hello, i graduated in june this summer and so far have been unlucky in landing a job. partly i blame this on myself (i started my job search kind of late, after summer that is, just before the crises), and also on the current market situation. is it really, terribly frowned upon, if a recent grad takes longer than usual break before starting his or her full time job? by mid september i was getting restless and without thinking signed up for CFA level 1, so at least i had *something* to do, but at this rate, i don’t even know if i will pass. worst case scenario, i do not pass this exam, so i really have nothing to tell prospective employers what i’ve been doing all this time - am i in deep trouble? will my degree end up being useless if i don’t find a job any time soon? i have little to no professional work experience. appreciate any comments, - anxious
Do you live with Mom? When potential employers phone, does Mom answer the phone? Who makes your bed?
I would assume financial companies will understand your inability(although some seems your fault vs. the market) to get a job. I think its funny that you dropped money to start the CFA though, I can hear your mom now “pick up these dang books!”
any constructive comments appreciated.
constructive: 1)Keep looking for jobs. In this market you are nice and cheap labor. 2)Study for the CFA exam, if you pass it you will feel like a champ and move a step up 3)No excuses play like a champion
What city are you in? Maybe after the exam you could crash at a friend’s place who lives in a city with more job possibilities.
tvPM Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > constructive: > 1)Keep looking for jobs. In this market you are > nice and cheap labor. > 2)Study for the CFA exam, if you pass it you will > feel like a champ and move a step up > 3)No excuses play like a champion thanks… (i was mainly referring to what the other poster said)
tvPM Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > constructive: > 1)Keep looking for jobs. In this market you are > nice and cheap labor. > 2)Study for the CFA exam, if you pass it you will > feel like a champ and move a step up > 3)No excuses play like a champion Ahh number 3 is what rule # again from wedding crashers?
tvPM Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > constructive: > 1)Keep looking for jobs. In this market you are > nice and cheap labor. > 2)Study for the CFA exam, if you pass it you will > feel like a champ and move a step up > 3)No excuses play like a champion Ahh number 3 is what rule # again from wedding crashers?
tvPM Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > constructive: > 1)Keep looking for jobs. In this market you are > nice and cheap labor. > 2)Study for the CFA exam, if you pass it you will > feel like a champ and move a step up > 3)No excuses play like a champion Ahh number 3 is what rule # again from wedding crashers?
wow my bad for posting it 3 times.
What school did you graduate from? Do they have a spring career fair?
you will likely not get a job w/o your cfa level 1 or 2. you’re behind so many other job candidates already. definitely focus on that and compromise on a job if you can’t get one for a while. an accounting job will at least let employers know you’re not a bum…
i’m in a similar situation i had some interviews when i first graduated (Math @ university of waterloo, level 2 candidate) but none over the last couple of months i am seriously considering taking up a teller job for the time being
Very tough situation. I’d try looking for university jobs - the money might not be excellent, but it shouldn’t be bad, you can make some good connections, and working for a university in any capacity will probably beat the bank teller suggestion above.
rule #76 my friend.
thanks everyone for your comments. i have access to university’s career service job postings (which expires in a few months), but many of these are experienced positions… i guess the first thing to do is to pass level 1 in a couple of weeks and then focus solely on job search… (sigh) supersharpshooter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i’m in a similar situation > > i had some interviews when i first graduated (Math > @ university of waterloo, level 2 candidate) but > none over the last couple of months > > i am seriously considering taking up a teller job > for the time being hey, so what do you do nowadays, if you don’t mind my asking? i am thinking of taking up volunteer position or something.
i do freelance IT work and math tutoring, but it’s not anything i can put on my resume i’m also studying for CFA level 2 and working through the wallstreet prep course i’m trying pretty hard to break into the field but it seems impossible at this point
I was in a similar position by recently graduating last May. I took the level I exam in June and was able to pass which helped me land a job in early August. My friend that I graduated with is still looking for a good job. He has stayed at his position as a teller until something else opens up. His main focus right now is the level I exam to better his chances once things decide to turn around.
Looking at all these posts on recent grads / CFA candidates that are desperately looking for jobs, I can’t help but get the feeling that there is an opportunity to open a recruiting firm for recent graduates / less than 3 years of experience candidates. I myself had the pleasure of job hunting in this market, and I tell you, it is hard. For one thing, I found the recruiters and HR people in banks and big businesses department really indifferent to the CFA. They also don’t seem to know what they want. Oftentimes, they would ask for: - Strong understanding of financial concepts - Strong quantitative skills Now I’d often apply for these jobs, and so would my friends. We’re all from different backgrounds, but we all fit the bill in terms of the requirements and are all CFA candidates in L2. The HR or recruiters would often dismiss our candidacy citing that we don’t have a degree in finance. Now the thing is, I personally, wouldn’t do the CFA If I had a degree in finance. I have a strong aversion against doing and learning things twice. Also, how does a degree in finance translate in strong quantitative skills? I mean, isn’t a Phd in computational mathematics or stats more relevant? I guess that what I mean to say is that their would probably be a lot of posters on these boards willing to do business with a recruiter that understands what the CFA really is, and knows that a degree in a field other than finance, but still heavily geared toward maths or economics doesn’t mean one can’t perform in this field. So far, I haven’t met one of these recruiters… J.