I passed the December 2011 level 1 exam and will sit for level 2 in June. I’m also a recent graduate and received my bachelor’s in finance. I was wondering if anyone had tips on where I should look if I’m looking to break into the industry (I would prefer the research analyst route, but I would consider many things at this point since I do not have any experience). I’m looking to find work in Hong Kong in particular, though I am not a resident. I realize this it is quite difficult for foreigners to find entry level work there, but at this point it is something I wish to do for personal reasons.
Before anyone goes off saying “You started CFA without knowing exactly what oyu had in mind?” - I took level one because I have a passion for finance, and I genuinely enjoyed the material. Though I do not have the experience right now, I am just hoping for tips on braeking into the industry. Thank you very much!
It might not mean a whole lot, but I think it means something.
I work in corporate finance in a large regional bank and we are going through a hiring process - while the majority of the CFA material may not be directly related to our day to day work, the initiative and ability to to learn and understand financial concepts that you have shown through completing level I would definitely give you a leg up in our interview process.
Though I guess my question would be why you don’t have a job yet, and that’s a question for which you’ll need a pretty good answer. Most undergrads with that kind of initiative will easily find a job (in my experience) unless something is wrong with them.
Get whatever job you can. Don’t limit yourself to specific parts of finance, or finance jobs for that matter. Any young graduate could say they have “a passion for finance, and I genuinely enjoyed the material”. However: 1) Finance jobs are often not as fun as they seem, 2) What you like *will* change over time, and 3) You might just not get an opportunity that you want - most aspiring finance people never get front office jobs. Not “not yet” - they never get the job they want.
First of all, thank you everyone for your responses.
I do currently have a job - teaching English in Taiwan. I am currently studying Mandarin part time, teaching part time, and studying CFA material with whatever time I have left. I am studying the language for the sole purpose of becoming more employable in Asia. That being said, my Mandarin is not fluent, and I realize that my situation is a difficult one. I was just wondering if there are any training programs or some kind of internship opportunities I could look into, and the best place to start looking. Obviously, I am very open minded and having just passed my 22nd birthday, still feel that I am getting a pretty early jump on this.
Thanks again, really do appreciate the honest feedback.
Concentrate on learning Mandarin. If you have even a passing knowledge of financial markets, but you can speak Mandarin you can get a very good paying job in distribution (international sales).