なぜこの業界に興味を持ったのですか？How did you get interested in the finance industry?
As an East Asian Studies major who considered playing cello professionally, I admittedly did not know much about the industry. I enjoyed and excelled at being the Public Relations chair of my orchestra, and interned at a major PR firm in New York. However, the pace and the level of creativity made me wonder whether the work would keep me engaged over the long term. My sister who worked in finance and my college friends going into the industry told me there were many different divisions and roles; they encouraged me to explore it. My first interview with Goldman Sachs was memorable - I was impressed by how sharp and open-minded my interviewer was. His description of Sales across Equities and Fixed Income excited me. It was clear the firm’s clients were important to him and he enjoyed his job even after ten years. Throughout the interview process, I felt he and other employees were invested and focused on finding a role that best suited me. After I started work, my teammates gave me countless hours of training and support. Despite the steep learning curve, I found that the skills I had developed through years of practice, competitions, and performing on stage complemented the demands of my job. I found I was able to stay calm under pressure even in the competitive and fast-paced environment of the trading floor. I was also encouraged when my managers gave me responsibility and opportunities to grow - such as covering key clients, going on solo business trips, and full ownership of the convertible bond and then credit businesses - much earlier in my career than I had expected.
メイン業務を簡単に説明してください。What are your key responsibilities?
I cover non-Japanese Hedge Funds and Institutional Clients across equities, equity derivatives, convertible bonds, and credit products. I help clients come up with investment ideas across the capital structure. I also work closely with our traders to price and trade products that are not available on an exchange. This is valuable as these products can be opaque - it is our goal to make the market as transparent as possible. My cross-asset role is unique to Goldman Sachs and I find it exciting because I can look across a number of different products and themes. The breadth of knowledge allows me to better cover our clients. I feel particularly rewarded in my role when my clients start trading Japanese products on the back of the work I have done with them and when they demonstrate that they trust and value our relationship.
働く上で一番のモチベーションは何ですか？What do you find most motivating about your role?
When I interviewed at Goldman Sachs, an interviewer told me that teamwork was extremely important to its employees. When I started working, I was surprised by how accurate this was. My team spent countless hours teaching me how to do my job and encouraging me to talk to clients and execute trades. My colleagues also worked with each other to come up with the best trade ideas and coverage for their clients. Throughout my ten year career, my responsibilities have shifted to covering my own clients and building my own business, but it remains important for me to know that my teammates, traders, and colleagues across other desks support me.
就活生へのアドバイスを1つお願いします。If you could give one piece of advice to students, what would it be?
Be open - minded. If I had not listened to my college friends’ advice and explored the finance industry, I would have never applied for a job at Goldman Sachs. If I had not shown up to my first interview, I would have never known that successful people here could have completely different personalities, backgrounds, and styles. We are looking for bright and driven individuals.