Credit Suisse Reviews in London, UK Area

Pros

Friendly and welcoming environment. Strong team ethic. Relaxed culture and atmosphere and less snobbish than other top tier investment banks.

Cons

Not as well organised and structured HR compared with others. Lower compensation than other top tier banks. Office politics common.

Advice to Senior Management

Improved compensation. Setup of programs to recruit candidates interested in career change from different industries as most job postings are too specific to prior banking knowledge when in fact candidates from different fields and industries can easily be taught banking knowledge and can offer a very diverse skill set and level of thought.

Pros

Good Work-life balance and reasonably relaxed environment. Opportunity to work with some smart peers without dealing with employees who take themselves too seriously.

Cons

Serious abuse of employees by senior managers...there is, like in most investment banks, some severe incompetence at MD levels. More interested in politics than producing and more interested in surviving than growing. You will get exploited if you develop new projects and ideas unless you are protected in your contract. You WILL NOT get compensated for making money.

Advice to Senior Management

Beyond salvation

Pros

Nice building, good facilities, gym, restaurant etc. Hours are flexible where I am but depends on the team and business area.

Cons

If you are in IB dont expect to leave before 6 pm, even if you start at 7 am. Career wise and feedback - varies from manager to manager, not too impressed myself.

Advice to Senior Management

Do the appraisals properly and be clear in what you expect from your staff. Share the project plans with the team.

Pros

I've got opportunity to work with really good guys - the technical skills they represent are really high, so I can learn from them (however company realistically doesn't support learning - only talks about it)

Cons

shitty long hours, lots of beaurocracy, all those band/title promotions are just fantasy. Valuable people are often ignored. Due to long hours there's impossible to progress your technical skills.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the people, they are doing great job. Cut the beaurocracy.

Pros

Good compensation, prestigeous place to work. A company that has future prospects in the present climate.

Cons

Completely bureaucratic, bosses are workoholics, have no communication skills, and expect you to have no life, they micromanage everything, employees in my department extremely dissatisfied.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn to delegate without micromanaging everything, and stop creating problems where there are none. Understand work/ life balance.

Pros

The chance to work with some of the brightest, most intelligent and often highly motivated people in almost any industry. (I've worked in IT Consultancy, Mobile Telecoms, UK Public Sector, Insurance and Utilities). These are the best and the brightest - although little or no sign of arrogance. Just smart and well motivated.

Cons

Education and training. OK so we're on the steep downside of cost cutting, but I spend 40% of my time mentoring, educating and training less experienced staff, but find it an uphill struggle to get people on education and training courses.

Advice to Senior Management

Feed your staff with skills and knowledge. You pay fairly good bonus payments and have great benefits - don't forget that personal, technical and knowledge growth is as good for the business as it is for the individual.

Pros

Credit Suisse is a great bulge bracket bank with a good reputation on the street. The vast majority of senior bankers have access to leading companies and junior bankers get a chance to work on front page transactions. Coverage groups also execute a lot of their own deals, so analysts and associates get good experience.

Cons

In an ultra-competitive industry the cream is at the top, so some times CS will struggle to win deals from Goldman and Morgan Stanley. Analysts are coddled there like nowhere else (from talking to colleagues at other banks) and so the job of an associate is a little tougher.

Advice to Senior Management

Take a longer-term view.

Pros

Career opportunities around the world.

Cons

Location in Canary Wharf - London.
Too much emphasis on Switzerland processes.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the excellent staff communication

Pros

Well funded bank during a difficult time makes it reasonably safe prospect. The bank is known as the Factory by Australian/NZ/SA contractors as there are so many employed they can always find a job for one more!

Cons

Slow, very slow, glacial, Credit Suisse......

Advice to Senior Management

Keep us safe in today's economic climate...

Pros

When working for a good boss, I quickly gained respect, autonomy and recognition when I delivered. The company has a lot of respect in the industry and the addition of Credit Suisse on your CV certainly opens doors

Cons

I had about 5 bosses within one year, some were terrible, protectionist and very political. I was used and abused!
The work life balance was pretty poor especially working on projects with senior US counter-parts, they seemed to expect 24 hour availablity.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop the endless re-organistion, give credit and respect for those who deliver and work hard. Not those who focus on perception, postioning and senior back slapping.