Changing career into corporate finance

Anonymous wrote:

Hi

I am a 41 year old Solicitor in Family Law. I have a 2:1 degree in Law and Postgraduate Diploma in legal practice.

Older qualifications include AAT/BTEC in Business and Finance (22 years ago!).

I want to change career and Corporate Banking is of interest to me. Relationship Manager.

I realise I will need to send some speculative applications, I have the transferable skills but will need Finance Training.

What are the prospects of such a Career Change? How on earth do you send speculative applications avoiding HR to the large banks eg. RBS and Barclays.

Their websites are geared up to online applications which I assume will go straight to HR.Your advice would be very much appreciated.


A senior manager in WH Marks Sattin's corporate fnance team replied:

Many thanks for your comment on our Job Doctor site.

In all honesty, we do not really recruit into the Relationship Banking divisions of our clients, however I hope these few points may help. I agree with what you say with regards to online applications. Yes, these will be run and monitored by their HR staff and there is a high probability that they dismiss a high percentage of applications if they are from different industries.

You also have to take into consideration the state of the market and ask if banks are going to be hiring into this function? Many of our clients are either letting people go at present or simply not hiring and consolidating the staff they already have.

I think the best option to change career at this time is to try and apply for a few roles both directly to the banks and maybe to agencies who specialise in this are of banking. Networking is also extremely important especially as Relationship managers should have the ability to utilise contacts from the outset. Sometimes it is a case of "who you know, rather than what you know".

I hope these brief points may be of assistance and I wish you the very best of luck with your job search.

Private equity job prospects in the UK

David wrote:

Hi

I am currently based in South Africa but am very seriously considering a move to the UK. I am 41 years old and have a varied background in corporate finance, private equity, venture capital, asset-based finance as well as an e-commerce start-up. I am a Chartered Accountant (South Africa) as well as a CFA Charterholder. I would be interested to learn what you would advise about my job prospects in the UK. I have a preference for a job with some type of investment focus rather than pure advisory, but am open to suggestions. I’ve sent this email as a first step but would welcome a telephonic discussion.

Kind regards

David


A senior manager in Marks Sattin's Private Equity team replied:

Many thanks for your interest in the opportunities we've advertised and apologies for not always being able to provide individual feedback on each individual application. Private Equity in the UK is hugely competitive. Given the recent economic trends affecting the global market place, competition for these positions have increased significantly with the numbers of M&A and Leverage Finance bankers currently in the market place. As such clients are in an increasingly luxurious position of being able to hand select the 'perfect' cv. Most in demand are individuals at the investment analyst or associate level - top ranked M&A bankers from the Bulge brackets with a second European language and impeccable academics are particularly sought. At the more senior level a demonstrable track record is a must and for UK or European houses, a investment history and network of contacts is imperative. International relocation is by no means impossible but individuals need to have a unique selling point to compete against the home grown professionals and should be prepared to be flexible and take steps towards their ideal job.

For further information, please email privateequity@markssattin.co.uk and continue to apply for jobs that are of interest to you.

All the best in your search

Moving into Corporate Finance following ACA qualification

Anonymous wrote:

Hi, I am a final year student at Nottingham University studying Finance, Accounting and Management. I want to work in Corporate Finance or a related discipline. I reached final assessment centre stages for both PwC and KPMG before being informed that they had filled all their vacancies in this area. Both have given me the opportunity to apply for audit instead of my original service line, as this is all that is now available in Manchester. If I were to join audit and qualify as an ACA, would it be possible/easy to move into Corporate Finance, M&A advisory etc once qualified?


A manager in Marks Sattin's corporate finance team replied:

Many thanks for your email. As a niche recruiter within the Accountancy and Finance market, we are specialists at finding ACA candidates, opportunities within the Corporate Finance teams within Investment Banks, Advisory Houses and Top 4 Practices.

This is one of the most competitive areas of recruitment as there are always too many candidates for not enough roles when it comes to qualification time in Quarter 3. There are steps however to put you ahead of the game:

• Qualify with first time passes. Many of our clients are only willing to interview candidates that have a perfect academic and exam record.
  
• Fight for a secondment to a deal focused team such as Transaction Services, Lead Advisory or M&A.
  
• Keep up to date with the Financial markets. Many ACAs we meet have a basic lack of general financial understanding and struggle with Corporate Finance interviews.
  
• Undertake the new Corporate Finance Qualification (CFQ). This should give a great overview of the markets and modelling/valuation techniques.
  

The ACA is a fantastic qualification to have and will give you many options when you qualify. The training schemes are well respected and will give you the skills and client exposure to allow you to apply for many roles at your level upon completion.

Good luck with your exams and job search and please feel free to email with any further questions.

US to UK

Anonymous wrote:

I am a U.S. citizen, qualified CPA, Masters in Accounting with Big 4 and Banking experience. Is it easy to make a switch to the U.K? Are companies willing to take on expats both legally (visas) and financially (relocation costs)? Or is this a tough sell in the current market?

Thanks


A senior consultant at Marks Sattin replied:

Hello

In order to fully answer this question I believe we need more information regarding previous experiences. Making a move from the US to the UK is definitely feasible however certain factors need to be considered. It is impossible to give a definite answer to this question until we ascertain where your skills lie.

I would be more than happy to discuss this further so by all means email me at jobdoctor@markssattin.co.uk and your message will be forwarded to me. We can then see if we can help you in your move.

Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but as I said I am happy to chat about your options.

All the best

WH Marks Sattin

www.whmarkssattin.com

A career change to Energy Consultancy

Ahmad wrote:

Hello!

I am a Petroleum engineering graduate and I have been working in an oilfield service company (Halliburton) for last four years. My experience is quite thorough in the Upstream side of the business. Is my profile suitable to join as an Energy Consultant? I am seeking a career change at the moment.

Ahmad


A consultant in Marks Sattin's management consultancy team replied:

Ahmad,

As a result of the ever-present desire for top management consultancies to remain competitive within the energy sector, individuals working within many service companies and Super Majors are successfully making the transition into the industry. As a management consultant within the energy sector, you will be required to fully utilise your technical competencies, whilst at the same time further your business acumen on a largely international platform. Please feel free to send me an e-mail with your cv and a good time for me to call, and I will certainly be in touch to discuss potential opportunities.

Please forward your CV to jobdoctor@markssattin.co.uk and it will be passed to me.

Best regards