Morgan Stanley Reviews

Likes

Great place to learn and grow exit opportunities similar to Goldman Sachs...but paid less... Nevertheless I can call myself a lucky person as managed after Morgan Stanley's Director (I was promoted as bank push to promote women in 2018 ) role to land ED pretty easily at Goldman within the FO although: - My background by any means wasn't an obvious choice for FO as former generic Firmops so OP experience, never involved in pitching before, not like most colleagues coming firm Risk or Finance etc - I'm unique as I didn't have any expensive target Ivy(US)/Russel Group(UK) diploma - in fact I have graduated mediocre accounting major in one of Easter European Unis, not even the most competitive major to start with, so it isn't true that only those break in, it is possible even in FO! - I'm not qualified - neither FCA, FRM, ACCA etc, in fact Analyst I managed tend to be more technical as far my operation 15YeO goes. - I did one of the budget friendliest (budget limits and language barrier) non-target London's MBA - costed £16k ca. when most of my colleagues have LSE (costed £110-140£k eMBA) etc in comparison, due to problems with communication I was also forced to use help copywriters to achieve my final result. - In fact I have only CMI non-examinable paper, which is mostly thrown in to any cheap MBAs and easy as you can outsource writing a subject to freelancers do obtain by default - My communication skills although average as I have never studied English language as my 1st foreign language, nor my Eastern accent luckily hasn't impacted my chances. Know sectors at FS are very biased on this in London as well as expat nationalities (policies one thing, reality another) - I was lucky as HR hasn't screened the reasons why I've got a golden bullet, was redundant at another budget bank in 2015 prior to the last bank, focusing on my last only employer instead and my latest recommendation instead. Lucky this hasn't impacted my on boarding back then and screening! - Finally, if I were a men probably I wouldn't be promoted at Morgan, either fit so well to HRs diversity targets (both MS and GS it is no surprise aims as per Financial Times and others to increase % women at senior roles – good for PR!). Fantastic 20% salary bump over Morgan. Overall I'm very grateful and happy that I can lead my own team and set own targets as well recruit people suitable for business and my management's own personal goals. Salary bump over Morgan, I'm keep telling friends that in this business there is no space for too old, experienced candidates as they tend to create leaderships challenges and raising questions about operational sense and ways of doing things .I personally recruit only young candidates, who are willing to make extra effort, work long hours and do not challenge supervisors. Neither Morgan or GS actually picked up any of those promoting me mainly due to diversity KPIs not as you can see poor or not recognized at all various other banks bought MBA/CMI throw in for free, otherwise meaningless in the rest FS industry. "The firm is committed to providing equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all qualified persons without regard to any characteristics protected by law, including race, nationality, women, gender, religion and age." Well one-way official policy, the reality is the other way round. That's depends on people. I'm keep telling friends that in this business and such completive environment, there is no space for too old, too experienced candidates as they tend to create leaderships challenges and raising questions about operational sense and ways of doing things. When speed and accuracy are the most important in this role alongside soft skills managed highly skilled professionals. I personally tend to recruit only young candidates, who are willing to make extra effort, work long hours and do not challenge supervisors causing unnecessary fractions. Everyone is friendly but most defend their own opposition and pivot on visibility projects, and achievements all the time delegating less interesting work below. Integrity and ethics: Morgan's HR wouldn't probably mind if I will admit that I've spent prior few years clamming social council housing benefits as well, living with my further family in their council flat and still work as AVP/Director Firmops (savings thousands in the process , although I could afford the rent).I simply exploited a system gaps and don't feel any gilt about it. To summarize I'm not exactly a raw model for junior colleagues (sometimes) better qualified and technically skilled on the job than me, neither in terms of technicality nor ethics at all but once you are in either at Morgan or other those American banks, who really cares?! I was promoted clearly not being the most qualified, nor educated, but still ticking HR boxes, having (bought) no-name MBA for such boost and being more likely a women that helped too. Sad thing that the most knowledgeable and skilled people aren’t promoted in this kind of middle office environment but those who know how to make them loud and visible, in fact doing far much less job.I’m one of those being honest...Read More

Dislikes

Long hours, low pay, promoting based on HR KPIs, bosses liking not competances

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.

Likes

Bunch of good folks and salary

Dislikes

As an professional - No one will support you when your manager has decided to give you poor performance rating. Everyone is double faced over here.

Work Details

Work policy: 3 days/week from office

Work timings: Flexible Timings

Work related travel: This is a desk job.

Likes

I truly appreciate the opportunity I had to work at Morgan Stanley. The company has a strong reputation for innovation and excellence in the financial industry. Working there provided me with a unique chance to collaborate with talented professionals and engage in meaningful, impactful work. The environment fostered growth, and I gained invaluable knowledge, especially in the areas of legal compliance and financial services. Morgan Stanley's commitment to integrity and its forward-thinking approach to business made it an inspiring place to develop my skills and contribute to its continued success....Read More

Dislikes

While I gained valuable experience at Morgan Stanley, there were aspects of the work environment that I found challenging. The fast-paced and high-pressure nature of the industry sometimes made it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Additionally, the hierarchical structure could feel restrictive at times, limiting opportunities for direct communication and collaboration across different levels. While the company’s focus on compliance and legal matters is essential, it sometimes led to a more rigid approach that felt less flexible in certain situations. These challenges made it harder to fully enjoy the work experience despite the valuable skills I developed....Read More

Work Details

Work policy: 3 days/week from office

Work days: Monday to Friday (Strict Timings)

Work related travel: This is a desk job.

Likes

Work culture generally good compared to other US banks Year end bonus is generally good

Dislikes

Politics at VP and above Poor tech adaptation in most departments Low hikes on base

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This is a desk job.

Likes

Only the food and the facilities at new office are good. 10 Day WFO policy.

Dislikes

Toxic culture. Work is not appreciated. Hikes and bonuses don't beat inflation even with a good year end review. Promotions depend a lot on senior management and equation with them not on work done in the year.

Work Details

Work policy: 10 Days a month

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This is a desk job.

Likes

Transport facility, variety of food.

Dislikes

Please don't join. They will make you do maintainance work because they don't have a devops team. No good technology. Too much office politics. You will have to do buttering. No value for your time.

Work Details

Work policy: 3 days/week from office

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This is a desk job.

Likes

Salary and benefits

Dislikes

Extreme favoritism, biasness and politics. Managers not discussing career path, regular 1:1s, lacks of KPIs to track performance and judging individuals on the basis of peers' feedback, lack of guidance from the leadership team and poor training mechanism

Likes

Perks and Benefits along with work-life balance is maintained

Dislikes

Does not match industry salary standards and non disclosure of salary bands for each position creating a disparity in terms of pay scale.

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within City.

Likes

Great work culture You might not get to work on latest technology as Investment firms usually have legacy codebase But you'll get to learn a lot about trading and business requirements

Dislikes

Not using latest technology

Work Details

Work policy: 3 days/week from office

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This is a desk job.