Each section names the problem, the idea in one line, what you will be able to do, and the method from the book.
1. What each role really does all day
The problem: You're not sure which finance career fits you best.
Choose a job by its ordinary Tuesday, not by its best day. The daily work is what you will live with.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Describe an ordinary day in eight finance roles
- Name the main output of each role
- Spot which daily work you would enjoy and which you would dread
What the work produces
Another way to compare jobs: look at what you would make with your hands each week. The output tells you which skills you would use most.
| Role | Main outputs | Skills used most |
|---|---|---|
| Investment banking | Pitch books, models, information memos | Excel, slides, attention to detail |
| Equity research | Reports, earnings notes, models | Writing, sector knowledge, judgement |
| Private equity | Investment memos, models, board papers | Judgement, modelling, negotiation |
| Venture capital | Screening notes, market maps, term sheets | People judgement, networks, markets |
| Big 4 deals | Due diligence reports | Accounting depth, digging, writing |
| FP&A and business finance | Forecasts, budgets, review packs | Business sense, influence, Excel |
| Banking (credit) | Credit notes, loan files | Risk judgement, accounting, documentation |
2. Where the jobs are
The problem: You want a deal career in investment banking.
Where you work shapes what you learn. Global banks, Indian banks and boutiques offer very different jobs under the same title.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Describe the three kinds of investment bank in India
- Match a kind of bank to what you want to learn
- Build a target list of firms
What each kind teaches juniors
Think about what you want to be good at in five years, then choose the kind of bank that teaches it.
| Global bank | Indian full-service bank | Boutique | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal size | Largest | Large to mid | Mid to small |
| Breadth of work | Narrow, deep | Medium | Broad, whole process |
| Client contact for juniors | Little at first | Some | Often a lot |
| Training | Formal programmes | Mix | Learning on the job |
| Brand on your CV | Strong worldwide | Strong in India | Known in its niche |
| Typical next move | PE, hedge funds, global roles | PE, corporate, other banks | PE, corporate development, own firm |
3. A research analyst's year
The problem: You want to research companies for a living.
Research runs on a calendar. Four results seasons set the rhythm; initiations, sector reports and investor meetings fill the gaps.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Describe the rhythm of a research year
- Write a short results note
- Plan time around results seasons
Results season, step by step
For each company you cover, results season follows the same steps. With eight companies, this repeats eight times in a few weeks.
- Preview. Before results: what you expect, and what to watch. A short note to clients.
- The numbers. Results arrive: compare with your estimates line by line.
- The call. Listen to management's call; ask your question; note the tone.
- The note. Within hours: what happened, why, what changes in your view.
- Estimates. Update the model; change estimates and target price if needed.
- Calls with clients. Fund managers ask what you think. Be ready with three points.
4. Kinds of fund in India
The problem: You want to move into private equity.
“Private equity” covers several kinds of fund. Each buys different stakes, does different work, and hires different people.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Tell growth, buyout, listed and credit funds apart
- Explain why minority deals are common in India
- Match a kind of fund to your strengths
Minority growth: India's most common deal
Many Indian businesses are run by founders or families who want capital and help but not to give up control. That makes minority growth deals common.
| Founders want | The fund wants |
|---|---|
| Money to grow without losing control | Enough influence to protect its money |
| A partner who adds value | Information rights and board seats |
| A fair valuation | A path to exit within its fund life |
| Respect for how they run the business | Governance standards and clean accounts |
5. Inside a VC firm
The problem: You want to back startups in venture capital.
VC firms are small, and every role is judged by its contribution to finding, winning and helping the best companies.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Name the roles and what each does
- Explain what partners look for in juniors
- Choose the role that fits your skills
What each role is judged on
In VC, results take years. So juniors are judged on signs that they will eventually find great companies.
| Role | Judged on |
|---|---|
| Analyst | Quality of research and market maps; speed and accuracy |
| Associate | Deals sourced; quality of screening; founder relationships |
| Principal | Deals led; portfolio help; early signs of returns |
| Partner | Returns of their investments; fundraising; the firm's reputation |
6. Ways in
The problem: You work in a bank and want to move up faster.
