Trying to leave Wall Street- what types of jobs available in DC?
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Anonymous
| My husband and I are trying to move back to VA/DC (where we are from). He currently works at an investment bank (in capital markets). Besides Capital One and FBR, does anyone have any suggestions on any companies/orgs in the DC area that have financial svs work? I know there are the govt sector jobs (Treasury, Fed, SEC, IFC, World Bank, etc.) but these seem incredibly hard to even access- would also love advice on how to get your foot in the door at these. Any advice/info appreciated- thank you. |
Anonymous
|
I did it years ago and never looked back! DC has its issues but I was so sick of the Wall Street culture.
I wish I had something magical to tell you, but I did it the old fashioned way - I saw a good federal job fit as USAJOBS.gov and applied. I think they really liked that I had Wall Street experience but not the attitude. It was a salary hit but worth it to me. I literally could have been making a few hundred thousand more by now. Also keep in mind that certain finance-related agencies have higher pay bands than the GS rates. Also, there isn't a whole lot of capital markets work here, so he'd have to expand his search to anything/everything finance. Whatever you do, DO NOT MOVE UNTIL HE HAS A NEW JOB. It's kind of rough down here right now. |
Anonymous
| I did it - but had to change my career field a bit. Now work for a financial consulting firm and deal with regulartory work alot. Came from asset management in NYC and London. |
Anonymous
|
Carlyle. Allied Capital.
Lots of small investment groups. There are also corporate jobs here, although not sure what the market is like esp with ExxonMobil moving to Tx. There should be WaPo lists of the top 200 cos and also the highest paid execs (this will include some of the fin svc cos). |
Anonymous
| Thanks everyone- this is very helpful. Appreciate it. |
Anonymous
| etrade is in arlington. |
Anonymous
agreed with the feds...i've only made headway teh old fashioned way. |
Anonymous
If you are willing to share an email address, I can help circulate a resume with the right folks at several of the above named companies. Be prepared for a paycut..... no $500,000 bonuses here for the most part. |
Anonymous
| Marriott. Someone already said Carlyle, which would have been on my list, too. Find a list of large publicly traded companies headquartered in the area. I think Lockheed Martin has a headquarters here, too. |
Anonymous
Hilton. Ritz. Deloitte. McKinsey. Bain. BCG...... list goes on on |
Anonymous
| It is not DC, but the buy-side firm T. Rowe Price in Baltimore is doing well. Legg Mason sold its capital markets group to Stifel about 5 years ago and they have offices in both DC and Baltimore. Legg Mason still has its headquarters in Baltimore. |
Anonymous
| OP- just wanted to say thank you. This was very helpful to us. |
Anonymous
| Add to your list the OCC, FDIC, Promontory Financial, and the CFTC. |
Anonymous
| Agree, more capital markets jobs in Baltimore. |
Anonymous
I agree that it is hard to get your toe in the door to some agencies that you mention. I also have some capital markets background and got my break through a consulting gig. I was fortunate enough to have my DH as a safety net and left my private sector job for a government contracting firm. One of the two agencies was the SEC. But the other agency liked my work and pulled my resume out of the pool. Yes, they can do that if they really want you.  The key to getting a fed job is through contacts from the inside.
Also, there' are financial regulators like FINRA and FHFA (Fed job). There are actually many financial jobs in the federal government. Even Small Business Administration (SBA) looks for candidates with capital market experience. Last but not least, there's Freddie & Fannie... if you are willing to put up with uncertainty. But it should buy you some time, say 3-5 years. |