A1 The Getting Into Investment Banking Handbook, A Practitioner's Guide to Breaking In, Performing, and Building a Career in Finance

Breaking into investment banking is one of the most competitive career pursuits in finance — and most candidates fail not because they lack ability, but because no one has explained how the process actually works.

The Getting Into Investment Banking Handbook is a practitioner's manual for anyone serious about securing an analyst role at an investment bank. Written by John Colley — a Cambridge graduate, MBA with Distinction, and former investment banker with 30+ years of deal experience — this handbook replaces vague advice and motivational platitudes with the specific, actionable framework that successful candidates follow.

This is not a textbook. It is the book you wish someone had given you before you started applying.

Inside, you will learn:

• What investment banking actually is — and whether the reality matches your expectations

• The three credential filters banks use to screen candidates (academics, experience, narrative) — and how to pass each one

• How to write a CV and cover letter that survives the first 30-second screening round

• The networking strategy that most candidates underestimate — and how to execute it without being transactional

• Application timelines, portal mechanics, and the off-cycle pathway that 80% of candidates ignore

• Technical interview preparation: DCF, accounting, M&A, LBO, and valuation questions with the reasoning behind the answers

• Behavioural interview mastery: the 'Why IB?' question and the frameworks that separate rehearsed answers from genuine ones

• How international candidates and career changers navigate the additional complexity

• Managing the offer, negotiation, and the critical first 90 days

• The long game: building a career beyond the analyst programme

Each chapter follows a consistent structure: a one-line truth, a detailed concept explanation, a step-by-step action plan, a practical checklist, common mistakes, and a running case study following Marcus Chen — a composite character whose journey from MSc graduate to first-year analyst illustrates the real decisions candidates face.

Part of The Investment Banking Practitioner's Handbook Series — 136 titles covering every major discipline in investment banking. Written by a practitioner, for practitioners.