Question for OTC Derivatives Sales People

Im currently a listed futures & options derivatives sales person at a big European bank trying to make the transition into a the OTC commodity sales role where I find the work more interesting and aligned with my career goals.

Despite my lack of experience on the OTC side I've managed to get a few interviews with a few international banks that were attracted by my proven track record selling to buy side clients, however, due to the fact that i have little experience pricing/structuring OTC derivatives the interview process terminates prematurely (((in my opinion anyway )))

I was wondering if taking a Financial Engineering and Risk Management course ( such as this one https://www.coursera.org/learn/financial-engineer… ) would be a practical benefit to getting me ''up to speed'' in the pricing of OTC products or if it is in fact to theoretical and not very hands on to the ins and out of pricing OTC in the real world on a commodity sales desk??

I would really appreciate any tips that you could recommend or books that you know of that would make my transition into the OTC world smoother and would arm me with the technical and practical tools to make the transition a quick one should i eventually land a position on a OTC desk.

Also, I'm wondering does the pricing software/systems that OTC Desks use vary widely from bank to bank or are the nuances negligible that a salesperson jumping ship to another bank generally not have too much difficulty learning their pricing software/system vs the one used at his/her previous shop?

How about learning a programming language like python or Java? is that beneficial??

I've read Nicolas Taleb's Dynamic Hedging book as well as Exotic Options Trading book by Frans de Weert and found them both to be very interesting and fascinating.

Appreciate your time and thanks in advance!

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (85) $262
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (65) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (198) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (143) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”