Capital structure. Leveraged buyout. Risk premium. If these phrases sound like a foreign language, you should check out a glossary of investment banking terms to familiarize yourself with the industry. One useful glossary can be found at http://highlandridge.capital/glossary. Participating in information interviews with investment banking professionals will provide you with an inside look at the industry. Finally, the following resources will provide more information about the work of associates and the investment banking industry: 

• The Prospectus: https://www.wallstreetprep.com/wsp-blog
• Mergers & Inquisitions: https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com
• Dealbreaker: https://dealbreaker.com
• Wall Street Journal-Investment Banking: https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/tag/investment-banking/

Investment banking is the term used to describe the business of raising capital for companies and advising them on financing and merger alternatives. Within an investment bank, analysts typically work for either an industry group (e.g., healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, oil and gas, mining, etc.) or a product group (e.g., mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, debt capital markets, leveraged finance, restructuring, etc.). Industry groups do different tasks for only one industry, while product groups perform the same tasks for different industries. Job responsibilities for analysts vary by employer, but most have the following duties:   

• prepare marketing documents, including pitch materials, confidential offering memoranda, management presentations, and board presentations
• complete market-based research on industries and corporate situations to identify and develop business opportunities
• participate in transactions from origination to closing including valuation analysis, complex financial modeling, conducting due diligence, and other processes
• interact with internal legal and compliance teams during live transactions, liaise with representatives of other banks, lawyers, accountants, etc.
• support senior bankers in their relationship development activities, including interacting with current and prospective clients and new business generation
• respond to requests for data, research, analyses, etc. from vice presidents, directors, and managing directors
• facilitate the flow of work via in-person meetings and e-mails, web collaboration tools, and telephone calls
• train and mentor analysts
• check the work (PowerPoint presentations, financial models, etc.) of analysts
• participate in analyst recruiting
• attend trade shows, meetings, and industry events as needed