Jobs in the Mergers and Acquisitions Industry

The current global economic and financial crisis is not an excuse for not having a job. And if you have the qualifications, you could find yourself securing a post in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), despite being severely hit by the crisis going on, it still has opportunities to offer.

M&A is also a dynamic industry, with news and trends on corporate mergers, corporate acquisitions, company mergers, company acquisitions, business acquisitions and the like. Keep yourself updated by scouting materials (from magazines, journals, and online) for news, trends or changes within the M&A industry or allied industries. Check out current trainings offered to enhance one's M&A career and your potential and skills to get an M&A job.

Here are the common, and often in demand M&A jobs and their common duties and requirements:

Analyst (senior/junior or support analyst)

• Knowledgeable in financial modeling
• Executes transactions and evaluations
• Researches and collects data
• Leads/assists in solving high-level issues

You should have a degree from a reputable college/university, with a minimum of two years of prior, relevant work experience.

Associate (junior/senior associate)

• Knowledgeable in M&A, corporate transactions, and securities
• Exposed to auctions, buyouts, joint ventures, privatizations, takeovers, tender offers, and the like.
  

You should have excellent academic credentials (as a four-year degree graduate or with corresponding graduate degree) and flawless communication skills. Top law firm experience is also preferred.

Director (managing director/executive director/director/assistant director)

• Liaises with executives and other senior leaders of the company
• Conducts due diligence
• Prepares financial and valuation analyses
• Manages, trains, and coaches the staff
  

You should be a BS/BA degree holder, preferably with an advanced degree either in JD, MBA or a master's. Ideally, you should have at least six to eight years of continuous working experience, preferably in a managing post.

Lawyer (banking and finance, corporate/commercial, or litigation lawyer)

• Implement company's strategies
• Seal major finance deals, corporate projects, advisory matters, sales/acquisitions, etc.

You should have at least 18 months to two to four years experience in corporate/commercial private practice and/or post-admission experience.

Manager (senior/junior/country manager)

• Documents analysis and business cases for all stakeholders
• Be abreast with key trends and activities within the company and the industry

Depending on the particulars of the managerial position, as a manager, you should have the relevant tertiary and graduate qualifications, experience at top management levels, and two or more specializations. If assigned as a country manger, you should have the ability to work amidst organizational boundaries and cultural differences.

Remember that in any industry, securing a job is not the end-all of it. The learning doesn't stop even if you already have an M&A job. It is in this position that you should be well informed, acquiring and monitoring the latest M&A news at hand. Such information would be handy if you're planning to try other opportunities in the industry. It's also best to be networking, see which M&A players have become successful, and which of them have openings that might be for you.