Does anyone work in the finance field in a securities analyst type position?

[ridingonlorenzos]

I have an interview with a major bank next week for a securities pricing analyst position.
If anyone here is in the field, do you mind shedding some light on the role? Also, what sort of things should I expect on the interview, and what kind of salary can I demand? The job is in Toronto, by the way.

I currently work as a bank teller for the same company.

Thanks in advance

 

[antidope]

I'm not a pricing analyst but I do work as an analyst in the securities department at my firm. Above all else you have to make it seem like you have at least a general understanding of the securities/investment industry because they really dint want to have to deal with explaining the base to anyone. They would rather hire someone who's already certified so you at tell them that you plan on getting whatever the equivalent to the series 7 and 24 is in Canada eventually, and you can also say that you were previously studying for the equivalents to the 63 and 65 because you dint need to be sponsored by a firm in order to take those. Make sure you make it clear that you arent trying to use them in order to get certified then leave, but that you feel that studying and taking the examinations will give you a better understanding of the securities industry as a whole and make you better at your job.

You should know a little bit about the types of investments that are out there; equities (basically stock), bonds, mutual funds, annuities, etc etc. Just being able to rail off names and a brief sentence about them will do you some good. IDK much about salary you can demand for that position but I doubt you'll be getting underpaid and even if you are, once you get in  and get some experience under your belt you can basically use it to leverage yourself into more money elsewhere or from the firm that you work for, at least that's what I've seen. The key thing you really need to display is knowledge and interest because quite frankly there is a lot of stuff to know and hardly anyone really knows it all.

I'm actually getting ready to leave for work right now, so I wont be around to check this thread that often, but if you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

 

[handullz]

No pm s ...

Put it all out here...

I'm starting my masters in finance and SOOOI desperately want some kind of job in my field while in school...

That would make me feel a lot more comfortable coming out of school.

How did you find the job,op?

 

[handullz]

found this on the interwebz for you.

http://blogs.payscale.com/salarystories/2009/10/what-are-public-security-markets.html

 

[scshift]

Check out http://www.wallstreetoasis.com

There's a lot of info on that site.

 

[antidope]

No pm s ...

Put it all out here...

I'm starting my masters in finance and SOOOI desperately want some kind of job in my field while in school...

That would make me feel a lot more comfortable coming out of school.

How did you find the job,op?

Are you going school full time? If so outside of the generic "keep your grades up and go for internships" answer I can tell you that a good way of getting is doing exactly what the OP did. Work at retail bank that is owned by a major firm. If you want to work for JP Morgan work at a Chase Branch if you want to Work for Merrill Lyrnch work at a BofA and so on. Hiring internally is somethign that happens very often.

Check out http://www.wallstreetoasis.com

There's a lot of info on that site.

This too. A lot of the questions that I had when  I was googling things let me there.

 

[handullz]

Are you going school full time? If so outside of the generic "keep your grades up and go for internships" answer I can tell you that a good way of getting is doing exactly what the OP did. Work at retail bank that is owned by a major firm. If you want to work for JP Morgan work at a Chase Branch if you want to Work for Merrill Lyrnch work at a BofA and so on. Hiring internally is somethign that happens very often.

i remember you telling me about operations, but i didnt know exactly where to start.

i'm taking 3 classes (9 hours is full time) and my classes are MTW from 6:30- 9:20... if i stay consistent w/ 9 hour courses, and take the summer off, i'll be done Spring 14...

right now, i'm working part time for AT&T selling cell phones... i work Thu-Sun from 12-8...

i was thinking about applying for a part time teller's postion to work MTW during the day... then if something came calling, i'd drop AT&T and go full time for whatever position they offer...

if i could jump right into something... anything... i would... i want to be atleast bringing home 35K, though, cuz that's what i make here at AT&T working part time.

Would the banks and credit spots be interested in me since i'm working on my finance degree?

All i have is 5 years retail experience, two years management experience, and a BBA - Marketing.

 

[antidope]

Are you going school full time? If so outside of the generic "keep your grades up and go for internships" answer I can tell you that a good way of getting is doing exactly what the OP did. Work at retail bank that is owned by a major firm. If you want to work for JP Morgan work at a Chase Branch if you want to Work for Merrill Lynch work at a BofA and so on. Hiring internally is something that happens very often.

i remember you telling me about operations, but i didn't know exactly where to start.

I'm taking 3 classes (9 hours is full time) and my classes are MTW from 6:30- 9:20... if i stay consistent w/ 9 hour courses, and take the summer off, i'll be done Spring 14...

right now, I'm working part time for AT&T selling cell phones... i work Thu-Sun from 12-8...

i was thinking about applying for a part time teller's postion to work MTW during the day... then if something came calling, i'd drop AT&T and go full time for whatever position they offer...

if i could jump right into something... anything... i would... i want to be atleast bringing home 35K, though, cuz that's what i make here at AT&T working part time.

Would the banks and credit spots be interested in me since I'm working on my finance degree?

All i have is 5 years retail experience, two years management experience, and a BBA - Marketing.

I actually dont know where to start in order to get into Operations either, I'm gonna walk over there and ask for you if I have some time though.

Thats 6:30 to 9 PM? Thats definitely doable and I would assume that most firms would be accommodating of that and make sure that you're able to leave on time for class on those days. I do think that if you were to get a full time offer you would definitely be seeing at least 35k if you were to get something in corporate finance. You pursuing your masters is a definite plus, you getting it will make you that more valuable to them and will make it easier for you to move up once you get in. I dont have one but it definitely something I'm going to look into doing at some point

I wouldn't slight any of the experience that you have, its way more than I have and More than most people I know, and you have management experience which is a major plus. Have you ever tried credit unions? My search there wasn't good to me, but I remember seeing a lot of openings in corporate offices for the credit unions in my area and a good amount of them were for the marketing department. You could also look at broker dealers and clearing firms like Royal Alliance and Pershing. Places where people dont typically think about while job searching where your resume and credentials will stand out that much more.

 

[ridingonlorenzos]

I'm not a pricing analyst but I do work as an analyst in the securities department at my firm. Above all else you have to make it seem like you have at least a general understanding of the securities/investment industry because they really dint want to have to deal with explaining the base to anyone. They would rather hire someone who's already certified so you at tell them that you plan on getting whatever the equivalent to the series 7 and 24 is in Canada eventually, and you can also say that you were previously studying for the equivalents to the 63 and 65 because you dint need to be sponsored by a firm in order to take those. Make sure you make it clear that you arent trying to use them in order to get certified then leave, but that you feel that studying and taking the examinations will give you a better understanding of the securities industry as a whole and make you better at your job.

You should know a little bit about the types of investments that are out there; equities (basically stock), bonds, mutual funds, annuities, etc etc. Just being able to rail off names and a brief sentence about them will do you some good. IDK much about salary you can demand for that position but I doubt you'll be getting underpaid and even if you are, once you get in  and get some experience under your belt you can basically use it to leverage yourself into more money elsewhere or from the firm that you work for, at least that's what I've seen. The key thing you really need to display is knowledge and interest because quite frankly there is a lot of stuff to know and hardly anyone really knows it all.

I'm actually getting ready to leave for work right now, so I wont be around to check this thread that often, but if you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

Sound advice! It's tomorrow and I've been sitting on khanacademy and wallstreetoasis and a few other random sites just getting my knowledge up. Hit up some people on linkedin who have worked in that job and tried to connect with them to get a scouting report.
I'll let you all know how it goes.