Inside Knowledge - Careers in Banking and Financial Markets - 2024 / 2025

Sep 4, 2026

Guide to careers in investment banking, sales and trading, private equity, hedge funds, and related bank functions including risk, compliance, operations, and technology, tailored for the 2024–25 recruitment season. Explains industry conditions affecting hiring, outlines key roles and what different front/middle/back office areas do, and provides practical application steps such as when to apply and how to write a banking CV. Includes career spotlights and role overviews from analysts to associates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages127

Reading Time5 h 20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Recruitment season overview

What is an investment bank? What does it do?

What investment banks do at their core

What’s the front office, middle office, and back office of a bank?

The best time to apply for an investment banking job

How to write a banking CV

What is M&A and what do M&A analysts do?

Day in the life: Junior Investment Banker, London

What is sales & trading and what do salespeople & traders do?

How to get a risk management job in banking and finance

How to get a compliance job in banking and finance

How to get a job in fintech in 2024

Glossary

Directory

INSIDE KNOWLEDGE CAREERS IN BANKING AND FINANCIAL MARKETS 2024 / 2025 Contents 3 / Introduction 4 / What is an investment bank? What does it do? 7 / What’s the front office, middle office, and back office of a bank? 10 / The best time to apply for an investment banking job 12/ How to get a banking job: 14 routes in 16 / Where to work for the best lifestyle (and pay) in finance 18 / How to write a banking CV 22 / What is M&A and what do M&A analysts do? 27 / Day in the life: Junior Investment Banker, London 29 / What is sales & trading and what do salespeople & traders do? 35 / How to get a capital markets job in an investment bank 40 / What are bank research jobs– and what do research analysts do? 44 / How to get a job in private equity 49 / Day in the life: David, Private Equity Associate, KKR, New York 51 / Day in the life: Beatriz Duarte, Senior Associate, Blackstone, London 53 / How to get a job in asset management 58 / How to get a job in a hedge fund 65 / Day in the life: Trainee hedge fund analyst, Point72 Academy Investment Analyst Program 67 / Day in the life: Equities analyst, Citadel Global Equities, Miami 70 / What do quants do – and how do you become one? 77/ Day in the life: Quant researcher, Citadel Securities, Miami 79 / How to get a risk management job in banking and finance 83 / How to get a financial services technology job 89 / How to get a compliance job in banking and finance 94 / How to get an accounting job in banking and finance 98 / Day in the life: Software engineer, Citadel Securities, New York 100 / How to get an operations job in banking and finance 104 / What are financial services custody jobs and how do you get one? 109 / Day in the life: Akhila Chaganti, Associate, Deutsche Bank Singapore 111 / How to get a job in fintech in 2024 116 / Day in the life: Matthew Low, Director of Product, Bolt, San Francisco 118/ Glossary 122 / Directory September, 2024 [efinancialcareers.com](efinancialcareers.com) 2 Back to contents page INSIDE KNOWLEDGE ~~ ~~ Introduction ello and welcome to the HetFheiainncaniacliCaal rseeerrvsicguesieetcotocr,arewrierstte for the 2024-25 recruitment season. As ever, we wish everyone interested in this demanding, competitive and rewarding industry the best of luck. It’s never easy to get into an investment bank and 2024-25 is unlikely to be much different. However, it will hopefully be easier than the previous year. Writing in early July ‘24, at the start of the third quarter, banks are optimistic that investment banking deals (M&A and capital markets) deals will return and that money can be made in sales and trading from the “right kind” of volatility. Banks’revenues have nearly doubled in some areas compared to 2023, and this can only be good for hiring. At the same time, though, the financial services industry is suffering as a result of higher for longer interest rates, the uncertainty born of elections in many of the world’s major economies and ongoing geopolitical instability. Higher rates mean that borrowing has become more expensive and that investments funded by borrowing are less viable than before. Some areas of the financial services industry, like private equity, are suffering more than others, but few people begin their careersin the private equity industry anyway. By comparison, big hedge funds, which aim to make returns in any market are seen as increasingly desirable and competitive first employers. Our aim is to guide you into the roles that you want to find. These are usually in what people sometimes call “high” finance, which includes investment banking, sales and trading, private equity, and hedge funds. Not all the jobs in an investment bank are for “investment bankers,” however. We’ll also be exploring the many other functions that you could work in-of risk, compliance, operations, and technology. And we’ll take a look at

FAQs

What does the guide cover for the 2024–25 recruitment season?

It covers careers across investment banking, sales and trading, private equity, hedge funds, and other roles such as risk, compliance, operations, and technology, including fintech. It also includes practical guidance like when to apply and how to write a banking CV.

Why is it difficult to define what an investment bank is?

The guide explains that an investment bank’s scope is hard to pin down because major banks often do multiple activities beyond pure investment banking, such as asset and wealth management and sometimes retail banking.

What are the core activities of an investment bank?

At its core, it helps clients raise funds by issuing securities (equities or bonds) and helps clients buy or sell parts of businesses or assets.

Sep 4, 2026

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