Color on Relationship Manager and Portfolio Manager Roles

I can, if those are your two options the RM role is much better as it is a revenue generating role. At most corporate and commercial banks, the way it is structured is that the entry level analysts do a lot of financial modeling and credit analysis, "getting your reps in" a much more technical day to day, as well as providing color qualitative analysis on the business and industry from simple research. Then after 3 years of this you become usually one of three things: a credit analyst, basically the more senior analysts that do much more detailed risk analysis on the companies to make sure that they can pay back the debt and are eligible for the loans. This may actually be the least desirable role as the people are doing basic analysis and can be easily replaced and aren't doing revenue generating activities. The portfolio manager works with existing clients, covering their financials and making sure that they are actively meeting certain EBITDA covenants and meeting all the terms of their loans. The Relationship managers is what you really want to do, although this job, like a MD in investment banking, although not as high up, is much more of a sales type of job. Sure, you know the technicals and how the bank works and what they can do/their products, but you really are working with the clients, and seeing what the bank can offer them so that they enter into a deal that is most beneficial to both parties.

You also would much rather be in an industry group as oppose to a general group that just covers a particular area, especially industry groups where the landscape is changing like crazy and consolidating every day, such as Healthcare.