From eFinancial careers:
Like it or not, young bankers have an image problem. The 2006-stereotype of models and bottles and arrogant young men waving money out of windows might
seem unfair when you’re working 18 hour days and staring at a screen.
But as with all clichés, it’s not entirely divorced from reality.
“Humility is rare in banks,” says Nyla Nox, an author who
spent years on the ‘graveyard’ shift of a major American bank,
formatting pitch books for junior M&A bankers. “It’s weeded out in
the leadership selection process. I’m not sure it would be recognized if
it appeared.”
Young bankers deny that arrogance
is pervasive in the industry
Although she’s got a degree in a humanities subject, Nox says she was
treated with disdain by the analysts and associates she worked with:
“They were astonished that a girl like me has a degree and could talk
like a human. The assumption was that we were morons.”
The current and ex-junior bankers we spoke to questioned this
portrayal of a conceited elite of 20-somethings who treat anyone outside
their clique with opprobrium. “It all depends upon the firm you work
for,” said one ex-Morgan Stanley sales VP, speaking on condition of
anonymity. “At Morgan Stanley it was all very, very low key and WASPY,
not brash at all.”
Things are said to be equally low-key at Goldman Sachs.
also speaking off the record. “Most people in banking are very
academic, very, very hard working, professional and focused on the job.
“It’s not about the money, it’s about your reputation in the firm and how much responsibility you have,” he adds.
Anecdotally, obnoxiousness is far more prevalent in the interdealer broking industry than in large investment banks....MORE
