of Chartered Accountants generally is broad in it's spectrum of study as it is one of the main providers of qualifications that underpin private accountancy practices which offer audit, tax and general accountancy services. The employees of such partnerships are required to deal with a vast range of clients, which means their understanding ofaccountancy and financial regulations has to be flexible enough to cover anything from a butcher's shop to a large housing association.

ACCA, the Association for Certified Accountants

The ACCA, Association for Certified Accountants produces a qualification very similar to ACA in its focus, with one of the main differences between ACCA and ACA being that ACA requires all students to be articled for a minimum of three years to guarantee that they are given the required broad range of training while studying towards their qualification.

There is no actual accountancy qualification tailored specifically towards the banking industry

However, in general accountancy skills are highly transferable. At the core of any accounting qualification is the concept of double entry, together a thorough understanding of current statements of standard accounting practice. All routes of study will incorporate these at an in-depth level. The guidelines for recommended accounting practice, together with the specific financial regulations relating to the banking sector, effectively bridge the gap between the formal training route and the required specific knowledge base within banking.

Effectively, therefore, all accountancy qualifications can be the basis for a successful accounting career in the banking sector. 

However, due to the broader nature of the module bases and the equal emphasis placed on audit and tax when it comes to the actual accounting methods studied, the ACA and ACCA tend to be better choices than the alternative routes.

Written by Adam Tachauer of Circle Square  

If you're looking for your next Finance or Accountancy Job opportunity?

To search our current jobs: Accountancy & Finance Jobs   Private Equity Jobs  Capital Markets Jobs   Venture Capital Jobs   Real Estate Jobs   Interim & Temporary Jobs   Corporate Finance Jobs

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PE Recruitment,  Corporate Finance Recruitment or Finance & Accounting Recruitment

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According to market experts, the banking industry will be obliged to transform itself over the forthcoming five to ten years. Jean Pierre Mustier, a European investment banking veteran from UniCredit, has commented on the trend for lenders to re-organise their operating models along lines last seen in the 1980s.

Mustier is responsible for Unicredit's corporate and investment banking arm. Speaking to Bloomberg, he said that he anticipated a further increase in capital requirements. The knock-on effect would see the banking industry acting to further simplify their activities, and step back to a business model that focuses on transaction banking, lending and intermediation, which is similar to the 1980s model.

Banking industry regulators are strongly focusing on leverage, in a bid to prevent any recurrence of the bank rescues of 2008 funded by the tax payer. Universal banks, which combine commercial, investment and retail banking operations, will also be likely to farm out a greater proportion of their activities.

Although the banking industry transformation will not happen overnight, according to Mustier's predictions, it will be visible within the next five to ten years.

The idea of a banking world predicated on a previous model demonstrates the scale of challenge that lenders are facing as they deal with increasingly stringent regulations. Many believe that banks will simply abandon business activities that require too much capital, such as derivatives in particular.

The banking industry will increasingly embrace the commercial model, where clients are offered a broad range of credit options, from bonds to loans, with fundamentally local credit markets. Banks are realising that they don't necessarily need to have global operations in everything.

Some of these businesses - particularly investment banks - do require a certain critical mass in order to obtain acceptable returns. Universal banks might yet abandon activities such as merger advice, equities trading, and the servicing of hedge funds. By doing this, they will be able to obtain a stronger credit rating, see the cost of their funding decrease, be able to run off lower equity and see the ratio of loans to deposits decrease.

However, lending will also need to remain a focus. The banking industry will always risk losing money through poor lending decisions, regardless of their lending model. The financial market crisis of 2008 was driven by sub-prime mortgages or capital markets that were powered largely by the trade in securitised bonds. Equally, a spate of Latin American loan defaults in the 1980s showed that no totally foolproof banking system can ever exist across the board. However, elements can be controlled and improved, such as the recent regulatory tightening and challenges to banking excesses.