How hard is it to get a job in investment banking?
The demand for coveted positions in investment banks consistently exceeds the available supply, making it a highly selective field. Statistics indicate that acceptance rates for top investment banks, such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, typically range between a mere 3% to 5%.
The lucrative and fast-paced career of an investment banker is a highly competitive one. For instance, in a recent year, 236,000 applicants competed for roughly 3,500 internships at Goldman Sachs. This is common across the industry where acceptance rates for programs are typically less than 2%.
Becoming an investment banker requires several years of higher education in addition to licensure. It also requires strong mathematical and analytical capabilities, which may be challenging for some people. In addition to a bachelor's degree, investment bankers may need a master's in finance or an M.B.A.
Banks rarely hire mid or top-level professionals from other industries. Most new hires join at the entry level, and for levels above that, they hire experienced bankers from other firms. You need to work long hours in entry-level IB roles, and older candidates are less willing and able to do so.
Yes, GPA matters! Bulge bracket banks and almost all other investment banks will look at your GPA when applying for a job and you should include it in your resume. Typically banks screen resumes based on GPA and will often remove anyone below 3.5.
Investment bankers are notorious for working long and demanding hours, with work weeks well exceeding 40 hours being the norm for entry-level investment banking analysts. In a competitive culture where putting in extra-long hours is regarded as a badge of honor, a 9-to-5 routine is pretty much unheard of.
Most former bankers have reported that it is quite uncommon for an analyst to hit the 100-hour mark. Apparently, this only happens occasionally (once a month) when an analyst is working on multiple live deals or poorly aligned international projects.
Which is the hardest investment bank to get into? Goldman Sachs is notoriously difficult to get into. One statistics recently rolled out was that it received 100,000 applications for just 2,300 global internship positions. This means that it received 24 applications for every job it posted.
Investment banking is a quantitative field, and having a strong foundation in mathematics is essential. If you're considering a career in investment banking, it's important to have a deep understanding of mathematical concepts such as calculus, probability, and statistics.
An investment banker's life is considered to have long working hours, working on weekends, a lot of hard work, and little sleep.
Can investment bankers make 500k?
It's common for an investment banker's bonus to surpass their base pay, and in profitable times, they may earn over half a million dollars a year.
"Most people who get entry-level jobs in banking are aged 20 to 25 years-old," says one former trader. "Once you get beyond 28 years-old, it becomes a lot more difficult to get a front office job (in trading, sales or M&A) in a bank," he adds. "Of course, there will always be exceptions, but it's tough."
Goldman Sachs does not give a specific minimum GPA requirement, though some sources suggest a GPA of at least 3.6 is preferred. Additionally, you may need to show relevant coursework and hard skills for certain programs.
Q: What are your GPA requirements? A: We value diverse degree backgrounds and experiences and while a GPA 3.2 (or equivalent) in your undergraduate degree is preferred it is not required. Our training programs are designed to allow everyone, regardless of major studied to succeed.
It's true – top-tier investment banks recruit heavily from ivy league schools and other target schools. Big names such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan visit campuses to drum up interest in their internship programs and full-time entry-level positions.
Investment bankers typically earn salaries in the $200,000 to $700,000 range, with bonuses that can bring their total income up to several million dollars per year.
- Analyst.
- Associate.
- Vice President.
- Senior Vice President.
- Managing Director.
But people in IB (at least people I kind of know) work until about 2am every day and come into office between 9/9:30. So realistically they get about 5-6 hours of sleep (or even less in busier periods) and are expected to be functioning 100% every day.
Many Analysts might be working more like 80-90 hours per week rather than 70-80. That may not sound significant, but it's the difference between 12.5 hours per day for 6 days with one day off and 12.1 hours per day with no days off.
Key Takeaways
Investment bankers meet with clients, prepare offers, run financial projections, and work on pitchbooks, that help generate new clients. The work is lucrative but the days are long and stressful.
Do investment bankers get weekends off?
Do investment bankers work on the weekends? Working on the weekends is considered a norm if you are an investment banker. It is not necessarily because banks require them to work on weekends, but it is mainly the sheer workload and the pressure investment bankers put onto each other.
Investment banking interview questions are often hyper-technical — you may need to calculate specific numbers, explain formulas, or walk the interviewer through various investment banking activities.
Goldman Sachs & Co.
Goldman Sachs is widely known as the most prestigious investment bank on Wall Street.
The demand for coveted positions in investment banks consistently exceeds the available supply, making it a highly selective field. Statistics indicate that acceptance rates for top investment banks, such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, typically range between a mere 3% to 5%.
Yes, many people have become rich by working in investment banking, particularly in the area of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Investment bankers who specialize in M&A typically earn high salaries and have the potential to earn significant bonuses based on the deals they are involved in.
