Breaking into Corporate Finance?
Hey guys, I'm new hear and just had a question regarding corporate finance and how to break into it. Is it something that I would be able to break into directly after undergrad (top 10 b-school)? Or is i-banking viewed as a pre-req? Also, what is first year compensation like? Any answer is greatly appreciated, thanks a lot!
You can certainly go straight into corporate-side CF right out of undergrad, and it's arguably easier to do that than to get into IBD, with the exception of a few firms with really well-known programs (Disney...).
As for salaries - I've heard a pretty wide range, but generally for F500 CF I think you can expect something in the 40-70k base range, with at the most 2-3 more months of pay in bonuses.
Breaking into corporate finance from undergrad at a F50 (Originally Posted: 07/06/2014)
Hey guys, so I will be attending a top ten b-school next year double majoring in finance and accounting. Although i-banking is something that appeals to me, I can't imagine myself in that lifestyle. Also, I don't have a need to be super rich but rather just want a comfortable lifestyle in which money isn't an issue. corporate finance sounds like a great role for me. The lifestyle isn't bad, and although the compensation isn't that of i-banking, it is still very good for a recent college grad and a position in corporate finance positions oneself well for advancement.
However, something I have noticed is that there isn't an exact guideline on how to break into corporate finance at a large (F50) company. For investment banking there are all sorts of resources on how to get internships, interviews and jobs at investment banks, but I haven't been able to find much of that for corporate finance. What do interviewers look for in a potential candidate for a position in corporate finance? What kind of things should I do during my four years on campus to position myself well for a position like this. Also, what exactly are the salaries like at a company of this (F50) like for a first year employee? Thanks a lot and I appreciate any answers!
"b-school" generally refers to an MBA program, not undergrad majoring in business. You see a lot of resources for IBanking because it is so difficult to get in (not that F50 is easy). Undergrads aren't very "specialized" yet so all employers are looking for very similar things. Any advice you read about breaking into ibanking will be relevant to F50 as well, with some probably obvious exceptions that are very specific to banking. One route to F50 (or at least F500) that has a very high success % is big four accounting. You will need to hustle a bit to get into the finance rather than accounting department, but it's still a solid path. You can do big four internships, or a two year full-time stint during which you will be exposed to many F500 companies and can choose the one that suits you best. It is also very possible to go directly to F50 (for internships and full-time jobs) and if that is your end goal you should try to do that, but the big four route is a great backup plan.
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