Until the date of the bond's maturity, the bondholder will receive interest payments in return for lending the issuer money. Because these payments take the form of a fixed cash sum paid at regular intervals, bonds have become known as fixed income products.

Debt Roles and Fixed Income Career Paths

Debt specialists do anything from originating, to structuring to syndicating, and within a law firm they handle the legal aspects of submitting registration paperwork and other tasks. In an investment bank, origination specialists are usually senior capital markets bankers. Their jobs involve travel to meet clients in an effort to gain insight into their financing needs and to persuade them to offer business to their bank.

People who work in structuring, tend to have desk jobs and spend time creating debt products to suit a company's financial needs. Then it's up to the people on the syndication desk to get the market ready for sale. They calculate the best interest range, assess demand, and make sure the correct documents are in place.

Some examples of fixed income job titles include Fixed Income Trader, Municipal Bond Sales, Capital Markets Credit Risk Analyst, Global Fixed Income Product Specialist, Investment Grade Credit Investor, or Senior Structured Finance Specialist.

Skills and Qualities to Work in Fixed Income

• Analytical ability and an aptitude for statistics

• Strong communications skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects
• Perseverance