Is passing Level II going to even help us in the job search?

knowing someone or being someone’s kid > MBA +CFA

daviskr Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- Especially for a young, blonde one ;). That just reminded me how hot you are :slight_smile: Good to see you.

magicskyfairy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > knowing someone or being someone’s kid > MBA +CFA you said it !

meazza Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thommo77, the exam in Montreal had several nice > hotties. so maybe there is a reason to use the “hook up” tab on AF afterall???

So, to un-hijack the thread… Yes, I feel that the CFA is going to help myself and others in the job search. But as other posters have mentioned, the charter is not going to sprout a set of legs and walk in a couple of your dream job offers to you; you still have to do the work of interviewing, networking, etc. I think my impression so far is that it helps more with showing what kind of person you are (self-starter, persistant, driven to take the limited free time you have and funnel it into improving yourself) than showing that you’re AMERICAS NEXT TOP ANALYST. You can pass all three levels of the charter and still obviously do sloppy work that adds little/no value. But it’s unlikely that you’ll pass all three levels if you’re not a committed and driven individual.

It helps to stand out a bit, especially, if you’re a recent grad and applying for a junior position. It has zero value for more “seasoned” analysts. When you’re a grown up boy, it is your on the job trackrecord of success that really matters I guess.

All of us should form a big network, we could easily leverage the size of this community for networking purposes.

Hi all, I wanted to have your opinion on something: do you think it is easy to switch from a Auditor position to an Analyst one after 1 year field experience and CFA Level 1 passed in 2009? Thanks,

The answer is no.

I think that with the talent pool filled with CFA Charterholders, why would they want to hire a candidate? They can hire charterholders who are relatively the same age.

This thread is a pretty big downer…

Loubna51 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi all, > > > I wanted to have your opinion on something: do you > think it is easy to switch from a Auditor position > to an Analyst one after 1 year field experience > and CFA Level 1 passed in 2009? > > Thanks, Dont let anyone make you give up trying. Auditor experience can be useful. I know a guy who worked as an analyst for 8 months, and is pretty smart. But after talking to him, its clear to me, he has no knowledge how free cash flow to equity or firm is calculated, nor does he have a clue. As a Level 1 or Level 2 passed candidate, you will be a much better fit! Plus auditing experience, means you will have knowledge of how those statements are prepared, and if you are good at it, you would actually be pretty useful analyst!~~~ It makes no sense for firms to hire a fresh finance undergrad degree holder even if he is coming from an ivy league. CFA L1 and especially L2 material is solid!!

Nope

Passing L2 is only slightly impressive to an employer if you are about 22 years old and have very little to no work experience. Otherwise, they will just consider it relevant if you actually have your charter. The CFA charter really means something to people when you have significant experience to back it up. Most of the charterholders in our office are thirty-somethings with 8-12 years of solid investment experience.

CFA is a must for some positions. Kinda like medical school if you want to cut open a chest. So I recommend if you want to cut open chests, get your CFA. Personally, when I hire, I’d like to see CFA + something else or MBA + something else or JD + something else, where something else = not the same old thing (degree W from school X, prototypical finance gig Y, worldview Z based on experiences entirely in country AA) Plus it helps at the interview if you are intelligent, humble, and have a good way with people. It’s a must have item, but it’s only a small piece of what matters to someone who will hire you. Passing level 2 is kinda nice because an employer might want to hire you at a reduced salary–you’ve got the goods in terms of ability to pass CFA exams, but you can’t yet apply to positions that require CFA. Just some thoughts.

That was very insightful hawgdriver. I’m going back to school for my Masters in Accounting at St. Johns but a part of me is kicking myself for not going to an NYU or a Columbia but I can’t afford that. Just hoping that a high GPA, the CFA and possibly the CPA designations will be enough to get called in for interviews and land a nice position. Unbelievable how just going to an ivy league school opens so many more doors just because…