Profiles
I have been asked this question by several hiring managers from top-tier investment banks early this year.
Traditionally, a business analyst plays a significant role as the bridge between business users and the information technology division. Professionals in this role tend to possess strong communication skills with sound understanding of the business processes in specific domains, as well as substantial technical know-how.
Given the challenging market condition, the majority of investment banks are talking about cost reduction and cost saving which has posed vigorous discussions about whether an application developer can do a business analyst’s job.
In fact, this is already happening in several top-tier investment banks. Line managers tend to look for all-rounded professionals not only technically strong in programming, but also have the capability to communicate effectively with business stakeholders.
Based on such findings, I would like to share several tips below for a developer who is keen to secure a position with a global investment bank:
- Research and gain an understanding of the business domains you are about to interview for, i.e. equity derivatives trade flow and processes, meaning of pricing engine, what’s the flow of trade confirmation and settlement, etc.
- Remember to clearly elaborate on your work experience, project exposures and your strengths and weaknesses. Give a breakdown of what kind of projects you have worked on, the size of the project in terms of budget, the people involved, the achievement and results etc, and highlight your technical skills.
- Prepare for scenario based questions, most of the time there is no exact answer for these questions. Employers are looking to see how you would handle specific real-life situations through the way you think, your approach and how you solve the problem. Be sure to show you understand the situation and refer back to your own experience where you delivered a positive result.
- Lastly, initiate questions during the interview to show your interest in the company, the job and in interacting with business stakeholders.
