Credit Suisse Reviews

Pros

it provides good career opportunities, especially for career newbies.
it also has relatively good internal mobilities.
good work life balance.

Cons

compensation is so so.
the culture is a bit boring.
it is a relatively conservative investment bank, compared to others. The bonus won't be as outstanding as others during the "good" season.

Pros

Interesting business if you like finance.

Cons

There is little chance of promotion. Must be in right place at right time.

Pros

friendly people, not as hard charging and aggressive as other banks, great location

Cons

this large bureaucratic banks is filled with middle management and siloed task groups. expect inefficiency in getting anything done. it is completely incompetent making your computer a useless tool to get anything done.
management is focused on cutting expenses and not investing in resources. also seem to be more focused on legal liability than generating business.

Advice to Senior Management

try to be effective.

Pros

You have the opportunity to own and drive your projects and ideas

Cons

Your progress up the career ladder is subject to the level of influence extended by the people you "know"

Pros

Smart and aggressive people. Being a part of a large investment bank. Easy to network. Good name recognition and brand.

Cons

If you are not in Private Banking you need to be in New York to advance. Constant management shake ups. Groups renamed. New bosses just shake up things just to be different from the previous guy.

Advice to Senior Management

Too much instability within my group. We changed our group name 3 times and had several different bosses in which you constantly had to explain what you did and then hope they understood. But not likely...

Pros

-Great culture
-Lots of intelligent, fun coworkers from diverse backgrounds
-Great training program for incoming analysts

Cons

-Long hours...expected for IB analyst
-Compensation is only average or slightly below average for bulge bracket IB...but you'll still make a ton of money
-Sometimes annoying that HQ is in Europe and decisions for entire bank and IB division come out of Europe

Pros

the band name is great

Cons

extremely long hours sometimes near quarter end

Advice to Senior Management

more rewards for the workers

Pros

Working in a very high pace environment with incredibly smart people. CS has a very lean culture so if you prove that you can take additional responsibility, it will be given to you.

Cons

Due to lean culture, employees may be required to work a lot more than in other companies.
As a Swiss bank, CS has to abide by stricter guideliness when doing transactions.

Advice to Senior Management

CS has a strong leadership team, led by Brady Dougan. The firm thinks its most important asset is reputation and its leaders abide by it.

Pros

opportunities, mobility, global, performance pay

Cons

management culture, mostly communicating at own seniority level

Pros

good environment if team members are good

Cons

very london centric and treat like a resorce and not employee