Who said finance is boring? And finance people are mere number crunchers? We beg to differ and this article is just about that. Read on and discover there is more to finance guys than rimmed spectacles, grey hair and excel spreadsheets. Because most corporate finance jobs involve solving problems using a combination of intuition and analytics. If you are good at problem solving, this may well be the job area for you.

Are You the Forrest Gump Type?

Many of us imagine working in a corporation as a boring, routine experience designed for dim-witted, pencil pushers in short-sleeved pastel plaid shirts. Not so pal. Rather, you need to be comfortable with ambiguity and rapidly changing environment where tasks change from day to day, maybe hour to hour.

Geek of the Week? Not Really, But…

Let’s not avoid the obvious. You have to be computer literate with spreadsheets, word processors, presentation package and mainframes in corporate finance. This is especially true for entry level positions where you will need to crunch numbers as you get involved in the details of corporate financial planning, accounting and capital-raising. Execs love to talk about strategy, quality and vision. Funny, but when they interview you expect to be asked “Have you ever written a VBA macro in Excel?” or “Have you used a Reuters or Bloomberg station before?”

Are You an Impatient, Entrepreneurial Type?

One of the most common complaints among new entrants in corporate finance jobs is that the low level of the work surprises them. “I didn’t go to school to do this…” is a common refrain. Keep in mind that corporate environment reward longevity and loyalty. Be patient, learn from mentors and invest in yourself along the way. If you complain early on you may never get the break you want that comes from doing a minor task particularly well.

Why Do Nice People Get the Good Jobs?

The movies portray “killer” operators in corporate environments, getting ahead by manipulation and chicanery. This isn’t exactly how it works. People who like people, can communicate their ideas, build deep networks and are passionate about their work get ahead.

Leader or Follower?

The number one attribute most corporate employers are looking for is initiative. If you can give examples in interviews of situations where you did something plain useful even though no one asked you to, you will be a hot commodity. Have you ever started a business? Or put together a social event that brought people together? Or started a new organization?

Habla Espanol?

Large U.S corporations are more globalised than ever and job will often take you across borders. You will obviously be more desirable to a company if you have a command of at least one foreign language and knowledge of international corporate finance. Would you be comfortable managing a bank relationship for your company in Argentina? Or costing new plants in China?

Risky Buiness

The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the sophistication of corporate risk management strategies. How are we going to hedge against fluctuations in the cost of our inputs? And what should we do to protect against foreign currency fluctuations? If you are familiar with models, techniques and derivatives, which can be used to manage risk, you will be in high demand.

Did You Ever Play with an Erector Set?

Manufacturing often hires corporate finance types with a back ground in engineering. Ford, for example Wants people in the factory who can understand complex manufacturing process, communicate well with engineers and enjoy complex costing work.

How Are You with People?

The best financial professional are good with people. According to Fortune, “Finance types are often curt and colorless. By contrast, the best CFOs are master persuaders with a streak of the sales person. They read people as surely as balance sheets.”

(This article attracted the attention of someone known to the editorial team and since we liked it we have put it here with an intro. Source not know and if you are the author or the source, treat us to a screening of Forrest Gump.)

Issue BG10 Jan02

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