contacting Research Analyst

Hi guys, as some of you have mentioned, it is worthwhile to contact the research analyst for a research associate position. I did that for this one gig that is opened at a Canadian BB, but the analyst was on vacation so I got a hold of the associate. He gave me the impression that contacting the analyst wouldn’t really do anything and that it was a waste of time to try. apparently the recruitment process is straightforward and once you submit your application, that is all you can do. any thoughts on this? I know some of you are associates so do you think it actually helps? Its really nothing for me to call the analyst but it if actually looks bad to do so, than maybe contact them is a no no.

Don’t.

What stage are you at in the process now? Have you had an interview or got one lined up?

you gettin out of Treasury frank!>?

Carson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What stage are you at in the process now? Have you > had an interview or got one lined up? no interviews. no line ups. i’m looking for interviews. Joe, why you say “don’t”?

i say do it! that’s exactly what did to land my research associate position that i’m at currently…actually i contacted the head of research and let him know that i was looking and he passed on my resume to my current analyst. (btw my first AF post)

It seems you are thinking about getting in touch with either a head of research or analyst directly just to sound out whether there might be a position available. I can’t see any harm in that. What’s the worst that can happen? I think if you had already applied for a position and were waiting for an interview or waiting for feedback from an interview then contacting the analyst might put him/her in a compromising position. What you are suggesting sounds fine though. At least it displays a bit of drive on your part. As the previous poster suggests, it just might land you a job.

before you guys landed the positions for the associate gigs, how much did you know about the sector? I get differing views. A few associates i know knew very little about the sector they currently cover, and the others were very familiar and already developed their expertise. I’m going to contact the head of research instead. I think that might be better. I’m just afraid I would get blacklisted.

i knew very little about my sector but i showed a lot of interest because i was following some companies in that sector. By following i mean i knew about the companies and their operations and had read a bunch of different analyst reports on the companies, but not even remotely close to the way i know the companies i cover now. i can’t imagine how you’d get blacklisted unless u called them consistently like an obsessed girlfriend. What i found was that it was hard to catch an analyst when he wasn’t in a hurry so i’d sent an email a few days in advance then follow up with a call a few days later. Its definitely hard to get a hold of some analysts since their calls are screened by their associates. the good thing about contacting the head of research is he’ll know who’s looking for an associate, whereas if u contact the analyst directly and he doesn’t need an associate he might not tell u (or even know) that another analyst in the firm is thinking of hiring an associate

da1nonly Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i knew very little about my sector but i showed a > lot of interest because i was following some > companies in that sector. By following i mean i > knew about the companies and their operations and > had read a bunch of different analyst reports on > the companies, but not even remotely close to the > way i know the companies i cover now. > > i can’t imagine how you’d get blacklisted unless u > called them consistently like an obsessed > girlfriend. What i found was that it was hard to > catch an analyst when he wasn’t in a hurry so i’d > sent an email a few days in advance then follow up > with a call a few days later. Its definitely hard > to get a hold of some analysts since their calls > are screened by their associates. > > the good thing about contacting the head of > research is he’ll know who’s looking for an > associate, whereas if u contact the analyst > directly and he doesn’t need an associate he might > not tell u (or even know) that another analyst in > the firm is thinking of hiring an associate Good info. Thanks for the input.

On this note, what is the salary range for entry level and different yrs experience Research Associates??

Research analysts are gods and should not be contacted by mere mortals. Seriously, though. You wouldn’t be blacklisted for contacting them unless you were super-annoying or were to say really dumb things on the phone/via e-mail. If your background and skills are of interest, they may give you the time of day. If not, you will probably be ignored or, at best, given a perfunctory “sorry.” The associate is not going to try to help you. I don’t think you have anything to lose by calling either the analyst when he/she is back from vacation or the head of research. You could simultaneously submit your resume the standard way. The best option of all is knowing someone there who can submit your resume. As for knowing the sector, it really depends on the shop and the job market. Some shops hire straight out of undergrad and are fine with someone not knowing the sector. Others expect a couple of years of industry experience (in industry or covering a sector). In this market, even if they don’t require experience, they are likely to get tons of applicants with sector experience, so they will have their pick. I would say that, in today’s market, not having sector experience is a significant disadvantage. As for pay, associate pay is a pretty wide range. $50K - 100K base on the buy-side. Higher on the sell-side.

cfa2grunt Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Seriously, though. You wouldn’t be blacklisted > for contacting them unless you were super-annoying > or were to say really dumb things on the phone/via > e-mail. I wonder if calling them up and starting rapping about world markets would set the candidate apart from the rest of the pool of candidates.

My name is Frank and I’m here to say, I’m the bitchinest boy chasing da C-F-A. You want me to draw 100 charts, despite my degree in the liberal arts! If you hire me I’ll rock the sell-side, and my eagerness will never subside! Werrrd.

absolutely contact these people just out of general interest… but if the situation was that they’re interviewing, i’d be very careful… has a little bit of an “unbalanced”/strange personality feel to it. one thing semi-related is i find students often show up 40 minutes early for appointments. they think they were downtown and had nothing to do. but just show up for your actual appointment time.

Don’t know about contacting the analyst, but I contacted the Head of Research of all the BB in my city and got a few interviews.

Pay for one of the Top 5 Canadian Banks Associate role is $80k base + bonus

Are you guys in the Research Associate role in Toronto now? If so can you state your base and your bonus levels?

and along with it, please state your experience level along with the information

And can you also state your name, phone, address, and wire transfer information. I have an opportunity to get involved in unclaimed Nigerian lottery money.