Graduate Case Studies - ALEXANDER VAN HOLK-ASSOCIATE INVESTMENT BANKER
My job involves mergers and acquisitions, advisory work, global capital markets advisory work, including initial public offerings, and debt issues. I am part of the team that covers the Benelux markets, in particular the large cap companies.
Both my bachelor and master's degrees provided me with a good fundamental understanding of corporate finance. However, I would not say you need a degree in economics or finance to do well in investment banking.
I am a wheelchair user, having suffered a spinal injury that left me paralysed from the waist down. But I would not say it has had a tangible impact on my career. Morgan Stanley have been very good at ensuring that everything is accessible.
I'm lucky enough to work with incredibly good people and working on big deals is also very exciting. No day is ever the same. Not that there aren't some bad bits, the long hours for one. Although when you are working really late it tends to be on something big and interesting which kind of makes up for it.
If you're a graduate and you want to get into finance, you should read about financial markets, in particular mergers and acquisition activity and try to develop your own views about why things are happening. Begin developing your professional profile by doing internships and work experience programmes as early as possible but never forget that this is a people business so take time to develop your social and team building skills as well. The most important thing is that you develop a genuine passion for corporate finance; if you can convey this in an interview, you are half way there.
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