Brokers can be sweary, but bankers have a lot to lose on social media
Social media is a minefield in the City. A recent study has shown that recruiters will look through everything on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook – from political opinions to topless selfies.
But according to London’s recruiters, brokers can get away with a lot more than the rest of the financial district.
Financial recruiters Astbury Marsden told The Capitalist that ever since the credit crunch, bankers should be treading on eggshells. One well-known American investment bank has recently come down hard on its staff’s social media.
The bank sent an email to employees earlier this year warning of the dangers of oversharing, causing many of the firm’s bankers to delete their LinkedIn and Twitter accounts altogether.
An Astbury Marsden spokesperson said: “We had one senior banker applying for an investment role where his profile picture on Twitter was a topless selfie, sticking out his tongue. The role he was going for paid nearly £200,000pa. Needless to say we told him to get rid of it.”
Meanwhile, brokers are having all the fun. Regular readers may be familiar with a young broker in Canary Wharf we’ve called Mr S, who has a passion for crude tweets. One gem from last week featured his attitude to little old ladies on the Tube. Having offered his seat to three already, Mr S had had enough: “Next one I’m going to tell to p**s off.” Charming.
According to a survey from recruitment technology firm Jobvite, vulgarity, selfies and conspicuous alcohol consumption are all big red flags for anyone wanting to work in finance, but Mr S and many other brokers have no problem sharing photos from their last night out.
Astbury Marsden told The Capitalist that it’s a case of boys-will-be-boys. “There is already the perception that brokers are more aggressive. They have to have a certain amount of grit so it’s almost expected from them.” Mr S lives to swear at old ladies another day.
CLIFFORD CHANCE: CANARY WHARF’S CULTURE VULTURES
The Docklands is not usually what springs to mind when considering high-brow entertainment. But lawyers at Clifford Chance are bringing a spot of culture to the finance industry’s answer to Center Parcs, as the firm held a free piano recital for all staff to enjoy, performed by BBC Young Musician of the Year winner Martin Bartlett. The firm has a regular music group for lunchtime concerts: “It’s just a lovely way to spend an hour. Once I believe we had one of our staff conducting a group in our auditorium.” Bravissimo!
LIFE ON MARS? TRY TWO NIGHTS
Having already purchased a plot on the moon in 2008, hotel chain Premier Inn is looking to expand its portfolio. After flowing water was discovered on the red planet, the hotel giant acquired a 43,500 square foot plot of Martian land (something you can apparently do) for an undisclosed sum. Bad news for investors, as parent company Whitbread’s share price dropped 1.9 per cent after yesterday’s announcement.