There are three main doors into banking. Each suits a different starting point, and each shapes your first years.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Name the three doors into banking
- Describe how each works, as of 2026
- Choose the door that fits you
Public sector exams
Most public sector banks recruit officers through a common exam process run by IBPS; SBI runs its own. The process usually has several stages (as of 2026).
| Stage | What it tests |
|---|---|
| Preliminary exam | Speed in reasoning, numbers and English |
| Main exam | Deeper reasoning, data, banking awareness, writing |
| Interview | Communication, awareness, attitude |
| Allotment and training | Posting to a bank and induction |
7. FP&A as a career
The problem: You close books and want a seat in business decisions.
FP&A people plan the year, forecast it as it unfolds, and explain every gap. The best ones tell the story behind the numbers in a page.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Describe the FP&A calendar
- Split a variance into its causes
- Write a one-page variance story
Budgets and forecasts
A budget is the plan; a forecast is the best current view of how the year will end. FP&A owns both.
| Budget | Forecast | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Set targets and allocate resources | Show where the year is heading |
| Fixed or updated | Fixed for the year | Updated regularly |
| Built with | Business heads, top-down and bottom-up | Latest results and business inputs |
| Used for | Targets, incentives, approvals | Early action, guidance, cash planning |
8. Four routes to the top
The problem: You're a finance manager aiming for the CFO chair.
People reach the CFO chair by several routes. Each gives strengths and leaves gaps; know yours.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Name the four routes to CFO
- Describe each route's strengths and gaps
- Identify your own route
What each route gives you
Each route builds certain CFO jobs strongly and leaves others thin.
| Route | Strong in | Often thin in |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | Steward: accounts, controls, audit | Funding, strategy, investors |
| Treasury and funding | Funder: banks, debt, cash | Planning, control, business partnering |
| FP&A and business finance | Planner and partner | Funding, audit, investors |
| Outside in | Partner and communicator: deals, investors | Controls, close, tax |
9. Your 90-second story
The problem: You know the work but lose jobs in interviews.
Almost every interview starts with your story. A clear 90 seconds that ends with why you want this job sets the tone for everything after.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Structure your story in four parts
- Adapt it to each role
- Deliver it naturally in 90 seconds
The story in four parts
A strong finance story has four parts. Keep each one short.
- Where you started. Your qualification and first role, in one line.
- What you built. Two or three things you did and learned, with results.
- Why you are moving. A positive reason: what you want to do more of.
- Why this role. How it fits, and what you'd bring.
| Part | Time |
|---|---|
| Where you started | About 15 seconds |
| What you built | About 45 seconds |
| Why you are moving | About 15 seconds |
| Why this role | About 15 seconds |
10. Result lines with numbers
The problem: Your CV gets no calls and your network is cold.
Replace duties with results. A good CV line says what you did, how, and what changed, with a number.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Turn duties into result lines
- Find numbers for your work
- Write lines for deal and non-deal roles
The CV line formula
A simple formula makes strong lines.
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Action verb | Cut, built, led, raised, closed, launched |
| What you did | the monthly close |
| How | by moving accruals before month-end and automating bank reconciliations |
| Result with a number | from 9 to 5 working days |
11. Common switches
The problem: You're weighing a switch or an offer.
Most finance switches follow well-worn paths. Know what each one gains and costs, and prepare for the change in work and culture.
By the end of the chapter you can:
- Name the common finance switches
- Describe what changes in each
- Prepare for your switch
Big 4 to industry
The most common switch in Indian finance. The work and culture change more than people expect.
| Big 4 | Industry | |
|---|---|---|
| Work | Many clients, projects with end dates | One company, ongoing responsibility |
| Pace | Deadline peaks | Monthly and yearly rhythm |
| Judged on | Quality, utilisation, client feedback | Business results, partnering |
| Career | Clear grades and promotions | Less structured; depends on openings |
This article is adapted from the book. Examples marked “Example” use invented names and numbers; company stories are based on public sources listed in the book. For general learning; use your own judgement for your situation.
