Corporate investment banker to investment analyst
A corporate investment banker already meets 46% of what the investment analyst role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.6/ 100
1 How much of what an investment analyst is expected to do is already part of a corporate investment banker’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the investment analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An investment analyst role treats 10 of its required skills as things a corporate investment banker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial performance of a company
- asset management
- economics
- fundamental analysis
- funding methods
- modern portfolio theory
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An investment analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a corporate investment banker background worth leading with.
- already held fundamental analysis business, administration and law
- already held business valuation techniques business, administration and law
- already held investment banking business, administration and law
- already held asset management business, administration and law
- already held credit control processes business, administration and law
- already held monitor stock market information skills
All 19 carried skills, including the 10 the investment analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse economic trends required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn obtain financial information required
- still to learn provide support in financial calculation required
- optional, not held assess financial viability optional
- still to learn financial markets required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn international trade required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- still to learn data visualisation software required
- optional, not held trading software optional
- still to learn actuarial science required
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- still to learn empirical analysis required
- still to learn quantitative analysis required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an investment analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 actuarial science study this
- 02 analyse economic trends practise this
- 03 analyse market financial trends practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held economics knowledge
- already held fundamental analysis knowledge
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held monitor stock market skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held business valuation techniques knowledge
- already held credit control processes knowledge
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held investment banking knowledge
- already held perform stock valuation skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
- optional, not held create a financial plan optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held assess financial viability optional
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held create a financial plan optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
15 held skills the investment analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on participation in financial markets skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role business loans knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role debt systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop investment portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role holding company activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain client debt records skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage corporate bank accounts skill
- not needed by the target role management consulting knowledge
- not needed by the target role mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform debt investigation skill
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice on investments skill
16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn actuarial science required
- still to learn data visualisation software required
- still to learn empirical analysis required
- still to learn financial markets required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn international trade required
- still to learn quantitative analysis required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
Other moves recorded from corporate investment banker
Common questions about this move
Can a corporate investment banker become an investment analyst?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A corporate investment banker already covers 46% of what an investment analyst is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 10 of which the investment analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a corporate investment banker need to become an investment analyst?
11 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is actuarial science.
How hard is the move from corporate investment banker to investment analyst?
Its learning distance is 57.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.