Ahh, where was I... oh yes, the 5 year flashback. Before I continue, lets beam back to present day. To put things into perspective, the financial markets are in a mess ; global equity markets have practically erased this years gains, the US economy is accelerating at a slower pace than expected, China's economy is showing signs of slowing down and even talks of a hard landing, and the mother of all issues, the EUROZONE CRISIS.... Greece is in shits and the Spaniards are in the crosshairs now, bailout after freaking bailout has been dished out, with fear of contagion widespread. Problems seem to be coming out of the woodwork for these guys. Needless to say, another global economic meltdown brewing.I shall not bore you with my macroeconomic opinions for now. The bottom line is, the conditions in Investment Banks have steadily been deteriorating since 2008 (i.e post the collapse of Lehman brothers). Stricter capital requirements , the regulatory armada..i.e Basel III and the Dod-Frank ,and of course so much scrutiny on compensation have devalued the incentive of working in , let alone being a shareholder of an Investment Bank. How does this affect me? Well, all the stories you heard of Investment Bankers raking in millions in bonuses in their first few years on the job, are a thing of the past. Seriously, I used to hear my seniors talk about their glory days, and mind you these guys got into the industry 2-4 years before me, all were handsomely rewarded, with some hitting the big 7 digits in their 2nd year payouts! Disgusting I know, but true... Well, none of that for me and my other unfortunate peers who got in at the f***ing peak before shit happened (2008). Gone are the days. To say the least in this present day, as an Investment Banker , YOU WILL NOT GET PAID.
Back to the flashback(before I get too carried away). Where was I..oh right, the phone interview. So that fateful day I received the call, I was jubilant of course, but also realized the heavy tasks that awaits me. The voice on the other side was some MD as he introduced himself, and he mentioned he was in Sales, covering Financial Institutions. Kaaching, front office!! At that time I didn't know what it meant exactly but f***k me, I wanted it so bad, I would say anything. At that moment in time, I was his bitch. So he quizzed me a bit on shit like my personal accomplishments etc and I answered as best as I could, at times with a quivering voice (due to my freaking nerves of course). And he asked me the golden question, "which area are you interested in". I answered "Investment Banking"... (clearly it didn't seem like a stupid answer at the time) and he retorted , well Investment Banking is broad! In that instant I was lost, In my mind I was like "dude you better come up with a better answer fast you f**ker". Immediately, I recalled him mentioning he was from Sales, and I immediately replied, I've always wanted to be in Sales. Following a couple of other discussion topics highlighting qualities that made me a good Sales person, I earned myself an interview the next Monday. I'm going to Hollywood! haha, not exactly. As much as I was happy, I have always been an ultra pessimist , hence, I wasn't counting my chickens then. I imagined probably being one of at least 100 he shortlisted. So I started prepping myself...and the rest as they say is history. Not quite. I plan to give you a blow by blow detail of what is to follow but for now, I have to end this post.
Its anti-climax I know but a man has got to go to bed...Till next time, good night
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