Job Descriptions

Finance Job Descriptions

Most sites that describe roles or careers try to sugar coat the financial services job descriptions or provide boilerplate articles.  At WSO, we go in depth with many days-in-the-life segments and a plethora of rich content we pull from our community forums and company database.  This gives you an honest front row seat to what these finance roles are really like.

It's best to read various job descriptions (below) so that you have a good idea of what each role entails and the qualification expectations.  Responsibilities can shift dramatically depending on the title and seniority of your role, even within the same industry, so it's important to read the job descriptions carefully, even for the more senior roles as you map our your career trajectory. 

Popular Job Description Articles

Investment Banking Job Description

A career in investment banking can be both extremely rewarding and challenging. This job is defined by long hours and can be very difficult work, but typically provides very high pay. It is an excellent choice for those who thrive on the challenge of creating and executing financial transactions that result in the successful flow of capital.

Private Equity Job Description

Private equity (PE) firms invest in companies to improve their profitability through strategic and financial means with the objective of eventually selling them for profit. The companies they invest in are generally private companies (whose shares don't trade in a public stock exchange), and if they invest in public companies, they take them private, hence their name.

Venture Capital Job Description

Venture capital (VC) is a subset of private equity, where firms or individuals make investments in early-stage companies and help them find success through some kind of mentorship in exchange for shares of equity. The individuals who run these firms or make these investments are called venture capitalists.

Hedge Fund Manager

A hedge fund (HF) manager is a person who manages a large pool of funds, using a wide range of investment strategies and investing in many types of securities to generate returns for investors. Hedge funds are large investment vehicles only available to very wealthy individuals and are considered a risky investment. They usually have large fees and promise large returns to their investors; however, they usually require that money be invested for at least one year.