Corporate Finance
Corporate finance jobs involve working for a company in the capacity of finding and managing the capital necessary to run the enterprise. This is done while maximizing corporate value and reducing financial risk.
The functions you may implement while in such a position include:
- Setting up a company’s overall financial strategy
- Forecasting profits and losses
- Negotiating lines of credit
- Preparing financial statements
- Coordinating with outside auditors
More sophisticated corporate finance jobs might involve mergers and acquisitions activity, such as calculating the value of an acquisition target or determining the value of a division for a spinoff. Corporate finance positions can be found in companies of all sizes, from large international entities to small startups. Additional corporate finance positions include financial analysts, treasurers and internal auditors.
Commercial Banking
Commercial banks, which include large entities to local institutions, offer a range of financial services, from checking and savings accounts to IRAs and loans. Career options available in this sector include bank tellers, loan officers, operations, marketing and branch managers.
Talented professionals can advance from a local branch job to a position in corporate headquarters. Such a promotion would expose you to a number of other areas, such as international finance.
Investment Banking
Some of the most glamorous – and intense – financial careers are jobs in investment banking. Investment banking jobs deal with facilitating the issuance of corporate securities and making these securities available for investors to purchase, all while trading securities and providing financial advice to both corporations and wealthy individual investors.
Typically, investment banking firms have a number of divisions and groups with many different objectives and responsibilities. Working in a traditional investment banking firm would allow you to interact with issuers of securities, mergers and acquisitions professionals, or the trading desk, which trades stocks, bonds and other securities in the secondary market.
Hedge Funds
Hedge funds are largely unregulated private investment funds whose managers can buy or sell a wide array of assets and financial products. Because of the mystery that surrounds this type of entity, hedge fund jobs are also considered by many to be somewhat glamorous.
