I was hoping to get some advice from you. About a year ago I got a job with a bank as an analyst. I would say that this was my dream job, however, due to an unexpected change in my family situation I had no choice but to quit my job and stay at home with my then 6 month old son.
I was only at this job for about 5 months and my probationary period was 6 months so I wasn’t given a chance to go on leave, which I totally understand. I never expected my company to hold my position, at the end of the day business is business. I left this company in good terms. I really loved this job but to me family is always first.
SO i have been at home since November taking care of my son, and during this time I was able to study for level 3. I was able to work out my fmaily situation and now I am ready to get back into the work force. I have been called for a lot of interviews but nothing really materializes. I am starting to think that there’s still the stigma of the stay at home dad out there. (In the past I never had a problem getting a job after an interview).
Anyway, there’s an opportunity for me to join a mutual fund company as a senior fund accountant. Yes i know it has nothing to do with the CFA but i think it might be a step in the door that could lead me into research again. I live in a market with very limited research opportunities a
What would you guys do? Please help! and good luck to all on Tuesday.
Congrats for overcoming the family situation in time.
Just a query, did you try at the previous comapny again? If not, it is worth a try. May be they will consider you again, if not immediately some time in future.
Joining the now offered position should depend on the level and type of tasks you will be responsible for. There is lot of variation in the exact work done and associated input by a fund accountant in different organisations at different levels. In case it is in line with the type of work you are aspiring for even partially, you should go for it. If it is limited to pure accountancy / audit type role then you will have to think twice.
Rick, happy to hear your family situation is back normal. Congratz on getting back on track…
I would say since you feel there is already a stigma of stay at home dad - If I were you, I would decide to take up this job. As mygos pointed out - if its even something remotely close to where you want to be, you should take the job up.
This might not be true in your case, but sometimes a sense of security is all you need to crack major interviews. Good luck with whatever you decide mate.
thanks for your comments guys. I’m going to sit down with the company again next week and look at what their long term plans are as well as what my own plans are. I’ve heard of people that start in fund accounting and move on to pricing or corporate actions and then into equity research. That’s the path I’d like to take.
I’ve spoken with my previous company and they would hire me but they won’t be hiring for a while.
There might be a stigma when an employer is reviewing resumes and they pass you over because of the limited work experience. However, if you get past the resume part and land an interview, what you perceive to be a stigma could actually be an asset because it’s a good story that shows you have good character.