A Day in the Life of a Goldman Sachs Analyst (The HONEST Truth)

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 Last week’s video
01:13 Background
02:16 The two most common analyst roles
03:00 Four key parts of an analyst’s role
04:05 A typical day
06:21 Hours of work
06:36 What does ‘work’ actually mean
06:56 The morning meeting
08:09 Internal vs external meetings (09:46)
10:22 The analyst’s role in client meetings
11:29 Internal (team) requests vs external (client) requests
14:54 Expanding your network at work
15:35 Personal and career development as an analyst
16:04 Stretch assignments
17:50 Commercial awareness
19:52 The most valuable individuals
21:31 Technical (investment/product) analyst roles
22:27 Summary
23:15 A word of advice
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ABOUT ME:
Hey! I'm Afzal Hussein. I make videos on banking and finance, careers, productivity and lifestyle. I'm also building Simpley (a marketplace for career advice), and I teach on Skillshare. Before all of this I started my career working at an investment bank called Goldman Sachs. Hit the various links above to find out more about me. Thanks for passing by!
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#GoldmanSachs #InvestmentBanking #Students

[@concernedviewer6909]

I'm so tired of "Day in the life" videos that are just time lapses and clips of them eating. Thank you for not adding to that list. This video was so insightful. When I'm a professional engineer I'm going to provide the same organized insight. Much appreciated, thanks

[@AfzalHussein]

What a nice comment. Thanks! That means a lot and I'm glad it's added value to your viewing! I'll be waiting for your engineering video 😉👊🏼

[@KevinRaghunandan]

Nice profile picture :)

[@SWAGGGG312]

oh geez, I agree with you sir!!! I find it so annoying.

[@seansean2545]

Concerned viewer, you realise you can watch what you want on KZbin?? You've always been able to buddy. This is probably the most boring video for many.

[@AfzalHussein]

*To clarify a slight error: soft skills are interpersonal/communication skills rather than Excel, etc. Apologies in advance! :)

[@saadghafoor2026]

Afzal Hussein I’m not great with excel any tips or where I can get help

[@Vibration97]

can you please do a tutorial how to automated trade with excel??

[@stancurry6265]

Was just about to write this comment lol

[@creativegammer5353]

@@AfzalHussein what is I drop math in a levels and take business , economics and accounts .!!? Please help

[@dannymulligan3259]

CREATIVE GAMMER take maths no matter what

[@user-th4cs4bp3l]

“On time is late, ahead of time is on time.”

[@Xtraderr]

This lifestyle sounds very healthy and well balanced

[@SanzGautz]

Why does this sound sardonic

[@L17Music594]

He does what he wants, only thing that counts

[@MrRooibos123]

As a wise friend once said to me, if you enjoy your job, you never work a day in your life.

[@serkanuzun258]

@@MrRooibos123 You are friends with confucius??

[@fnihp30]

Sarcasm. Just working all the time. And if you’re not careful or don’t have good time management skills, your health can take a toll for the worst.

[@ozzyojay]

Afzal, this is an underrated video. You did a great job providing insights and tips on how to be a good analyst. What's great about this video is that it's not just relevant to investment banking- this video will be very helpful to any graduate analyst in other industries. I'm glad you highlighted that soft skills are key i.e. listening skills, organisation skills, communication skills, punctuality, networking, commercial awareness. All the best for the future.

[@yasinehsan8681]

agreed

[@nofurtherwest3474]

I was expecting him to actually bring the camera along throughout this day. Show us the office, etc.

[@patrickgold3616]

@@nofurtherwest3474 How is he supposed to do that, when he does not work there anymore

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@patrickgold3616 Based on the title, that is what it implies

[@NailahJac]

I agree! He did a fantastic job - very much appreciate this insight! Thank you Afzal!

[@MiladJPanah]

jokes aside, the best advice of all time was the one I also give to all my students. Always take 2 hours of the day to grow your internal network. I am not mad if I catch my trainee talking to someone from another division. I encourage them to do it.

[@user-bm9cv9vn2k]

I'll drop my comment here

[@riat360]

How can you grow your network???

