Job dilemma

Hey everyone, I’ve been at my current job for about 8 months, and my contract ends in mid-February. I’m positive that I will either be given an extension or made permanent after this date. The issue however, is that I absolutely dislike what I do, and believe that this position will not get me anywhere in the long run. I’m basically an Analyst in a project team of 4, and we fall under the Asset Liability Management division. While I must admit that I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time, the work we do is not really market-driven at all. This is the part that frustrates me big time. At the moment, I have started to actively look for other opportunities, but my worry is that if I get calls for interviews, I won’t be able to take time off work. I’m not in a position where I can mention this to my manager/senior manager because if I quit at this stage, they will be screwed/pissed etc. I have no clue as to how I should deal with this problem. Since I’m on contract, as per the Bank’s policy, I only have a day-off per month. Any advice would be much appreciated. I realize that eventually I’d have to let them know that I’m looking for other opportunities, but it seems a bit early for that. HELP!

Can you find something within the same company, related moreso to what you’d be interested in doing?

I’m basically an > Analyst in a project team of 4, and we fall under > the Asset Liability Management division. While I > must admit that I’ve learned a lot in a short > period of time, the work we do is not really > market-driven at all. This is the part that > frustrates me big time. > Does that mean that your team invests for the purpose of asset-liability management, but the portfolio doesn’t have any benchmark to monitor the performance?

the portfolio likely uses the liability as benchmark so as long as the assets cover the liability they’re ok

Sounds like something the insurance companies would do… But since Kevin is already on the investment side, it’s probably going to be easy for him to move to a regular asset management company.

At the moment we’re implementing a new ALM system, and most of what I’ve done so far has revolved around the development aspect. We’ve built models for the different products (define their behaviour), so that the Operations team can do their regular monthly GAP reporting process and also - with the aid of the new system - carry out more advanced analyses (rates,yield curves etc etc). On a portfolio level, I guess the ultimate goal is to be able to avoid any mismatch between the assets and liabilities. Performance is measured by the GAP reports. As I said before, it CAN be an interesting job, since we’re always working on new projects and there are always ongoing developmental issues that arise on a daily/weekly basis. However, I’m more interested in a role in the front office, which is strictly driven by the market. I have a general sense of what I’m looking for (i.e. something within Sales/Trading) but I’m not sure of exactly how I could use this experience to move into something like that. SomewhatDamaged: at the moment, that is exactly what I’m doing. I guess my fear is that if I get called for an interview now, and let them (current managers) know, I could run the risk of being let off early, and ultimately left with no job.

The only otherthing i can thikn of, in the event that you do get called for interviews, is try to schedule them on the same day, if possible…set up some date in the future as a day off and try to get your interviews in for around that time, if not, call in sick? but if you’re contract you won’t get paid for sick days, i’m assuming.

Yea those are pretty much my only other options. Thanks SwD.

You should offer to meet with prospective employers before or after work. Potential employers should understand you have ongoing work commitments, and if they’re not at all willing to respect your work schedule, it’s probably not a place where you want to work anyway. Of course, the more senior your interviewer is, the more flexible you have to be, but generally I find that there’s more leeway in most cases than people think. You just have to be unafraid to ask.

how goes your job search numi?

i’m currently employed

numi, Thanks for that. I didn’t even think that was possible. Why would anyone be willing to meet someone outside of business hours unless they were really desperate to fill a position? I guess I should give it a shot, and then resort to the other options.

i thought you were looking into going into the buyside

gah.

kevin002 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > numi, > > Thanks for that. I didn’t even think that was > possible. Why would anyone be willing to meet > someone outside of business hours unless they were > really desperate to fill a position? > > I guess I should give it a shot, and then resort > to the other options. employers maybe willing to do that for qualified candidates because talented employees are hard to find.

This is only really an issue if you get a job interview… until then don’t worry. And yes, most companies will meet you before/after work. Chances are, if you get called in to a sales/trading role, they’ve been there since 6/7 am and depending on the desk, they’re there until 6/7 pm so it’s not really ‘after hours’ for them, but it probably is for you.

Thanks darkhelmet. All this concern, is mainly so that I could avoid any scheduling issues, if I do receive a call, but as you said, I really should not be worrying about this now. Thanks for all the advice guys!

i know other people might give you contrary advice, but i say that if you know you want to leave your job and go search for another one, make sure you go all-out. assuming you’re a savvy person, managing the expectations and schedules of your superiors at work should fall into place naturally. just don’t let your paranoia of your current employer prevent you from meeting with prospective employers. it takes a while before they can figure out if you’re looking (assuming they figure you out), and besides, you gotta do what’s right for yourself. PEACE OUT

Yea, I guess I should stop feeling bad for these guys and look out for myself. It’s a small team, and they’ve put in a lot of effort to get me to stage I’m at now, which is what makes me feel guilty. I feel like I should not screw them over. My immediate manager often talks about how she plans to increase my responsibilities over time, and lead me into a role where I will be one of the key people in the team, with a specific skill set (pertaining to the Bancware modelling we do). But eventually, as you said, I’ve got to do what’s right for me.

It’s like I’m reading my thread. I have to choose between two jobs but I do not know how am I gonna leave my current job. At the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for me but it would be very very uncomfortable situation explaing them why I want to quit. I guess I’m just that type of personality. Maybe I am going to lie and think of something that sounds reasonable.