eFinancialCareers

Brian Urkowitz, Head of Merrill Lynch's Global Transactional Client Services: "We rely on our junior team members to critically analyze processes, and recommend improvements, or to engage senior managers to make necessary changes to increase our level of quality." As managing director and head of Global Transactional Client Services for Merrill Lynch, Brian Urkowitz is responsible for delivering services across the firm's entire Global Markets and Investment Banking Services (GMIS) unit.... Read more

"I think you have to be aggressive. If, for example, you put your head down and just do your job, you won't be as successful as if you worked hard and networked with your peers and senior colleagues." Rebecca Patterson is a vice president and global currency strategist at JPMorgan, helping her colleagues and clients understand the implications of currency moves. In her reports, Patterson evaluates economic trends, geopolitical moves, changes... Read more

"During the recruiting process, keep banging on the door. Bankers have difficult schedules. If they don't get to know you, it isn't for a lack of desire, but rather the lack of time." Rob Sivitilli is a managing director of investment banking for JPMorgan in New York. Since joining the firm in 1996, he has advised clients on M&A transactions in the real estate, lodging, industrial, manufacturing and defense sectors. He's... Read more

Yacov Wrocherinsky, CEO of Infinity Info Systems: "The people we are looking at have an entrepreneurial spirit. They are willing to take initiative, and they have to be able to work in teams. We look at how people view their career journey, and we also look at the choices they make. We want good listeners so they will work well with our in-house team and our customers." Yacov Wrocherinsky started Infinity... Read more

Despite its allure - some would say romance - floor trading is a fading game. As it becomes increasingly electronic and the flow of open outcry orders shrinks, those who remain on the floor need to rethink their game plan if they want to succeed "upstairs." While activity continues on exchange trading floors, the number of people actually working on them has dwindled dramatically. Even those who remain admit the vast... Read more

A conversation with Imran Ali, an associate at the Boston-based private equity firm Alta Communications: "A private equity job requires a higher level of responsibility. An analyst position at an investment bank provides a good platform, but typically wouldn't allow for a junior person to gain the same exposure and experience." How did you get into private equity? After the end of my first year as an analyst in an investment bank,... Read more

Every year is better to some people than others. Here's our look at the winners of 2006. Private equity Anyone saying the private equity space had anything less than a great year must have spent the last 12 months on an island without wireless access. Private Equity Intelligence reports $365 billion of funds were raised last year, compared to $293 billion in 2005. It's no surprise that PE funds have been hiring... Read more

A banner year for some, 2006 also had its share of people who'll be glad to see it go. Today, a look at some of those who can't wait to get the holidays behind them. Tomorrow, we'll look at those who are celebrating. M&A Bankers Since 2006 has been the busiest year on record for global M&A, the sector's bankers won’t exactly be crying into their pillows this holiday season. Still, those... Read more

Richard Cervone, managing director and portfolio manager at Putnam Investments: "It's essential to learn everything you can about businesses, even by simply walking around the city and looking at retailers and how they operate." Richard Cervone is a managing director and portfolio manager on Putnam Investments' U.S. Core Equity team, which manages the firm's Core Equity and Core Concentrated Equity institutional portfolios. He is also on the management teams of Putnam's... Read more

You know the type: They're your firm's rising stars. They're the people named as team leaders. They're picked for plumb projects and seen chatting in the vice president's office. As for you, you're good at your job, but you're not standing out. Does that mean you can't rise along with a star? Not necessarily. The Rules of the Game In an ideal world, professionals can attach themselves to flourishing peers, learn from... Read more

Richard Jacobi was vendor relations manager for Lava Trading when this interview was conducted during the spring of 2006. He talks about his job and preparing for a career working with market data: "I don't think you will see many courses in school that say Market Data 101." When eFinancialCareers spoke with Richard Jacobi, he was the vendor relations manager for Lava Trading Inc., a developer of trading solutions for the... Read more

We hear it again and again: Finance isn't all about numbers. It's about communications, too, whether you're developing client relationships, pitching new business or working with colleagues on the trading floor. Here, Petter Wendel, chief financial officer of Greystone & Co., shares lessons he's learned about communicating and relationship-building. Petter Wendel, 42, is chief financial officer for Greystone & Co., Inc., a New York-based real estate and investment company whose businesses... Read more

Investment banks pride themselves on hiring the best and the brightest - but your college GPA is decidedly average. What can you do? Robbie Miller Kaplan plots a strategy. During my first two years of college, I struggled when it came to establishing an effective routine for handling classes and assignments. As a result, my grades weren't all that great, and I graduated with a GPA of about 2.5. Do you... Read more

Damien Loh has been a foreign exchange trader since he graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Computer Science in 2002. He talks about what it's like to work through a trading day in a world that rarely sleeps. "The learning curve remains steep and it's a true meritocracy," he says of trading. "A good trader gets promoted and compensated commensurately without much politics interfering with that process." What made... Read more

Successful corporate bankers - those who provide services to large companies and governments - are rarely active job seekers and almost never job hoppers. When a new opportunity does find them, they must consider how a move could affect their client base as well as themselves. Whether you're moving to start a product line or earn more money, you'll want to make sure clients will come along to your new institution.... Read more

How should your resume or CV treat your involvement in a corporate gay and lesbian network? To start, keep it in the context of your job search. During my years at a U.S. investment bank, I played an active role in the firm's gay and lesbian diversity network. In searching for new employment opportunities, should I mention that involvement in my CV? I don't want to be disadvantaged by recruiters or... Read more

A conversation with Ken Marlin, managing partner of Marlin & Associates: "There's always an element that's totally out of the control of the person being interviewed, which is this: We're trying to figure out if he'll fit in." Ken Marlin is founder and manager partner of Marlin & Associates, a boutique advisory and consulting firm focused on middle-market companies in technology, information, media and business services. Previously, he'd spent ten years... Read more

"It isn't a career, or role, that you work at alone. There's a lot of cooperation, so you need to be comfortable working with several disciplines." Harold Tinkler has been with Deloitte & Touche for 35 years, and has held the chief ethics and compliance officer's job since 2003. He oversees the development and execution of ethics policies applied both internally and externally. Previously, he was managing partner for the firm's... Read more

A conversation with Ken Marlin, managing partner of Marlin & Associates: "There's the potential in these jobs to make a fair amount of money, but there is an expectation that people will work hard for it. " Ken Marlin is founder and managing partner of Marlin & Associates, a boutique advisory and consulting firm focused on middle-market companies in technology, information, media and business services. Previously, he'd spent ten years as... Read more

Executive coach Robin Linnecar on why even the best dealmaker's career will stall if colleagues aren't made to feel loved. Linnecar: Be nice As a 21st century Tennyson might put it: “In the autumn, a banker’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of their year-end bonus.” It might more constructively turn to thoughts of how to ingratiate oneself with one’s colleagues. Short term bonuses depend primarily upon financial performance. But there’s more to... Read more