How can I prepare for a debt capital markets analyst role?

Title says it all. I’ll be starting in a few months as an analyst. I don’t have a finance degree. I have some real estate internship experience in capital markets but I still don’t feel prepared. Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare for a role in debt capital markets? Thanks in advance. 

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You're coming in as an analyst, most people will expect you to be worthless for 3-6 months until you get your feet under you. I don't think there's a ton you can do other than hone your excel skills and make sure you know how to model debt, since that's all they'll likely be asking you to do. Beyond that I listed a few points that I focus on as a client:

1. Good capital markets professionals are good at identifying what's important to me as a client, and then finding lenders that can offer what I want (or if you're a lender, being up front about what you can offer so you're not wasting my time). do I care about a lock out period? minimum interest? am I focused on proceeds? Rate? Etc.

2. Devil is in the details - I want someone that can quickly and accurately let me know the total financial cost of my loan options and how they relate. A lot of times there are costs that matter beyond rate (entrance/exit fees, minimum interest, etc.). Or, if I'm looking at different leverage levels I may want to know what the marginal cost of the additional capital is? If I have an $80mm loan at 5% or a 90mm loan at 5.5% what's my marginal cost of capital (inclusive of fees and other costs)? Where is the breakeven hold between two different options? etc.

3. Non-financial terms/risk - Is there any execution risk for each lender? You can't really control this as a lender unless the Head of Credit is your dad or something, but if you're a broker, I want to know if the guys that want to lend me money have done projects like this before, have decision makers toured the project, etc. From an operations perspective, how predatory can these guys be? Are they going to foot fault me into default? Are the comfortable with the guarantees I can provide? do they put overly onerous conditions in the loan docs. 

Like I said above, you really probably just need to know how to calculate basic metrics (DSCR, YOC, Total Loan Cost including amortized fees, DY, etc.) and be good in excel. If you can do the models accurately, and then step back and show you understand the rest that will set you apart as an analyst.

 

Voluptatem error veritatis sit consequatur voluptatibus rerum a. Non accusantium error distinctio aliquam.

Qui veritatis quos eum et consequatur cum asperiores. Quo voluptas rerum repellendus similique. Fuga quos ut quam hic. Est aut consequatur et voluptatibus occaecati. A distinctio error itaque maxime voluptas veniam aliquid sed. Aperiam vitae minus non. Non accusantium dignissimos blanditiis voluptas.

Est et molestiae dolor recusandae unde non exercitationem non. Nisi et aliquam possimus deleniti et voluptatem aliquam et. Enim iste molestiae ut maxime.

Perspiciatis tenetur nobis non nihil sequi necessitatibus qui id. Atque consequatur non quisquam maiores adipisci iste quam. Perferendis at aut cum omnis sint voluptatibus ut. Alias quidem aliquam velit repudiandae. Dolores tempora fugit nobis totam minima harum omnis. Possimus qui deserunt similique.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”