eFinancialCareers

One (rather exasperated) headhunter recently told me: “Finding an excellent private banker is like finding an excellent doctor. There are plenty of general practitioners around, but there aren’t many amazing surgeons.” The talk last year was of firms only wanting the best, most cashed-up bankers, which was fair enough in the midst of the financial crisis. The problem now is that vacancy levels are rising again, but recruitment requirements remain... Read more

Reading this you have most likely had experiences with using headhunters in your career. Some of those interactions would have been good and value adding, others possibly not so good. Last year was a tough one for us all: clients, candidates and headhunters alike. As the market heats up again in 2009, it’s natural to assess where you want to be in your career. Many of the recruiters you have... Read more

Our senior columnist explains why you will usually make more money at an international bank. The author is a senior banker based in Singapore, with three decades in commercial and investment banking at major international firms. If you haven’t read his other columns, click here, here and here. My nephew, who works for a major foreign bank in Singapore, laments endlessly about the tremendous working pressure and stress which he faces... Read more

I am a first-year research associate in an equity research department. I have just spent several weeks putting together charts and data analysis for my boss. Building easy-to-understand Excel charts, graphs, statistics analysis and PowerPoint presentations is now what I do every day. Is it worth it? Will it really help my career? I’d like to think so. A lot of new comers (and even experienced people) have the wrong impression... Read more

Vacancy activity is rising in Asia and the first signs of skills shortages have emerged. In such a market, employers that have not started to quicken their recruiting process have been the first to miss out on the best quality candidates. What a difference 12 months makes. Last year will be remembered as a tumultuous year for many sectors. Compared with the preceding years, the recruiting landscape was remarkably different in... Read more

Brijesh Pande has just finished the master's in finance at London Business School. Previously head of fixed income capital markets at Citigroup in Indonesia, he joined a leading Australian bank in Singapore as head of FX, interest rates and derivatives corporate sales for South Asia after his course finished. We've asked Brijesh a few questions below. He will also be available to answer selected questions from readers between 21 and 23... Read more

You send your CV to a reputable headhunting firm. You don’t hear from them. You try calling them, but can’t get someone to speak to you. You persist and finally talk to someone who is just not interested in meeting you, or talking to you for more than five minutes. Sounds familiar? Chances are, this is the experience of a vast majority of bankers who have approached search firms to... Read more

Last week she was angry with a major European bank giving her the run-around. And now our “View from the Bottom” columnist says her very specialized structuring background is stifling her job search. The writer is a young Singaporean banker who worked on Wall Street and is now looking for a job back in Asia. A headhunter recently told me that banks are wary of candidates with more than six months... Read more

In the latest installment of her popular “View from the Bottom” series, our columnist vents her frustration about banks and their tedious selection methods. The writer is a young Singaporean banker who worked on Wall Street and is now searching for a job back in Asia. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve actually had a few interviews recently. I tend to either make the final rounds, or some silly internal... Read more

In the latest of her regular “View from the bottom” series, our columnist tells us about her worries for the future. The writer is a young Singaporean banker who worked on Wall Street and is now searching for a job in Asia. Sunday marked the end of the time limit I set myself last year for finding a new job in i-banking. As you might have guessed, I still haven’t found... Read more

I am a continental European by birth, but I’m currently working for a major investment fund in the UAE. Until a couple of years ago, I was with in an investment bank in London, but I got the chance to move into private equity when the market was in a bad shape and moved here. It was a good choice, but now I’m looking to move on again. I feel... Read more

Until six months ago, my life was smooth sailing. After graduating from a US Ivy League school in 2000, I joined a major European bank as a junior IT developer. I escaped the 2001 recession intact, and was on track for my promotion to an associate director in 2005. But I decided to explore my options a bit more, so I resigned and started a Masters in Finance in one... Read more