GUEST COMMENT: Harder, not impossible, for juniors to find jobs

I'll be frank: if you're a junior banker, this is not an easy time to find a new job. Juniors with two to three years' experience tend to suffer disproportionately during any crisis and this time is no exception - it's frequently the juniors who are being let go.

At the same time, recruiters have a tendency to focus on more senior staff. Before the crisis, I spent 20-30% of my time placing juniors. Today, it's more like 10-15%. Recruitment (where it is still taking place) is all about candidates who can reassure clients with their track record. In one word, it's about candidates who are ex-per-ien-ced!

This is because experienced staff are seen as more secure, better able to help banks out of the current situation, and better able to help them prepare for markets' recovery. By comparison, juniors are seen as a risk and a long-term investment. It's a risk that banks are prepared to take when business is strong, but which they are avoiding during this crisis.

Does this mean there are no openings for juniors? Right now, hiring is on pause and it's difficult to say what will happen during the coming months. However, there are reasons for hope:

· Candidate turnover continues, even in a bear market.

· Some organisations, which have been less affected by the crisis, have a strategy of hiring strong talent while it's available at competitive prices. This is particularly true of boutiques.

· Not all professions have been equally impacted. Most organisations are rethinking their development strategy. Finance and risk jobs are in the ascendant. In the front office, there's still demand for sales staff and for flow traders to work on vanilla products, while demand for exotic structurers has slowed considerably.

What banks are particularly interested in now, though, is candidates who "bring in business". Senior staff are the most obvious choice, but some juniors also fit this mould. We often speak to junior bankers who, in a short period of time, have succeeded in developing their business value. They have contacts, recognition from their employer, strong knowledge of clients in their sector, and a view on the markets. In brief, they have a convincing and proactive attitude.

Undoubtedly, banks' are going to get more, and not less, demanding. But remember: your value is not a function of the shape of the market - it's about your P&L! If you can deliver, you will always be in demand.

Jérémie Lempkowicz is senior consultant in the Paris office of recruitment firm Aston Carter. This article appeared first on our French site.