Ok, hope i get some suggestions and help from AF. Graduated about 8 months ago from a mediocre college. 3.8 GPA, Major Finance. I have been actively searching ever since. In the mean time took the Level 1 and passed :). Well now i have nothing to do and i am getting frustrated as the days fly by. I am not yet ready to pick up the L2 books. Is there anything i can do in terms of learning that would really help me land any entry level position? I did basic excel tutoring online and sharpened my MS office skills. I currently work at a hotel front desk to help me with the bills and I reside in the philly area. It is becoming really depressing and it seems like i am loosing hope. Can anyone help pls! If you are in a position to help with job or networking pls contact me at gm.nj234@gmail.com
What sort of job are you looking for and what have job search techniques have you tried so far?
I am looking for any entry level position, you name it. research, corp fin, equities and preferably something that would count towards the CFA work experience. (or something that would even count as finance experience on my resume). I have tried my college career site and all they had was sales/insurance jobs. I also have gone to several temp agencies such as kforce and accountemps. I also tried the good old monster and career builder. Now i am finally using my last ammunition and using linkedin and whomever i know in my network (which is quite small). Is there any other method out there i haven’t tried apart from walking with a big sign saying “hire me” ???
are you male or female?
Male - mid twenties
Where are you located?
iteracom Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > are you male or female? Is this a casting couch question?
dang it ohai, you ruined it. oh well, he’s a guy anyway.
Located in Philadelphia area
Maybe get studying with the GMAT — if you don’t have a job, B-School will help more than the CFA program in this environment. You might be able to lock in an internship for next summer if you get accepted to a good B-School this year. You could also join the military, peace corps, travel …
I feel you man, it’s not easy in this economic environment.
You should look at applying for jobs in Washington, DC. Economy here is still pretty decent; look at WashingtonPost Jobs site and look at FINS.com
@analti - i did consider that but the good b-schools require so much $$$$ which i dont have. I am barely making it. @Zesty - thanks i will check it out. Usually these jobs want 3 + years of experience. Its tough to come home to a family anxiously waiting to hear some good news.
Analti_Calte_Equity Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Maybe get studying with the GMAT — if you don’t > have a job, B-School will help more than the CFA > program in this environment. That’s terrible advice. Anyhow, I don’t think any legitimate MBA school would accept a candidate with no work experience. Plus, targeting a September 2012 start is unrealistic for a candidate that hasn’t even written the GMAT yet.
bapswarrior Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am looking for any entry level position, you > name it. research, corp fin, equities and > preferably something that would count towards the > CFA work experience. Offering to work for free (“unpaid internship”) at a smaller shop is one idea to consider, if you can afford to do so.
Wendy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Analti_Calte_Equity Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Maybe get studying with the GMAT — if you > don’t > > have a job, B-School will help more than the > CFA > > program in this environment. > > That’s terrible advice. Anyhow, I don’t think any > legitimate MBA school would accept a candidate > with no work experience. Plus, targeting a > September 2012 start is unrealistic for a > candidate that hasn’t even written the GMAT yet. Unrealistic and impossible are two different things. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRrNY0pxfM But yeah, I agree, it’s a long-shot. Hoping to pass all three CFA exams in 18 months is a slim chance as well, but a handful of people have done it on here.
Ok, I think you need to relax your search criteria. Forget the market related jobs, start looking at financial reporting, anything loosely finance. Otherwise you may wind up at a hotel forever. Also, be more aggressive on your resume w/ out committing boldface lies.
have you tried the big 4 accounting firms? they always seem to have loads of vacancies
bapswarrior Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am looking for any entry level position, you > name it. research, corp fin, equities and Financial employers that come to mind for that part of the country are Aberdeen Asset Management, PNC Bank, Legg Mason, Towers Watson, BNY Mellon, Vanguard… You may be able to join the CFA Society of Philadelphia, though you may find that you are mostly networking with other unemployed financial analysts. The truth is that the job market for finance has been lousy for the last 3 years, and may be for the next 3 years too. Your best bet may be just to sit tight, finish the CFA over the next couple years, and wait for that recovery in the industry.
@ TS : I think your first priority should be to figure out what you want to do. Your scope seems quite large. Would you rather work in ER/Research ? Investment Banking /CF ? By Equities I assume you mean Sales & Trading ? …? These 3 (+) fields are very different and require different skill sets. They are all very competitive to get into and most people here will tell you that without experience or an MBA from top 2 B-Schools, blah blah blah your chances are close to 0. I disagree with that approach. If you are an sharp, dynamic and cool guy with a genuine interest in the field you can land a very good job if you impress the right people. …which brings me back to my first advice: figure out what the hell you want to do for the next 5 years.