So you want to be a banker?

You have just graduated from the University or High School and you are dreaming of landing yourself a good job in the financial services industry. You want to work in a Bank.


First of all, you need to ask yourself, what kind of a banker do you want to be- an investment banker, a business/corporate banker, an asset manager or a retail banker?


What are my key areas of strength?

Where do I want to work in a bank? Front or Back Office

What kind of skills do I need?

I would group that under the following headings:

Social Skills- How good am i with people, in terms of persuasion, be able to handle difficult people, networking, making friends easily, etc- or am a I a recluse and do not like socialising or mixing with people, I dont like people getting too close.


Technical Skills- For those that went to the University or Technical Colleges to study something that interested them as a teenager but no longer interesting and financially rewarding but now want to work in a bank. You want to ask yourself,

• what do I want to do?


• what technical skills are needed where I want to be


• what technical skills have I got?


• How do I make up for what I havent got?

This requires hard work and dedication.

The areas you could work include the following: Corporate Banking, Treasury, Branch Banking, Finance, Equities, Fixed Income, Mergers and Acquisition, Risk Management, Sales and Trading, Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit, Funds Management, Private Banking/Wealth Management, Interest Rate Risk, Customer Service, etc.

Over the next coming weeks, we shall be discussing each of these areas in details.