Goldman Sachs has made a name among global investment banks, offering financial services to everyone from individuals to corporations. Are you considering working at Goldman Sachs? Here’s what you need to know.
- What Is Goldman Sachs?
- Goldman Sachs Jobs and Salaries
- Goldman Sachs Benefits
- Goldman Sachs Culture
- Goldman Sachs vs. Morgan Stanley
- How Does the Goldman Sachs Interview Process Work?
- Takeaways
>>MORE: Explore working in engineering at Goldman Sachs with this virtual experience program.
What Is Goldman Sachs?
Goldman Sachs specializes in securities, investment management, and other financial services. In 2021, it reported just under $60 billion in revenue, a record for the company. Currently, the company ranks No. 57 on the Fortune 500 list.
Goldman Sachs has been around for more than 150 years. In 1869, Marcus Goldman founded the company as an alternative financing option for merchants. It would eventually grow to employ approximately 40,000 employees with office locations worldwide. Goldman Sachs’ headquarters is in New York City.
Today, Goldman Sachs has defined its purpose as helping clients succeed financially. Its mission statement reads: “At Goldman Sachs, we advance sustainable economic growth and financial opportunity.” The company’s core values include client service, excellence, integrity, and partnership to uphold its mission.
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Goldman Sachs Jobs and Salaries
If you’re studying any finance-related subject, you have probably considered a career with Goldman Sachs. But the company offers more career paths than just finance, such as its engineering and business teams.
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- Learn if finance is a good career path.
Your compensation and career trajectory will vary depending on your department and specific position. However, in general, here’s what you can expect from a few of the major teams at Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs Finance and Accounting Team
The financial and accounting team steers the direction of Goldman Sachs’ operation. Through financial analysis and forecasting, this team determines the strategy Goldman Sachs puts into play. According to Glassdoor, here’s the estimated breakdown for the salaries of Goldman Sachs’ finance and accounting team:
- Financial analysts average about $86,400 a year.
- Investment banking analysts average about $123,800 a year.
- Quantitative analysts average about $133,300 a year.
- Accountants average about $90,900 a year.
Goldman Sachs Engineering Team
Goldman Sachs’ engineering team turns innovative ideas into reality. It helps the company and its clients with infrastructure solutions, cybersecurity, and other technology. According to Glassdoor, here’s the estimated salary breakdown for an engineering career at Goldman Sachs:
- Software engineers average about $127,700 a year
- Systems engineers average about $112,800 a year.
- Security engineers average about $107,400 a year.
- Quantitative strategists average about $144,800 a year.
Goldman Sachs Business Team
Goldman Sachs’ business team improves how the company makes decisions by analyzing current and past data. According to Glassdoor, here’s the estimated salary breakdown for a Goldman Sachs business employee:
- Business analysts average about $88,800 a year.
- Senior business analysts average about $112,800 a year.
- Operations analysts average about $59,700 a year.
- Senior operations analysts average about $70,800 a year.
Want to learn the skills used daily by the business team at Goldman Sachs? Take our Goldman Sachs Excel Skills for Business Virtual Experience Program.
Student Opportunities
- Student Programs: There are opportunities for both undergrad students and recent grads. Goldman Sachs has internships and other entry-level programs to jump-start your career.
- Student Events: If you want a feel for a career with Goldman Sachs, look into its workshop opportunities. The company also offers coffee chats for students to help them know if Goldman Sachs is the right place for them post-grad.
Goldman Sachs Benefits
Goldman Sachs offers various benefits, depending on which office you work in, your team, and your position within that team. But here’s what you can generally expect from benefits at Goldman Sachs:
- Fitness Benefits: At some of its offices, Goldman Sachs offers in-house fitness centers. For the locations that don’t have a fitness center, the company typically reimburses the fees for one.
- Family Care: Goldman Sachs offers support services and transitional programs to new and current parents. Some of its offices even provide on-site child care centers.
- Flexible working: Most positions allow for different work schedules and arrangements depending on the job. Examples of flexible working include job-sharing, telecommuting, and differing hours.
- Unique perks: A Goldman Sachs analyst discussed the perks they experienced firsthand, such as free dinners, travel, and social events.
Goldman Sachs Culture
Per Comparably, Goldman Sachs is above average for overall culture ratings, netting 3.8 out of 5 stars. Its lowest-rated cultural aspect is diversity coming in at a C+.
Want to learn more about the current culture at Goldman Sachs? Culture 500 compiled employee reviews and scanned them for nine different cultural values. Here’s what they found:
- Collaboration was the most commonly reported positively discussed quality.
- Agility was the most commonly reported negatively discussed quality.
Community Engagement Initiatives
Goldman Sachs has invested over $2.5 billion in recent years. Here are some of its major initiatives:
- 10,000 Women: To uplift female entrepreneurs, Goldman Sachs helps them with education, capital, and mentorship.
- 10,000 Small Business: Goldman Sachs provides education and capital to small businesses in hopes they grow economically and create new employment opportunities.
- Community Teamworks: This is Goldman Sachs’ volunteer initiative, which works with nonprofits worldwide. Per the company, Goldman Sachs employees have completed 2.8 million hours of volunteering and over 22,000 projects as part of the program.
Goldman Sachs vs. Morgan Stanley
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are highly competitive financial services companies, and the two rivals have their strategies for doing business. But what’s the difference if you work there? Here’s how they square up in company culture, according to Indeed:
- Goldman Sachs’ overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars, while Morgan Stanley’s rating is 3.8 out of 5 stars.
- Goldman Sachs has a better rating in compensation and benefits, culture, job security and advancement, and management.
- Morgan Stanley has a better rating in work/life balance.
- Fifty-four percent of Goldman Sachs reviewers thought they were paid fairly, while 60% of Morgan Stanley reviewers did.
Learn more about working at another Goldman Sachs competitor, JPMorgan Chase.
How Does the Goldman Sachs Interview Process Work?
According to CNBC, in 2022, Goldman Sachs hit a record high for applicants to its internship programs, with 236,000 people applying globally, 79,000 of those in the U.S. Its acceptance rate hovers at about 1.5%.
That’s why landing a position with this competitive company is challenging; however, it’s not impossible. Ensure you prepare your application and for your interview to land a job. (Check out these interview tips.) Here’s the essential information to know at the start of the process.
According to Glassdoor, the most popular path to an interview was online applications, with 51% of applicants using this method. Meanwhile, 26% of applicants used campus recruitment, and 10% used recruitment.
During the interview, reviewers on Glassdoor found that 61% of interviewees claimed to have a positive interviewing experience, while 11% claimed to have a negative experience. Interviews were rated 3.1 out of 5 stars, with one being the easiest and five the hardest.
Takeaways
- Goldman Sachs is a global financial institution offering assistance in many areas like investment management.
- Although known for its financial positions, the company has engineering, business, student positions, and more opportunities.
- Collaboration is the most commonly positively discussed attribute among Goldman Sachs employees, while agility is the most commonly negatively discussed attribute among Goldman Sachs employees.
- Fifty-one percent of interviewees received interviews from online applications, with 26% coming from campus recruiting.
Learn more about working at other major U.S. companies.
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