[@MrChelseafc2010]

One of the best career videos on KZbin! No distractions and you were just straight to the point. You naturally have a gift at capturing your audience, without being OTT, and just being genuine. Great video!

[@AfzalHussein]

Ah that's such a nice comment. Thanks for the feedback. Have a great evening and week ahead. Also, good luck with your career search 👍🏽👊🏽

[@CestTerry]

You truly are an inspiration! I was looking for videos like this for YEARS. Please do more banking related videos! Appreciate the effort and time that you dedicated into making these!

[@AfzalHussein]

Thank you! Will do :)

[@abhinavgupta3632]

I really appreciate that you took time out of your busy schedule to enlighten the larger audience on the work day of an analyst. The most articulate video on workday I've ever come across.

[@AfzalHussein]

Ah thanks. That means a lot. Thanks for watching.

[@Joglesby]

As soon as you mentioned the time stamps I liked your video, that's something I appreciate and wish more content creators would do.

[@AfzalHussein]

Haha thanks!

[@USHOULDNO99999999999]

Happy I came across your page. I understand this content is probably difficult to push out with your busy work week but it’s nice to see this kind of stuff. I’m currently a finance student that is nowhere near this level but it’s nice to see what the cream of the crop is up to. Keep it up!

[@James-th7wb]

I have learned more about the actual workings of the industry watching a couple of your videos than I did attending insight days and spending 3 years in university.

[@iaingreig9685]

Hi Afzal, just want to thank you for all the work you have put into your channel. I am a student in Finance, Investment and Risk. When I graduate my ambition is to try and get into your line of work. Your videos are very helpful and time saving.

[@kyrasterling-blake3813]

4 years later and this video is still one of the greatest day in the life explanations I have seen! Thanks so much for all the information you share Afzal!

[@AfzalHussein]

😄 thanks!

[@pmexplore]

This video is gold! Very much under rated. Thank you for posting this. This is very valuable.

[@emperor68188]

Hey Afzal, been working for several years as a professional, but I still took away a lot from your video. You clearly know your stuff inside and out to be able to structure it so cogently, and talk about it so clearly. Good stuff.

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks! Much appreciated 😊👍🏽

[@InsulaPecuniae]

Thank you for your wisdom BiGDONG

[@shivamkhanna3056]

Gosh.. how did I not stumble upon this up till now! Really Informative.

[@miroslavjordanov4459]

The information provided in the video is on point, relevant and TRUE. A vlog from which we can actually learn how things work and make a self-decision about working/studying in that direction. Would definitely take a look at your other videos!

[@lainan6809]

Thanks for your sharing , This is not only a day in the life of a Goldman Sachs Analyst, but also advice for working better, working smarter.

[@serenityrobinson592]

I am a middle school student, and chapter president of future business leaders of america at my school. I definitely know that i would like to work in corporate when I am older. Either as a business analyst, investment banker, or a consultant of some sort. Im very interested in all of the different jobs, and I love your channel because I can gain insight on a lot of different aspects of the business/corporate world. Thank you! Your channel is definitely underrated and extremely helpful :)

[@divyyy4358]

Entering asset management from a non-finance background has always seemed intimidating thus far, but this video helps so much. Thanks a ton Mr. Hussain!

[@karansharma2738]

me too. i am currently doing a bachelors in psychology but want to enter asset management. lets see how that works

[@vignesh1065]

@@karansharma2738 psychology lol

[@thesnackbandit]

@@vignesh1065 No need to belittle others. Yes it's almost as useless a degree as it gets but truly in the long run your degree's significance is not much. Have a look at Julian Salisbury (among many others).

[@razorintube]

it is really nice that you had created timestamp based index so as to easily understand the content of the video ....nice job

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks for noticing! Glad they help :)

[@lukeomahoney4329]

I'm torn between career in investment banking or Asset management, and the role you have described in this video seems like the exact role I want to pursue. Great job on the extremely insightful video, and fantastic advice tips that I would love to take to Goldman one day myself. Thank you Afzal!

[@w27751901]

Very informative! Will be working at Goldman next summer. good to know all these to prep for the internship.

