So you want to work for JPMorgan? It is, after all the top investment bank in the world on many measures according to this helpful chart from research firm Coalition.
However, getting a job at JPMorgan is even harder than getting a job at supermarket chain Aldi (where thousands of people queued for three hours at the weekend for just 40 jobs).
We’ve looked at three recent additions to JPMorgan’s investment bank in London according to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) Register. Some of them joined in late 2013, but have only just been registered by the bank. Others joined more recently. This is what they inform you about your chances of infiltrating Jamie Dimon’s behemoth.
1. Carlo Barracchia, joined JPMorgan from Oppenheimer Europe in equity sales
Who? An Italian by birth, Barracchia studied philosophy (unusually) at Milan university. He started his career in PR consulting rather than banking, working with clients such as Yahoo. From there, he got a job at Intermonte SIM Spa, an Italian brokerage. Two and a half years later he joined Oppenheimer, where he spent two and a half years before jumping to JPM.
What you can learn from Barracchia: Barracchia demonstrates the classic leapfrogging-up-the-ladder technique of getting into a big U.S. bank: start small at an unheard of institution, change jobs to a more prestigious firm every 2.5 years or so…
2. Graham Holden, joined JPMorgan straight from Warwick University as an analyst in the credit risk team,
Who? Holden graduated in economics from the UK’s Warwick University in August 2013. A top student, Holden did everything right. He got four A stars and one A at A level, left Warwick with a first class degree, ranked in the top ten out of 300 students at the university and was named one of the ‘ones to watch’ by student talent-spotting agency Fresh Minds. He was a summer intern at JPM in 2012 and a ‘campus ambassador’ for the bank whilst still at university.
What you can learn from Holden: JPMorgan likes its recruits pristine. It’s worth noting, however, that despite Holden’s immaculate CV, he hasn’t joined the US bank in a front office sales, trading or advisory job, but is working in risk. Don’t assume that risk jobs at JPMorgan are easy to get, therefore.
3. Jin Liu, joined JPMorgan as a VP-level FX eTrader in London. Previously an associate at Morgan Stanley
Who? Chinese-born Liu attended Tsinghua University in Beijing and studied mechanics and information systems. From there, he went to Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S., where a masters in finance led to a prop trading role at Citi in New York. After two years and six months at Citi, he went to Morgan Stanley. And after one year at Morgan Stanley in New York, he joined JPMorgan in London – achieving a promotion from associate to vice president in the process.
What you can learn from Liu: JPMorgan will hire you in London if you’re not an EU citizen and don’t automatically have a right to work in the UK. Jumping from job to job early in your banking career will not necessarily kill your chances of getting into a top bank. And it is still possibly to achieve a promotion from associate to VP by changing jobs.
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