Next to certain users in the forums and blogs there is a small icon that has a certain 2 letter code and color. The two letter code represent the users industry (or target industry) and the color represents the users experience (or lack thereof). The codes work as follows:

Industry Codes:

IB = Investment Banking
PE = Private Equity
VC = Venture Capital
HF = Hedge Fund
ST = Sales & trading
ER = Equity Research
RE = Real Estate
CO = Consulting
CF = Corporate Finance
AM = Asset Management
EN = Entrepreneur
IA = Investment Advisor
O = Other

Status Codes:

Very Light Green = Prospective Monkey
Very Light Blue = Any Analyst
Light Blue = Any Associate
Blue = VPs, MDs or Partner
Yellow = Business School
Grey = Other, Retired, Recruiter

If you have yet to set your own Industry and Status, please click on your username to get to your profile in the upper right hand corner of the site. Once you are there, click on the tab labeled "edit" and then "Monkey Stats". Under this menu you will see Industry and Status drop down boxes. Please select the appropriate Industry and Status so that other users can quickly know your focus and level of expertise without having to visit your profile page.

Remember, these icons are self-reported. In order to verify your status as a finance professional and get certified with WSO, you still need to meet the standard criteria of a Certified User.