[@AfzalHussein]

Amazing stuff! Congrats and good luck! Feel free to like, comment and share this video so more students can benefit from its content! :)

[@beffeysteve2603]

Great video! I found more value in your video than others because you explained the "work" part. Thank you! Keep up the great work! :)

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks! :) I appreciated that :)

[@sumitsaha8490]

Crazy how similar your experience with note-taking, interpersonal skills, and "saving people time" is to mine as a medical student, great content mate

[@AfzalHussein]

Hey Sumit! Indeed! I have a ton of medic friends and we often talk about how similar such roles are in any leading field. Technicalities differ, but transferrable skills all seem to be extremely similar. Thanks for watching :)

[@Angrylittlelouie]

Here before 1 million subscribers. There is so much potential for your channel because every finance major is interested in what your day to day professional job is like from an insiders angle in your particular position for that specific institution. Hopefully, you can show us what it’s like in your world during a season of economic crisis, if and when it happens again??

[@sophiechen5087]

I’m not interested in economics or finance but still love watching your videos!

[@fnihp30]

I was in J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank (Securities Services Division) as a Senior Associate in a client-facing role (not sales, but service) and I have to say, this video sums it up pretty well. This “Day in the Life” video is most likely accurate to any position on the Street, irrespective of the firm.

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks! 👊🏽

[@adrisonfiree]

As an analyst in asset management, you provided some really great advice and insight!! All the best for your career, you seem like a very sharp and bright individual!

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks! :)

[@haggen_]

Excellent advice man. Im in in the industry aswell and the notetaking and internal conections are 100% true.

[@AfzalHussein]

Get all 9 of my Career Guides (plus my Goldman Sachs CV and Cover Letter) for £29.99 here: careerguides.io/plus

[@malton89]

This is a great video and truly captures the skill sets that are required to succeed. Thank you for posting it.

[@banksmakeup]

this is sooo helpful! i work in consulting so i love hearing about your work at goldman. it’s so true that people say “it varies day to day” but never go into what their actual role is. i just started posting work content on my channel as well so i loved watching this video❤️

[@AK-ei7iy]

Great vid!! Thanks!!! Clear, honest and to the point! 👍🏽

[@getinvested]

Nice video Afzal, I think it gives a good and truthful insight for future analysts!

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks!

[@bluetang7317]

This video is very informative and gives me a general picture of financial analyst’s life. Nice video! 👍

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@ocomnisys8918]

Thanks for this. Sounds pretty much similar to my day in M&A As a Transactor its meetings and producing written material for clients and managing virtual data rooms. A client just asked for a Net Proceeds calculation (post merger) and it was a request we had to turnaround and me and the rest of the deal team do an internal call on teams and we put it together before sending to a senior manager to review before sending to a client.

[@spawnns1]

very explicit and precise. Great job

[@mybp5]

Thank you, Mr. Afzal. Thank you, thank you, thank you, sir.

[@dirterik1]

Great content on your channel, really appreciate that! I would love to see a video on how to improve one´s excel/power point skills and what are the most important things to know there. Anyway, keep up the great work! :)

[@abbasqasim8688]

Excellent overview with very helpful insights. Thank you so much!

[@charlesdoddjr3121]

Great video. Thanks for posting it was very helpful to me as a recent graduate

[@TheLovaticQueen]

I will be doing the Spring Internship for Legal Division in April and I will be interviewed for Summer Analyst Internship. So this was really helpful. I have also been doing the Make Things Possible Academy and I agree networking is so important! They are all so nice and helpful tho! :) Thanks for the video!

[@atleganglefifi]

Highly valuable insight, thank you for the video Afzal.

[@AfzalHussein]

Always a pleasure!

[@Livaren]

Connected with you on LinkedIn a while back. Just came here to listen and this video and others have been extremely helpful to get an understanding on the sector and what can be expected of you. Thanks a lot!

[@AfzalHussein]

Ah! Thank you! Means a lot :)

[@walidal9877]

Should’ve end the video on 00:15

[@AfzalHussein]

Hahah!

[@unknowninfinium4353]

@@AfzalHussein liquidity possibilities?

[@akhimakhi93]

Bahaha

[@noumaniqbal5653]

Great video. Thank you for sharing this, Afzal!

