What a summer! As a part of Prime Brokerage Sales, my day began every morning at 6am. Establishing a morning routine early in the summer was crucial to my success; this included showering and shaving as a means to put my best foot forward each day at work, as well as to let my body know that it was time to excel another day on the job. Having my suit planned the night before, as well as consistently having my wallet, bag w/ reading materials, as well as security badge easily accessible and consistent smoothed out some of the difficult mornings.
After leaving my apartment I realized that I had to always be sharp; armed with my wall street journal and one of a series of books regarding investing and finance, I was always ready for whatever was thrown my way. The goal of the morning was to be abreast of what is going on in the world, specifically how our hedge fund clients were fairing and what new investing opportunities may exist. The sales teams were responsible for 'managing the relationships' with some of our biggest hedge fund clients, and a key aspect of that is to understand their strategies and understand how they can better benefit from our services at the bank, all the while increasing our profits.
As an analyst, my success was defined by consistently asking questions and being available to compile P&L spreadsheets, necessary credit documents, as well as PowerPoint presentations for prospective/current clients or for potential cross-sell opportunities throughout the rest of the bank. I benefited the most from our weekly sales meetings describing all of our current business, how our clients were doing, and what services we needed to increasingly provide.
Client visits and outings, as well as presentations from executives within the bank dominated all of my time away from the desk during the work day. These were extremely beneficial in the perspective that I gained, as well as marking the beginnings of my network. Not to mention they were fun. Connecting throughout the bank and to our hedge fund clients definitely helped me to navigate Corporate America, as well as helped me realize this was something I am interested in for the beginnings of my career.
Nights and weekends were some of my only downtime, and they included increasing the wealth of knowledge I gained over the summer, as well as increasing my network and experiences. Through working hard, having fun, and gaining a wealth of perspective, this was a summer I will never forget. And after making a great impression, I have the option to do the same thing next summer and for the near future!