Investment analyst - work on fund of funds - didn’t know much at the start but knew how to ask questions, listen and learn…then just stick it out and don’t get fired! In five years, half my team has moved on to better things (or been fired) and I have slowly moved up pecking order. My excel skills are still weak but I’m more of a qual. analyst, and do more of the macro, and style research. Pains me to say, but the CFA study (now lvl III) has been REALLY useful, both in terms of respect at work (“what does he know, he’s just a dumb journo”) and building my knowledge.
big ML Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > mathlete Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Er… CFA, CMA, MBA, JD, PEng (within 1 year) no > > job agree with the connections comment > > > Do you have any practical experience and what are > you doing to market yourself? > > Got my last two jobs with no connections in the > middle of the worst recession ever. > > My feeling is that you can’t just throw up your > hands and blame connections you have to try > different things. Not disagreeing that > connections are the way to most easily get a > position, but there’s plenty of other ways and you > have to try them all. When I was out of work I > would just ask the question to myself, “have I > done everything I can do to get a job today”. I > eventually got a crappy job at a much lower > salary, but that gave me the time to keep looking > for the job I wanted. I got the first job off of > a company website and the second from a recruiter. Well its easy to blame experience since you need a job to get experience I don’t really consider the argument “To get a job you must get a job” to be a valid one. I have a job right now, what I want is a career. So everyday for the past 18 months I apply for jobs, I approach anyone who’s anyone and ask about jobs I’ve score exceptionally well academically (A GPA etc.) and try and get involved as much as possible in student societies, community events etc. Problem is I was not born in the country that I currently reside which doesn’t help, but regardless I’m incredibly frustrated. Lots of people do these “advanced degrees” to get decent entry level jobs. Unfortunately the job market is a scam because all of those jobs are given to somebodies nephew/niece/son/daughter/cousin/friend. It doesn’t matter that you are outperforming your peers, that your grades are great or that you have 15 acronyms next to your name. It doesn’t matter that you are 100k in debt on student loans, not had a weekend in 2 years and devote every second you are not working to studying.
maybe you rub people the wrong way. do you pop your collars?
MBA?
turn that frown upside down Mathlete Oh and also, finding a job is sometimes very much like dating… desperation is never attractive
mathlete Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > big ML Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > mathlete Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > Er… CFA, CMA, MBA, JD, PEng (within 1 year) > no > > > job agree with the connections comment > > > > > > Do you have any practical experience and what > are > > you doing to market yourself? > > > > Got my last two jobs with no connections in the > > middle of the worst recession ever. > > > > My feeling is that you can’t just throw up your > > hands and blame connections you have to try > > different things. Not disagreeing that > > connections are the way to most easily get a > > position, but there’s plenty of other ways and > you > > have to try them all. When I was out of work I > > would just ask the question to myself, “have I > > done everything I can do to get a job today”. > I > > eventually got a crappy job at a much lower > > salary, but that gave me the time to keep > looking > > for the job I wanted. I got the first job off > of > > a company website and the second from a > recruiter. > > Well its easy to blame experience since you need a > job to get experience I don’t really consider the > argument “To get a job you must get a job” to be a > valid one. I have a job right now, what I want is > a career. So everyday for the past 18 months I > apply for jobs, I approach anyone who’s anyone and > ask about jobs I’ve score exceptionally well > academically (A GPA etc.) and try and get involved > as much as possible in student societies, > community events etc. Problem is I was not born in > the country that I currently reside which doesn’t > help, but regardless I’m incredibly frustrated. > Lots of people do these “advanced degrees” to get > decent entry level jobs. Unfortunately the job > market is a scam because all of those jobs are > given to somebodies > nephew/niece/son/daughter/cousin/friend. It > doesn’t matter that you are outperforming your > peers, that your grades are great or that you have > 15 acronyms next to your name. It doesn’t matter > that you are 100k in debt on student loans, not > had a weekend in 2 years and devote every second > you are not working to studying. Don’t know what country you’re in, but if that’s the case and you really can’t get a job I guess it is time to hit McDonald’s. If you don’t believe you can get a job, then you can’t. It’s that simple.
batgirl4ever Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > turn that frown upside down Mathlete > > Oh and also, finding a job is sometimes very much > like dating… desperation is never attractive +1
Yeah probably right on the desperation note. I turned down some pathetic 40k/year positions considering I work in a non-managerial professional capacity atm, so either I’m too desperate or not desperate enough depending on how you look at it. I’m taking a 3 month sabbatical from job hunting, too exhausting I think I need a non-academic related hobby. Alcoholism comes to mind!
At 28 drinking should still be included on your list of hobbies.
hmm…you passed a 40k per year job?..perhaps the reason why you are not lucky with entry level jobs is that you are overqualified
Over qualified for entry level while being under qualified for mid level.
Wendy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The dream candidate for most finance positions is > generally someone that is relatively well > rounded. > > Not just quantitatively smart – but also a team > player, someone who is schmoozy, likeable, has > leadership potential, etc. > > The folks that I know that have five (or more) > finance qualifications are all quantitatively > smart, but not well rounded. > > A somewhat-less-smart but more-personable person > would be more likely to have a successful career > and enjoy a lifetime of continuous employment. oh so true!
Idk the more I think about it, it becomes a marketing exercise. How do you sell someone on the fact that you are likable pre-interview? Get a CSA (Certified Socially Acceptable) designation? Are they to assume that because you won some student election people love you? Or because you wrote down “team player” on your resume`?