Credit analyst to corporate investment banker
A credit analyst already meets 30% of what the corporate investment banker role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.7/ 100
1 How much of what a corporate investment banker is expected to do is already part of a credit analyst’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 corporate investment banker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A corporate investment banker role treats 6 of its required skills as things a credit analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial risk
- banking activities
- develop investment portfolio
- examine credit ratings
- review investment portfolios
- stock market
What stands in the way is 14 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A corporate investment banker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a credit analyst background worth leading with.
- already held maintain client debt records information skills
- already held perform debt investigation information skills
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held examine credit ratings information skills
- already held stock market business, administration and law
- already held review investment portfolios communication, collaboration and creativity
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the corporate investment banker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 5 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 investment banking required
- still to learn management consulting required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn business valuation techniques required
- still to learn credit control processes required
- still to learn funding methods required
- still to learn mergers and acquisitions required
- still to learn modern portfolio theory required
- still to learn securities required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn monitor stock market required
- optional, not held analyse business plans optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- still to learn advise on participation in financial markets required
- still to learn provide legal advice on investments required
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- still to learn economics required
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a corporate investment banker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 investment banking study this
- 02 management consulting study this
- 03 advise on participation in financial markets 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held maintain client debt records skill
- already held perform debt investigation skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held analyse business plans optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
21 held skills the corporate investment banker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on credit rating skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role analyse loans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse the credit history of potential customers skill
- not needed by the target role apply credit risk policy skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role debt classification knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role insolvency law knowledge
- not needed by the target role interview bank loanees skill
- not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain credit history of clients skill
- not needed by the target role manage securities skill
- not needed by the target role obtain financial information skill
- not needed by the target role public offering knowledge
- not needed by the target role synthesise financial information skill
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
15 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 investment banking required
- still to learn management consulting required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn business valuation techniques required
- still to learn credit control processes required
- still to learn economics required
- still to learn funding methods required
- still to learn mergers and acquisitions required
- still to learn modern portfolio theory required
- still to learn securities required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
Other moves recorded from credit analyst
- credit adviser 43% covered · substantial
- loan officer 42% covered · substantial
- mortgage loan underwriter 42% covered · moderate
- bankruptcy trustee 40% covered · substantial
- investment manager 38% covered · substantial
- corporate treasurer 37% covered · substantial
- insurance rating analyst 35% covered · substantial
- financial planner 32% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a credit analyst become a corporate investment banker?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A credit analyst already covers 30% of what a corporate investment banker is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the corporate investment banker role treats as required.
What skills does a credit analyst need to become a corporate investment banker?
14 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is investment banking.
How hard is the move from credit analyst to corporate investment banker?
Its learning distance is 68.7 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.