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Finance professionals in a corporate
setting handle many different activities, depending on the level
they reach. For example, at the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) level,
the work includes: helping the company choose an investment bank
for a debt or equity offering ; helping the CEO determine whether
to take the company public (and when) or whether to buy back the
company and take it private; arranging lines of credit with banks
; determining the value of a company targeted for potential acquisition
or the value of an existing; business's segment for potential sale;
working with accountants on the company's annual audit; forecasting
profits and losses; interacting with the investment community; reviewing
bud gets; helping to set the company's overall strategy.
Clearly, the CFO of a company is involved in virtually
every aspect of the business. At lower levels, finance professionals
work in the areas the CFO oversees. For example, they: interact
with the CPA firm doing the audit; perform their own audits; track
cash flow; prepare and review budgets; work with managers to determine
the profitability of certain lines of business; work with information
specialists to help design systems that accurately and fairly allocate
costs; monitor investments in the company's 401(k) retirement plan;
prepare quarterly financial statements; trade the firm's capital
for the most favorable return
Some finance professionals in corporate settings
remain individual contributors, but most move into management positions,
often relatively early in their careers. Obviously, CFOs of Fortune
500 corporations and people who handle the financial side of a small
business do very different things. Likewise, the specific duties
of a finance professional change depending on his or her number
of years in the business.
bschooljobs.com Flash Cards—investment banking interview preparation flashcards.
Careers in Financial Services
Harvard Business School Career Guide: Finance - career opportunities, company profiles, position descriptions and recruiting process.
Plunkett's Financial Services Industry Almanac - information on leading firms in Investments, Insurance, Banking and Financial Information.
WetFeet Guides
Wall Street
Research Net - information on companies and current
economic news. http://www.wsrn.com/
More Resources-
http://www.som.yale.edu/careers/resources/career_sectors.asp
Additional
Job Search Web Sites - http://www.som.yale.edu/careers/jswebsites/jswebdefault.asp
Bloomberg
Forbes
Fortune
Corporate Finance Career Preparation
Timeline
Investment banking opportunities, especially
at the internship level, are intensely competitive. In order to successfully
navigate the investment banking recruiting process, research, discipline and
focus are required. While most of the big banks have internship positions,
they are very competitive so be prepared! And, if you are not successful
in landing an investment banking summer internship, you should not feel discouraged.
Many of our graduates who have successfully received full-time investment
banking offers pursued various types of internships that provided them with
the analytical and personal skills that helped make them receive their final
offer.
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Internships |
Full-Time |
| Pre-academic
year summer |
Research firms of interest
and note deadlines for on- and off- campus recruiting deadlines
Draft resume and cover
letters
Keep up with the markets
– read the WSJ |
Craft resume and cover
letters
Inform CDO of interest
in investment banking
Network with investment
banking firms, alums and with second years who interned in IB |
| September |
Attend Finance Club kickoff
meeting
Inform CDO of interest
in investment banking
Revise cover letters and
resume
Identify and network with
alums and second years involved with investment banking
Attend on-campus presentations,
CDO workshops, Career Immersion and Meet the Firms. Attending on-campus
presentations is very important – companies keep track of who attends
and some will automatically count you out if you miss their events |
Attend Finance Club kickoff
meeting
Begin researching companies
you are interested in interviewing with. Look at websites and Vault.com
and wetfeet.com
Attend on-campus presentations
Revise cover letters and
resume
Develop contacts at firms
that do not recruit on campus
Drop resumes |
| October |
Revise cover letters and
resume
Develop contacts at firms
that do not recruit on campus |
Drop resumes
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
| November |
Revise cover letters and
resume
Attend on-campus presentations
Meet with CDO consultants
to refine personal story and interview skills
Drop resumes |
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback
Participate in mock interview
program |
| December |
Meet with CDO consultants
to refine personal story and interview skills
Drop resumes |
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
| January |
Prepare for Super Week
interviews
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback
Be prepared to decide
on SuperWeek offers within two weeks of offer date. |
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
| February |
Continue to practice,
for interviews
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
| March |
Continue to practice,
for interviews
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
Continue to practice,
practice, practice for interviews
Update CDO on progress
and meet with consultants to refine strategy based on interview feedback |
| April |
Review outstanding offers
with CDO and negotiate terms
Identify staffing manager
at firm where offer is accepted and start developing a relationship
|
Review outstanding offers
with CDO and negotiate terms
Identify staffing manager
at firm where offer is accepted and start developing a relationship
|
| May |
Network with key contacts
and alums at consulting firm. |
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| Post-academic
year summer |
Network with key contacts
and alums at consulting firm
Evaluate whether experience
meets expectations. Is consulting for you? Do you want to return to
the firm? The CDO is available to help you with these considerations |
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mba.yale.edu
