Mergers and acquisitions analyst to corporate investment banker
A mergers and acquisitions analyst already meets 54% of what the corporate investment banker role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.8/ 100
1 How much of what a corporate investment banker is expected to do is already part of a mergers and acquisitions 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 11 of its required skills as things a mergers and acquisitions analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- business valuation techniques
- develop investment portfolio
- examine credit ratings
- investment banking
What stands in the way is 9 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 18 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 mergers and acquisitions analyst background worth leading with.
- already held holding company activities business, administration and law
- already held provide legal advice on investments communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held business valuation techniques business, administration and law
- already held mergers and acquisitions business, administration and law
- already held investment banking business, administration and law
- already held business loans business, administration and law
All 18 carried skills, including the 11 the corporate investment banker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 management consulting required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn banking activities required
- still to learn credit control processes required
- still to learn funding methods required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- still to learn monitor stock market required
- optional, not held maintain client debt records optional
- optional, not held perform debt investigation optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- still to learn advise on participation in financial markets required
- still to learn economics required
- 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 management consulting study this
- 02 advise on participation in financial markets practise this
- 03 asset management study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 18 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held business valuation techniques knowledge
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held investment banking knowledge
- already held mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held provide legal advice on investments skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held business loans knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held holding company activities knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held manage contracts skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- optional, not held maintain client debt records optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held perform debt investigation optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
17 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 actuarial science knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role apply credit risk policy skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role assess risks of clients' assets skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial plan skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial disputes skill
- not needed by the target role handle mergers and acquisitions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
10 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 management consulting required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn banking activities required
- still to learn credit control processes required
- still to learn economics required
- still to learn funding methods required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
Other moves recorded from mergers and acquisitions analyst
Common questions about this move
Can a mergers and acquisitions analyst become a corporate investment banker?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mergers and acquisitions analyst already covers 54% of what a corporate investment banker is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 11 of which the corporate investment banker role treats as required.
What skills does a mergers and acquisitions analyst need to become a corporate investment banker?
9 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is management consulting.
How hard is the move from mergers and acquisitions analyst to corporate investment banker?
Its learning distance is 47.8 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.