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Accounting and Finance: Key Resources
The following resources are classified by area of interest and may be found in the Career Services Library. Each category will include resources that provide information about the field as well as books that provide lists of firms that specialize in the given field. Always be aware that Lippincott Library may have a more recent edition.
A complete listing of Career Services Library holdings can be found by searching our Library website. Search the Library database by the category "Accounting/Finance."
General Resources
Harvard Business School Finance Career Guide (2002) - Although written primarily for an MBA audience, this guide includes a helpful introduction with essays that overview the industry; in addition, the profiles are useful in helping an undergraduate learn more about the slightly longer-term career paths in finance. There is a section that addresses use of Career Leader for students who want to assess their “fit” as it relates to a particular area of finance.
The Corporate Finance Sourcebook (2001) - This is a useful directory for identifying a wide variety of financial services firms. Very comprehensive with good indexing by geographical region and area of finance. Excellent resource to incorporate into the job search.
Vault Reports Guide to Finance Interviews (2001) - Contains actual interview questions with dozens of cases. One of the best resources I have seen on preparing for finance interviews, especially in the area of investment banking.
Accounting
The following two books have helpful summaries of the fields of public accounting, management accounting, government accounting and accounting education:
· Great Jobs for Accounting Majors
· Opportunities in Accounting Careers
CROP - Career Recruiting Opportunities Program (2000) - Booklet published by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. This directory provides profiles of over 140 firms and businesses in PA and neighboring states (in business, government, and public accounting settings). Provides contact information, including names, addresses and web sites.
Careers in Public Accounting: A Comprehensive Comparison of the Top Tier Firms - This guide compares "top tier" firms, including profiles and various articles covering "current events" and trends that might impact the industry and employment within the industry. More useful for students if they locate the most recent version in Lippincott.
AOC: Financial Staffing and Recruiting Specialists' Salary Guide 2002: Salaries for accounting positions and corporate finance (non-banking) positions in private industry.
Investment Banking
Vault Reports Industry Guide to Investment Banking (2000) - Comprehensive overview of the industry in a relatively brief and pretty readable format. It includes industry rankings, company contact information, and brief employer profiles, but keep in mind that much has changed since the book was published in terms of company names, rankings, etc… I believe that the most helpful aspect of the book is the section describes major departments within an investment bank and typical career paths.
The Fast Track: The Insider's Guide to Winning Jobs in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, & Securities Trading - An excellent resource written by a woman who worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs and Gemini Consulting, this is a good overall guide to preparing for the job search process. This book includes excerpts from interviews with people who work within these competitive industries, who give helpful insider perspectives on day to day life within these industries.
Investment Management
Nelson's Directory of Investment Managers (1999) - A huge three-volume directory containing address information (including web URLs) and profiles of investment management organizations. A great tool for the job hunter. Very useful for detailed information (e.g., investment approach, portfolio characteristics, performance, etc..) about investment management firms.
Wetfeet Press - Insider's Guide to the Mutual Funds Industry (2000) - Provides an overview of the industry, trends, and information about corporate culture and "a day in the life" (e.g., what a new college grad does, what a new MBA grad does on the job, etc.)
Common Sense on Mutual Funds (1999) – Written by former head of Vanguard (John C. Bogle) Would be of interest to those with specific interest in investment management.
Venture Capital
Wetfeet Press Insider Guide – Careers in Venture Capital (2000) – Good introduction to the venture capital field. Although venture capital firms do not hire many new college graduates, there is enough interest in these organizations among Penn undergraduate students for this to be a valuable career planning guide.
National Venture Capital Association Membership Directory (2000) - This is a nice way to get names and general address information for VC firms; contains brief profile information as well.
Gold Book of Venture Capital Firms (1999) – Useful listing of VC firms arranged by geographical location with indexes by industry, stage of funding, key principals, and a listing of firms in alphabetical order. Each listing includes key statistics such as a sampling of portfolio companies, amt of capital invested, preferred investment size, industries served, etc…
Additional Library Resources
Directory of European Banking and Financial Associations – Discusses trends and developments in European banking as well as by Country information about the banking system, financial markets, insurance and associations.
McFadden American Financial Directory (Jan-June 2001) – Helpful for quick geographically based searches for commercial banks, credit unions, and savings and loans.
Plunkett’s Financial Services Industry Almanac (2000-2001) Includes listing of the “Financial Services 500” with career information based on Occupational Outlook Handbook. Discusses other aspects of finance outside of investment banking. Also includes trends and statistical data.
Finance Insurance Real Estate USA (4th edition) Comprehensive guide with statistics on finance, insurance, and real estate industries. More helpful for researching trends in these industries than for a job search. Therefore, students would need to seek the latest edition.
Ten-Day MBA: Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering the Skills Taught in America's Top Business Schools - This would not necessarily qualify as a replacement for an MBA program as much as a quick reference guide which includes topics covered in an MBA program with fundamentals of marketing, finance, etc. This may help students begin to evaluate whether or not an MBA is a good investment for them.
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