What do you do? What are the duties, functions and responsibilities that you are involved in as part of your role?
I am a second-year Analyst in the Energy, Utilities and Infrastructure team. As an analyst, I have a wide range of responsibilities – a large part of which involves providing assistance to senior management where I can. As such, I find my role is constantly changing. My typical responsibilities involve conducting financial analyses, constructing financial models and researching companies and the industry in order to deliver solutions for our clients.
Can you tell us a little about J.P. Morgan's work culture and environment? What sets it apart?
I work with an extremely talented group of people who are intelligent, hardworking and passionate about their jobs. The culture within my team is very supportive – my teammates help me with any questions or issues I may have and assist me when my workload gets heavy. Aside from our daily coffee runs, we try to spend time as a team outside of work. We recently went on a hiking trip to the Blue Mountains over the weekend which allowed us to enjoy each other’s company away from our desks. What drew me to J.P. Morgan as a university student and what sets J.P. Morgan apart is the company’s focus on developing their junior bankers. Last year, there was an initiative focused on bringing together the Analysts and Associates with our senior management in an informal setting to catch up on professional and personal topics. Along with my manager, I attended several client meetings and presented my work to our clients, giving me profile and exposure. I am grateful for these opportunities, which shows how focused the bank is on our development.
How did you get started in this field? How well did your work relate to the experiences or studies you had in university?
I started as a Winter Intern in the team in July 2016 and was lucky enough to be able to return as a Summer Intern and now as a Full-time Analyst. I was first introduced to members of the Investment Banking team at a recruitment event, where I had the opportunity to speak to bankers across all levels about the role and the firm. I completed a combined degree in Commerce and Science at the University of Sydney, in which I majored in Finance and Mathematics and Statistics respectively. Throughout university, I completed different internships across accounting, restructuring and insolvency sectors. Through these experiences, there were many takeaways that I believe helped me in securing a role at J.P. Morgan. I found that the best way to learn about the job is to do the job and I still find myself learning something new every day.
Do you have any advice for someone applying for J.P. Morgan? Or more specifically, the field you're involved in?
My advice for someone applying into J.P. Morgan is to be open-minded about the experience. Having an idea of your goals and what you want out of the job will help you determine if the role is right for you. Find a role and team you are most comfortable being yourself in and it will make the experience more enjoyable and rewarding.
What do you find to be the most interesting or challenging part of your work?
I find the most interesting part of my work is the client interactions – be it in face-to-face meetings or over calls. I am fortunate to be in a team that encourages this and to be able to watch the senior bankers interact with our clients is one of the more unique experiences of this role, as every interaction has a different dynamic and outcome. In terms of challenges, you need to learn how to balance multiple projects at a time while meeting tight deadlines, one of the aspects of this fast-paced industry.