M&A Jobs – A Wealth of Opportunity Awaits You in Corporate M&A
Envision yourself sitting across the desk from Steve Jobs and being asked to justify your latest strategic acquisition in the touchscreen space. It may seem like a dream job but it is not outside of the realm of possibility. In a fierce battle with Google, Apple is picking up the pace of its acquisitions. Last year, Apple brought in its first dedicated M&A person, Goldman Sachs’ Adrian Perica. Other acquisitive mobile players include Nokia and Rim.
Young investment bankers often overlook opportunities in corporate M&A. As investment banks gear up for a more aggressive hiring season corporate M&A can provide invaluable experience. As recent news reports confirm, investment banks are first hiring back seasoned Wall Street deal makers who can immediately add value. You may lose out on a job due to their experience but why not work with these seasoned pros on the other side of the deal?
Corporate M&A jobs provide an opportunity to work with experienced investment bankers but rather than court them for jobs they will be chasing after your business. They are more likely to view and treat you as a colleague sitting across from them in a board room – even if you are just taking notes for your boss — than the summer underling doing the grunt work on deals.
Following the recession, many companies have hit a limit in terms of organic growth, having rationalized operations through cost cutting and efficiency improvements. They are lean and seeking growth opportunities through acquisitions. Corporate finance departments provide a vast wealth of experience. You may find yourself negotiating the terms of loans with commercial banks, working on securities offerings and acquiring and divesting businesses.
The working culture in an Apple or Google, or any progressive workplace today, will be remarkably different from the long shifts put in at investment banks. Google will even allow you to work on your own projects, for a small percentage of your time, although if it is not related to helping the search giant finance its next play, your tenure may be shortened.
The average deal size is smaller but more are getting done, which is why corporate finance departments need you. Do not eschew entry level positions. Research assistants and analysts positions are open. There is unlimited potential to tap into the growing M&A market. In the first quarter of 2010, $16 billion in deals were sitting in the M&A pipeline, according to PriceWaterhouse, representing 344 deals versus 21 at the same time the year before.
Consider starting your search in the technology sector, which is the most active M&A sector today. It could be a lot of fun. Cloud computing, mobile, gaming and virtualization technologies are being swallowed up. The resource sector is also active. Do not overlook financial services. Stocked full of M&A experts from Wall Street and well positioned to capitalize from an M&A boom, boutique banks are acquiring boutique banks. In your search for a corporate M&A position, you may land your dream job in investing banking after all.