Making it in I-Banking at JPMorgan

JPMorgan (JPM ) is a leading investment bank with operations in more than 50 countries whose clients include many of the world's most prominent corporations, institutions, and governments. Headquartered in New York, the firm is a popular destination for both undergrads and MBAs seeking internships and employment.

JPMorgan, which merged with Chase Manhattan in 2001 to become JPMorgan Chase, was recently named by Philadelphia based Universum Communications as the 30th Ideal Employer for undergrad business majors, and 47th for all undergraduates (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/4/06, "Hello Mickey.").

Danielle Domingue, head of MBA Recruiting at JPMorgan, recently spoke with BusinessWeek.com reporter Janie Ho about recruiting pointers and possible mistakes that potential employees can avoid. Here's an edited except of their conversation.

How do you position JPMorgan as an attractive investment bank to potential hires?
While our competition would say we're big or disorganized post-merger, we have a powerful global platform which spurs lots of exciting work, diverse clients, areas for growth, especially for MBAs.

Second is our people. MBA hires, many of whom are complete career switchers, are pleasantly surprised because they have a stereotype of what an investment banker is, and our people dispel that. Given the long hours in banking, we hear all the time: "Wow! I can really see working with these folks because they are smart, yet fun and real people."

How fierce is the competition for full-time jobs among MBAs?
Very fierce. It's back to being a student's market, not an employer's market. Students at top schools have about six or seven offers to choose from. For both, summer and full-time, it's extremely competitive. And I don't see that changing for at least the next...

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