In what division are soft skills most valued?
In what division are soft skills most valued?
I would consider myself a very good leader; I have a natural ability to deal with people and have a high EQ (emotional intelligence). I also have pretty good math/technical skills, but I'll never to able to compete with an MIT math major.
I have pretty much ruled out S&T since these days you have to be a genius quant to be a trader. I am considering IB, although I feel as if there is not as much room to stand out in IB with leadership qualities since much of the work starting out is grunt work and very technical.
I reckon I will be very good at navigating office politics, and being seen favorably by management. I was thinking of perhaps private banking/PWM? Not entirely sure where I could use my EQ to really flourish.
Doesn’t matter if you showed good leadership skills/EQ or technical abilities at college—your mentality comes across as arrogant which is a problem in any finance role.
But yeah, don’t underestimate the need for soft skills in IBD.
Leadership is extremely valuable at all levels, even as a first year. To say otherwise would reflect a very narrow definition of what leadership actually is.
It just looks different than what you may have thought a 'leader' looked like in college (i.e. someone who is President of a bunch of random clubs). As a first year you won't have any people under you to manage obviously but there are numerous ways you contribute and build your credibility as a future leader. For example, you can either be the Analyst who blindly processes comments or you can actively contribute to the content and message of your work product. The beauty of banking is that there is always so much to do and thus your Associates/VPs will greatly appreciate any Analyst taking a leadership role on putting together materials and ideas without them specifically telling them.
As you build credibility within the team with your work ethic, work product, and idea generation you will be recognized by other analysts and your superiors. I've definitely seen Analysts/Associates who are well respected enough to essentially command attention. People will listen to them when they talk and people will defer to their ideas regardless of level. This all takes time to build and it starts from the moment you hit the desk as a first year.
In any job (not just banking), title does not equal leader. As others have eluded to, leadership and respect is earned over time. Over time you'll get promotions and eventually you'll be directly managing Analysts/Associates but the best leaders will have earned the respect of their peers well before that.