The Senior Analyst Jan. 2014 | Page 35

THE SENIOR ANALYST So what are your learnings from your work experience? Unless one is absolutely wrong for an industryone can’t relate to it at all , only then one has the right to be upset. One should be able to perform in all circumstances and understand all the stakeholders involved. An ability to appreciate the situation and put the organisational interest and the clients’ interest over personal interest and lifestyle is important to understand and vital for success. So, the attitude that the organisation adopts towards you by being flexible, open and willing to accept you in different roles assuming you will do well there( based on your performance in previous roles) you should be able to deliver that. Also important, is to be logical – For example- I don’t drive to work. I take the metro and realise that I am not wasting two hours of my life everyday driving, but rather use them to listen to music or read. It is more logical. In your opinion what are the skills that are required to succeed in the financial industry? The Business schools keep building the content part required in the financial industry- valuation, understanding financial statements etc. but I think that the thing that hits the bankers hard in the industry is the due-diligence. The most important work of a banker is the due-diligence bit. Not only financial due-diligence but also legal, regulatory, management due-diligence is to be done. You need to make sure that you are doing enough due diligence to give a fair picture of the company. For example, when you are reading an offer document, there are two things that bankers are checking- First , has the investment bank has done a proper due-diligence and second, if there is something substantial that has not been published, why is it so? That is where your due-diligence comes into picture. I think that is one skill that needs to be developed from day Jan 2014 one. It can be developed by being up to date with the industry. With enough happening in each industry, if you read the research reports and the annual statements thoroughly, they give you a lot of insights outside the financials. So bankers need not rely only on given information. They verify each and every fact, and they should, as they would offer this document throughout the world and an investor might press charges for not performing proper litigation. So what advice do you give to the present b-school students? Talk to your seniors and other people who have been in the finance industry for more than 4 years to get a feel whether this industry is a right fit for you. Although, working on and sealing deals sounds glamorous, it comes with a price on your personal life. If you willing to work on a deal for 6-8 months and still be passionate about it, then you are made for it. Having sound financial skills and understanding various financial instruments helps. So in campus, these two things can be done- test your passion and learn about financial instruments. For example- If you pick up say Economic Times or Business Standard and you see that Fortis has allotted some nonconvertible shares to Standard Chartered Private equity – understand what it is and what regulations will that come under. Does it intrigue you? That’s the question. If you read it as a matter of fact, then you are an avid finance reader and then there is a big difference in what you are now and what you want to be. You can bridge the gap in the corporate world, but if you want to test it today, you can try it. How do think the finance companies are coping with the uncertain economic scenario? The risk taking ability of all banks has gone down. The financial institutions place the financial Page 35