Biggest Challenges Faced by an Investment Banking Associate at a Global Investment Bank
Trent's biggest challenge as an Investment Banking Associate is managing "the amount of responsibility" across diverse industries, requiring rapid adaptation between calls and maintaining client service expectations of dedicated attention. This necessitates efficient material review and quick transitions to successfully navigate the demands of this "industry agnostic role".
Industry Knowledge, Adaptability, Client Service, Time Management, Responsibility
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Trent Hammond
Investment Banking Associate
Global Investment Bank
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2017
UCLA Anderson School of Management - MBA
Finance
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Took Out Loans, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Balancing multiple responsibilities across various industries is a significant challenge.
2. Maintaining industry-specific knowledge while switching between diverse projects is crucial.
3. Adapting quickly to different client needs and calls is essential for success in the role.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
I think the biggest challenge is the amount of responsibility in an industry-agnostic role. You could be working on a consumer deal, a gambling deal, or a media deal and trying to stay on top of everything. Having that industry knowledge is also key.
For example, I might be on a 30-minute call diving deep into the industry or company specifics for a consumer company. Then, all of a sudden, I have to immediately jump on a call in a completely different industry. It's also a client service industry.
Every company wants to believe you are working almost exclusively for them. So, always being ready for those calls and being able to adapt from one call to the next, one responsibility to the next, is really important.
It's definitely going to be a challenge. The way I'm looking to work through that is to take a breath and review the material as quickly as possible before jumping into the next call.