The pressure is on from day one and you've got to be able to think on your feet. Welcome to the high-stakes market-making world of J.P. Morgan Sales & Trading.

In the Sales & Trading program you work with top professionals to advise and facilitate transactions with institutional clients. As an integral member of a team, you will be expected to make a personal impact right from the start. After completing our world-class training program, you will begin to develop your expertise in a specific product area, while expanding your professional network and observing first-hand how  capital flows from the world’s largest institutional investors to its most prominent borrowers and issuers.

The magnitude of an Associate’s job

As an Associate in the Sales & Trading program, you will acquire responsibility from day one. You will advance toward your career goals through training, hands-on learning opportunities, continuous mentoring and feedback, as well as numerous development opportunities. You will interact and socialize with J.P. Morgan colleagues, expanding your professional network and fostering an unbelievable learning experience.  You will work harder and learn more than you ever thought possible. 

As part of this program, you will be assigned to a Sales, Trading, Structuring or Markets Research role specializing in either a cash or derivative product. Read more about them in our Sales & Trading business area description.

Responsibility from the start

As an Associate in Sales & Trading, your responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Sales: Help maintain relationships with institutional investors and match our services and products to their needs; help initiate transactions; work with trading and research teams to provide comprehensive client coverage, including fulfilling client requests for market updates, pricing, executing client orders and providing institutional clients with information about specific securities; provide marketing ideas.
• Trading: Help senior traders cover institutional accounts and make markets in the group’s particular range of products; assist the senior traders in managing risk, liquidity and exposure; help support all aspects of the trading desk: pre-trade analysis, research on index constituent changes, inbound and outbound trade processing and the design of optimal strategies for large trades; track supply and demand; constantly evaluate market developments in order to give clients accurate product information
• Structuring: Create customized investment strategies using conventional cash and derivative credit products; learn to structure complex products in unique ways and use creativity to come up with new products to match the needs of clients
• Markets Research: Perform quantitative analysis to develop relative-value trade ideas for external clients and internal trading desks; play an active role in idea generation and contribute to publications, research notes, and client seminars; interact with sales and trading desks to reinforce the real-time relevancy of your work

Training and development

Our full-time training program is uniquely global and widely accepted as the best in the business, and it is one of the reasons so many top candidates choose to join our firm. Learning side by side with participants from J.P. Morgan’s international offices, you meet peers from around the world and expand your global network right from day one. As a full-time Associate, an intensive five-week Advanced Markets training program introduces you to J.P. Morgan’s products and services, clients and business practices.

You will learn about product applications, relative value, market risks and hedging strategies. Designed to maximize the franchise value of each participant, training utilizes a variety of interactive learning formats including case studies, simulations and hands-on exercises.

Training is interdisciplinary, and during the program you will learn about the firm’s strategy and culture, as well as about the broader Investment Bank. What distinguishes J.P. Morgan is that our senior management and Capital Markets professionals design and teach a significant portion of the program - which means you will learn about the work we do from the people who do it best. This program, with its advanced curriculum and pragmatic application, is top-rated among Wall Street firms.

And after the formal full-time training program ends, you will have continuous opportunities to participate in business-specific product training and in firm-wide development programs during your career at J.P. Morgan. We also offer Series 7 and 63 training for those who require these certifications.

What we look for

The work is fast-paced, demanding and intellectually stimulating. We are looking for entrepreneurial candidates with strong analytical, quantitative and communication skills. You should be someone who thrives on the challenge of competitive pressures. You should also be able to remain focused on client needs and work well with colleagues in a fast-paced and highly intense environment.

Experience in financial services is not required, but we do look for candidates with a passion for following the markets; who are highly motivated, results-driven, creative individuals who can generate ideas and execute them successfully. Our candidates have strong entrepreneurial and client relations skills. Fluency in foreign languages is an asset but not a requirement.

An aptitude for numbers is a must, even if you're a career switcher. If you don't have a strong financial or business background, be sure you can tell your story; be able to demonstrate your quantitative aptitude both scholastically and practically (former jobs, for example) and be ready to articulate how your background will enhance your career at J.P. Morgan. (You'll find out more tips in our Advice Center including advice for career changers.)

How to apply

For more information, read before you apply. It will give you details on application information and direct you to useful links related to your application. You may also want to visit our interview process and check with your campus careers office or our campus schedule to see when we'll be visiting. (You'll find out more tips in our Advice Center.)

If you think you would like a career with J.P. Morgan's Sales & Trading group, consider applying first to our summer internship program, for two reasons. First, it will give you the chance to see what it's really like to work in at our firm; and second, we hire the majority all of our full-time Associates from the summer program.

Related links:

• Sales & Trading
• Full-time MBA Training
• Jargon Buster
• About J.P. Morgan
• Advice Center