MBA in Finance / Financial Colleges in India - HTCampus

Courses on Investment Banking in India

Banking Courses / May 3, 2016

Finance and the actual day to day job functions in high finance can be learnt while on the job and through training. Most investment banks teach everything you need to know for the job in the first few weeks.

If what you need to know can be learnt on the job why should major or coursework matter? What school you are from matters more because getting into a good school is a testament to your work ethic, talent, and essentially how smart you are. If you recruit at Harvard you have the general idea that all of these kids are going to be pretty smart considering getting in is so tough. Also, some schools don't offer majors like finance to undergrads, so an econ major from Harvard isn't going to be expected to know all of the same things as finance major from Penn State.

This logic led to much of the recruiting in high finance to occur at Ivy Leagues, other more prestigious universities and good state schools (good state schools are so massive you are bound to have at least some very smart type a personalities). As more and more people in high finance came from these schools the relationships just grew stronger. It is also much easier for an MD to want to recruit from Emory because he went there, so the cycle continues.

So essentially! Your coursework is not the most important thing...since you already know you are not at a target Uni do the following:

1. Network, Network, Network!!! Since you are not going to be at a target school this is the key to getting an interview. You will need to find alumni, friends, family members, friends of friends to reach out to. The only way you will ever get an interview is if someone recognizes your name.

2. Know "why investment banking?" inside and out. This shouldn't just be something you plan on reciting during interviews, it should be a conviction.

3. Build your story - you need to be able to show that you truly have an interest in ibanking. This means joining the right clubs and societies, showing leadership, and taking on relevant internships. (having coursework outside of finance and other business related majors is OK, as long as you can explain "why you want to do investment banking" and how this major fits into the puzzle.)

4. GPA! - this could quite possibly be the most important as without a strong GPA your resume will literally be thrown out in seconds. Especially if you are just starting university, you need to always know what your end goal is and how important grades are.

5. Do your research! - understand the recruiting process. If your university is not a target school, then you will need to network much harder. You will also need to know exactly what to expect for interviews. Investment Banking Interview Questions, Recruiting, Job Search, Resume and Cover Letter Tips has pretty much everything you need for interview prep.

*Taking courses in Investment Banking or paying for other training courses won't actually get you in the door. Your school matter more than anything! Next is any and all relevant work exp and grades. Training courses are things you might list at the very bottom of a resume with extracurriculars in less than a line (shows how important they are)

I personally am a finance major and did take on an extra interest in Investment Banking related work e.g. I made a website that teaches financial modeling.

Source: www.quora.com