Finance concentration guide (rev)

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FINANCE CONCENTRATION CAREER GUIDE

Internship recruiting starts very early in the fall. All resumes need to be finalized and approved by
September 1. Students need to be prepared for interviews by mid-September.

Finance Definition
Management, creation and study of money, banking, credit, investments, assets and liabilities.

What is Finance?
Finance is a broad term describing two related activities: (1) the study of how money is managed and (2)
the actual process of acquiring needed funds. Because individuals, businesses and government all need
funding to operate, the field is often separated into three sub-categories: Personal Finance, Corporate
Finance and Public Finance.

MBA Finance students will acquire a broader knowledge of finance applications in a wide range of topics
and industries. The program is geared toward individuals working in the field, looking to expand to higher-
level employment opportunities.

Career Titles

• Senior Analyst • Financial Analyst • Vice President

• Manager - Global Network • MBA Career Development • Senior Consultant

• Services Program • Chief Financial Officer

• Business Planning Specialist • Financial Business Specialist Senior Associate

• Account Manager • MBA/Finance Leadership • Consumer and Small

• Senior Advisor • Development Program Business Product Consultant

• Program Manager, Business • Account Leader • Assistant Vice President

• Development Finance • Consumer and Small Financial Analysis Sr.

• Data Quality Senior Analyst Business Banking Advisor Analyst

• Product Manager • Program Manager • Consultant

• Senior Financial Advisor • Senior Financial Analyst • Project Manager

• Portfolio Manager • Finance Rotation Program • Pricing Analyst

Skills
(from previous work experience, summer internships and MBA courses):

• Budget Analysis & Planning • Revenue Reviews & • Capital Projections & Strategy
• Financing Proposal Analysis Forecasts • Analyze/Monitor Investments
• Competitor Analysis
• Risk Management
• Debt & Equity • Originate & Structure Deals
• Report Treasury Data Issuance/Refinancing • Regulatory Compliance
• Discounted Cash Flow • Fund/Portfolio Management
• Pro Forma Statements
Analysis • Financial Planning

Models/Systems

Notable Recruiting Companies (Full Time and Internships)

• Accretive Health • Global Healthcare Capital • PNC Bank
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• American Express • Goldman Sachs & Company • Sandia Labs
• Scottsdale Insurance
• Arizona Commerce Authority • Grayhawk Capital • St. Joseph Hospital and
• Medical Center
• Bank of America • Intel Corporation • Swift Transportation
• U-Haul
• Cisco Systems, Inc. • Koch Industries, Inc. • University of Phoenix
• USAA
• CVS Caremark • KPMG • Vanguard
• Vocera Communications
• Deloitte Consulting • Mercer Advisors

• Dell Inc. • Merck

• E&J Gallo Winery • Meritage Homes

• Equity Methods • MGM Resorts International

• Experian • Moelis & Co.

• Farnam Realty • Newmont Mining Corporation
• Federal Bureau of On-Semiconductor

Investigation • PIMCO

Sample Internship Projects • Strategic modeling • Critical success metric
development
• Forecasting models • Factory capacity analysis
• Competitive analysis &
• Metrics automation • New product development recommendations
valuation
• Variable cost modelling • Inventory valuation
• Strategic project valuation
• Risk & Analysis and prioritization • International cost

• Product pricing & • Cost reduction analysis allocation
benchmarking

• Capital affordability and
should-cost modeling

Key Terms & Acronyms

Financial Dictionary of Finance Terms & Definition, Wall Street Oasis (extensive)

Glossary of Finance Terms, MBA Klass

50 Business Terms All MBA’s Should Know, MBA No. GMAT

Finance, Accounting And Economics Terms, MBA Skool

Sample Interview Questions
MBA finance interview questions and answers, Career Ride
MBA Finance Interview Preparation Guide, Global Guideline
10 Most Common MBA Interview Questions, VMOCK
20 interview questions Harvard asks MBA candidates, Business Insider
11 questions you will always be asked during a financial services interview, eFinancial Careers

Sample FIN Resumes

[first year]
[second year]

W. P. Carey Graduate Student Clubs
Graduate Finance Club

Professional Organizations
IMA (Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business)
American Bankers Association: American Bankers Association represents banks of all sizes.
AFA: American Finance Association promotes the knowledge of financial economics.
ASWA: American Society of Women Accountants promotes women in accounting and finance.
AFP: Association for Financial Professionals serves treasury and finance professionals.

Certifications

Professional Investment Banker Chief Financial Financial Manager Financial Analyst
Certification Officer
Voluntary; Certified Voluntary; certifications Voluntary, but recommended;
Key Skills Investment Banking Not available, but available from the CFA Charted Financial Analyst
Associate (CIBA) experience is Institute and the (CFA) certification available
Work designation available acquired through Association for from the CFA Institute
Environment from the Investment managerial roles Financial Professionals
Bankers Group (IBG) Computer competency; good
Similar Analytical thinking; Clear Organization; analytical judgment and decision
Occupations customer focused; good communication; thinking; solid making; clear
judgment and decision leadership; mathematical communication; analytical
making; attention to detail management ability; foundation; attention to thinking
time management detail Security, commodity
Securities and commodity Large and small Finance and insurance contracts, and other financial
contracts intermediation businesses in all companies; investments and related
and brokerage; industries management of activities; management of
depository credit companies and companies and enterprises;
intermediation; other Administrative enterprises; credit intermediation and
financial investment service managers; professional, scientific, related activities
activities computer and and technical services Budget analysts; personal
Insurance sales agents; information systems Budget analysts; financial advisors; securities,
personal financial managers; human insurance underwriters; commodities, and financial
advisors; real estate resources managers loan officers services sales agents
brokers and sales agents

Articles/Publications
How to get a job in finance with a second-tier MBA, eFinancial Services, 2016
Financial Professionals: The Benefits Of Joining An Association, Investopedia, 2016

Quick MBA in Finance, QuickMBA, 2010

Finance MBA, MBA No. GMAT, 2012

Online Resources
Websites:
Twitter feeds:

The Economist:@TheEconomist
Wall Street Journal: @WSJ
Market Watch: @MarketWatch
Bloomberg: @business
Financial Times: @FinancialTimes
Forbes: @Forbes

Newsletters:
ASU Research Newsletter & Library (select Finance)
Wall Street Journal
The Economic Times
Reuters

Videos:
How Do I Decide Between an MBA or Masters in Finance? Official GMAT

LinkedIn Groups:
W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University

Job Boards:
eFinancial Careers
Financial Job Bank
Association for Financial Professionals

Alumni Success Stories