[@AfzalHussein]

My pleasure! :)

[@monicasmith7050]

Brilliantly thorough explanation. Thank you.

[@baschii7603]

Your advice at 15:20 is gold. I also found that really important in my career, could you make a video where you go more into depth about that kind of tactics

[@AfzalHussein]

Hey! Thanks! Have added it to the list :)

[@projectedthoughts6046]

Good insight. Main lesson: Don’t be a sucker and devote your whole life to work, especially in such an industry. The smart thing to do is save your money whilst working in the City. Get enough capital and then venture out to fulfil your own goals/dreams. That’s exactly what I did. Now I have time to be with family/friends & travel. Man it feels good to not have to wake up to an alarm clock or be unhappy on a Sunday evening! (Used to work at Canary Wharf for 6 years in a similar environment)

[@yojjjyoj1116]

Thank you so much Afzal this is so useful even when applying to those banks

[@nunudhlamini3829]

Thank you so much for this it's so insightful and precise

[@choveshko.e]

Amazingly useful video! Thank you!

[@d1o189_]

Wow some of the things you talk about are things I say all the time.. to another analysts.. and I wonder if they’ve also seen this video and thought I stole it from you but no, just things I’ve picked up along the way. This video was an inspiration as an FA. Thank you for sharing!

[@zainsheikh8801]

Great video, thank you for the upload!

[@AfzalHussein]

My pleasure! :)

[@marielanaydenova8575]

Absolutely correct! Great video! :))

[@august4633]

This sums up why I didn't go into IB. You really have to love the work and not mind not having any free time for it to be worth it. Nice video though.

[@AfzalHussein]

Fair. Thanks!

[@AaaAaa-uw5uj]

what did you end up going into?

[@user-mu1nk1gm3c]

what did you end up going into?

[@alexvolpe04]

what did you end up going into?

[@rosegold2072]

What did you end up going into?

[@thelifesamadhan8588]

Thank you sir, the best video on investment banking.

[@mitchellbaldridge1281]

This just opened my eyes as banker we're all in the same boat LOL Thnx for your content!

[@tingyaolu1034]

vey insightful video, Thank you!

[@oliveoil3917]

Thank you brother for blessing the youth. Revealing the hidden veal much appreciated

[@AfzalHussein]

Pleasure! Thanks for watching :)

[@srhbluerain]

My sister was recruited by Goldman from Bucknell in 1998. She started as a foreign currency analyst. So it was boring and s*** crunched a lot of numbers, talk to traders, many of them were fixed, however the benefits, the pay, the perks, the parties, the bonuses all that s*** was amazing at that time. My graduated from the University of Vermont in 2001 and moved in with her in the city 2 weeks before 9/11 and she might have still been at One Liberty plaza. And she was on her BlackBerry constantly

[@Icantell5]

Thank you for the insight!

[@JuztoKik]

Hey man, fellow Bengali here too. Dope vid!

[@AfzalHussein]

Ayy! Thanks man! :)

[@adammeliani4243]

Very helpful video, thank you very much. My first year in college and am looking of working in the financial sector. Especially as a banker or trader.

[@AfzalHussein]

Pleasure! 👍🏽

[@ekanem2954]

thanks for this man! Subbed

[@AfzalHussein]

Anytime! :)

[@jacekmichaluk4417]

Thanks for the insightful video :)

[@itsjenisha]

Love this video! Please do a video on the GIR division :)

[@Gugnnjhho]

I've had roles working for the government and one of the big 4, and this seems to be the same day structure for those as well except perhaps longer hours - and the networking

[@void7799]

I’ve got friends in nyc working in finance I just wanted to understand how their daily lives were, it sounds terrible

[@Batman96925624]

I like how you use your hands a lot when talking

[@l.p3826]

Good video and insight. Appreciate it

[@lor4e]

Hey Afzal, just wanted to say that I;m not particularly interested in a banking role but wanted to hear what people actually do on a day to day basis and your video is so informative. You break down things and give good advice. I think a lot of students/graduates do not actually know what certain careers entail. They usually hear about the highlights and the end results but not about the actual work and the details of it. I'm sure many people will be grateful for this video.

