Quarter-end magic

Quarter ends at the office are really hectic is an understatement. Quarter ends at the office are horrible, stressful. Our team takes care of the rankings of the Investment Banking/Capital Markets activities in the whole Asia Pacifc region. I can hear my non-work friends saying "U had me at rankings....", so I'm not go in the definitions. Needless to say, these rankings are fought over by the most competitive people I've ever known - the Investment Bankers! They're so competitive, they make schemes right and left, come up with "magical" deals at the last moment, challenge every single deal of their competitors and cry foul when they don't get what they want. Arrrrgggg. And I've been doing this for 6 whole years. Coolness!

A month before quarter-end, deadlines are set. Surveys are planned. Letters are drafted. Meetings are done. Weekly checks are done to "ensure" that data is correct. Three weeks before quarter-end, letters are sent out. A couple of weeks before quarter end, clients start sending "magical" deals.

Then comes the frenzy - confirming if the deals are really legitimate, if the syndicate are complete, details are correct, the dates are correct, and the hardest part - the challenges of other banks. I had one analyst crying because one bank contact shouted at her for not crediting a deal. Another analyst went under his table while on the phone with his contact coz he got so afraid. Another played hard ball against a contact. I myself almost had a shouting match with the Managing Director for Asia. And these are bankers, peoplee who rarely admit they are wrong. I must say hat's off to the Japanese bankers because they always follow through.

And why do I still do this? Because its fun. It makes me think. It challenges me. I always, always learn something new every after quarter-end. I always strive to improve a process if something didn't work according to plan.

To me, quarter-ends are tests. It tests the limits of the knowledge of analysts. It tests if you can endure hard work. It tests your mastery of the English language since we talk to English-speaking bankers). It also tests your patience and your commitment to your job. More importantly, it tests how you like doing your job.