You Can Never Be Too Careful

Here's concrete evidence that even top-tier producers are looking over their shoulders.

A recent resume workshop, free and open to the public, drew at least one current director-level employee of a bulge-bracket institution.

Although her long-time employer is engulfed in turmoil (is there a large financial institution that isn't?), her desk is not slated for downsizing. In fact, she's in a business segment that most full-service investment banks are emphasizing because it doesn't risk the house's capital.

This individual had a track record to die for: an unbroken string of promotions in front-office roles with the same employer, responsible for a steadily growing book of business.

So what brought her out on a weekday evening to soak up free resume advice alongside strangers who earn one-tenth what she does even in a horrible year like 2008?

"You can't be too careful these days," she explained.

Indeed.