[@AfzalHussein]

Thank you. That's great to hear. Glad you found it useful 😊👍🏽

[@kynfluence]

amazing stuff, could you do a video on your role specifically, I am interested in sales in asset management so it would be great to hear.

[@AfzalHussein]

Of course! Will do in due course. Thanks for taking the time to watch my videos. Always appreciated :)

[@EZOAH]

Great informative video. Thank you

[@AkilBoii]

Wow, again such an insightful video. Your content is invaluable bro, you’re soon to blow i’A !

[@AfzalHussein]

Much love bro! ;)

[@estelle3381]

It's a very useful video, thank you soooo much!

[@AfzalHussein]

My pleasure! Thank you :)

[@ralph3509]

Great video very informative. Keep it up 😊

[@AfzalHussein]

Thank you! Means a lot :)

[@Rajpandey42764]

Sounds perfect for an investment banking analyst 👍

[@bellelumm9352]

This is very informative! Thanks

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks for watching!

[@vesalimanian2093]

Suscribed, thanks for making an informative video

[@AfzalHussein]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching :)

[@sanzharsmc]

Thank you for great video.

[@milesba4]

Im not even in college yet but im preparing for this 🤣

[@AfzalHussein]

🙌🏽

[@davr6589]

@@efosai9252 choose another verb next time

[@justtapas]

Organized & rich content. Thanks a bunch.

[@desimunda116]

loving the thumbnail of this video

[@RSmithJr12]

cool video! Thanks for making it.

[@AfzalHussein]

Pleasure!

[@lpxstar]

Thank you for the video. I'm curious to know who your clients are, what types of assets you manage, what kind of products you have worked on, and how you conduct analyses.

[@Levrai10]

As a financial analyst who’s a junior what classes should he focus on more and what kind of information should he know before applying for an internship.

[@kevinsjournal]

I don't plan to work at Goldman Sachs, but this was an interesting watch.

[@ashtonprutch6809]

I wanna watch this video all day

[@lucasdesimone6821]

Hey Afzal, excellent video. I've been following your channel for a long time and all of your videos are highly insightful. I would like to ask you if you had some foreign fellows at Goldman Sachs. Secondly, do you think that an economist could have any chances to get into investment banking?

[@nadiatamar4612]

Do someone know where I can find study cases similair to the ones we propose at assesment centers. Thanks

[@AfzalHussein]

Here: www.google.com/search?ei=XusVXY-pEYmGgQbN77-gBw&q=investment+banking+assessment+centre+case+study+examples&oq=investment+banking+assessment+centre+case+study+examples&gs_l=psy-ab.3...3907.5988..6089...0.0..0.155.1314.18j1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j35i304i39j0i13j0i13i5i30j0i8i13i30.VtY3K6NFPKU

[@joefernandez8340]

Brother! Great informative video. With your background as a manager for which role would a data science major w emphasis on business be the best hiring decision ?

[@m93channel52]

Great video, I run a family office , did a few years in corporate finance before going it alone and transitioning to private finance. I feel this is very insightful for aspiring corporate finance career hopefuls. I feel future videos could go into more depth on the sell side but really good video. I’ve subscribed. First saw you on LinkedIn and have stumbled upon you here, clearly great work from you. Keep it up and all the best, I’m a now a new fan. Perhaps we can collaborate in future off the camera.

[@jamesyboi1]

M93 Channel Can I ask what your background is? This kind of stuff really interests me as a career but I’m not sure where to start! Where is best to learn basic financial info etc required for these jobs?

[@AfzalHussein]

Thanks! For sure 👊🏽

[@davidyao8129]

Hi Man, great video! btw, would you be able to make a video on Excel and PPT, in terms of what you've learned to do and what are expected of you? Like giving us some examples. Thanks and keep up the good work!

[@Osky305]

From my knowledge. Most workers in these type of jobs absolute hate their jobs. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to themselves . The only upside is that they want to retire before the age of 45 which is also is unlikely to happen 😂

[@curly7985]

THE LEGEND OF THE QUANT

[@ryanmoss1032]

Hi Afzal, really useful video thanks! In your Buy side vs Sell side video I noticed you said that you have these structures on both sides. Could you explain how you could be on the sell side when in the asset management division?