If it was me, I’d add all the respected credentials. So if I had FRM, MBA, CFA I would most certainly put all of them on my card. It tells people what I know and how hard I have worked to earn those degrees and designations. If it seems snooty, so what? You earned it! If you spent the time, energy, and effort into getting these that others didn’t you have every right and priviledge to put them by your name. The standard I heard to follow is to put them in the order that you got them with the most recent last. So If I got my MBA first then FRM and finally CFA I would put: John Smith MBA, FRM, CFA
yfactor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Agree with sterling76 - the post was so long I was > forced to skim it. > > Regardless, I have an MBA from a top school (as > another member so aptly put it - “it sounds like > University of Bhicago”) and hope to have a CFA > soon (one level to go!). I still won’t be putting > MBA after my name. Sure I earned it, but it’s just > not what is customary here in the U.S. Given that, > people who put it anyway will be perceived in a > negative light (I completely agree with > sterling76’s point 4 - it screams insecurity to > me). > > With that said, I don’t agree with sterling’s > third point - that MBAs are a joke. I have a lot > of respect for sterling’s school and don’t > disagree with the assertion that his undergrad may > be equivalent to or better than most MBAs. > However, for the same reasons buried in the > incredibly long post, I don’t think that a CFA is > necessarily “better”. They’re both very different > and success in each requires different skills. > > Long story short, as sterling said, “Do whatever > you want”. I will never put MBA after my name - > it’s just not the “acceptable” thing to do, and, > quite frankly, I don’t want my business card or > other stationary to resuly in my being perceived > as insecure or a douche… I’m in yfactor’s boat. I went to HBS and am not putting an MBA behind my name. The OP brings up a good point - maybe clients want to know that you are well educated. That is what a BIO is for. You don’t need to put all the information - where you went to undergrad, graduate degrees, series certifications (series 7, 63, etc.) on your business card. CFA works because it is merely industry practice. MBA is by no means industry practice! Honestly, I have yet to see a business card with MBA after the person’s name. Not sure what I would think, but it owuld probably be along the lines of “this guy is trying too hard”. But to each his/her own.
When I worked in Europe I never saw MBA written after one’s name. I remember when discussing doing an MBA with my mom and she was saying that “it would be nice to put those letters after your name” (Bless her) I remarked that it just doesnt work that way - in fact, I thought that NOBODY does it. Coming to Canada, I have noticed that it’s done a lot more. I’ve seen two recruiters with it after their name, and some other hiring managers. I go with the flow on this one - if depends on where you’re working. If you’re in asset mgmt / finance etc best to leave it off; its all about CFA / CPA, and possibly the accounting CPA/ACCA etc also. If in recruitement or anything of that sort, I can see how it could be an added selling point. As someone above said, when you first graduated from Undergrad you didnt put BSc on your resume (well, I hope not!) so I’d use similar reasoning for leaving MBA off
Sorry, I just read through your latest post again. I see you have moved to Dubai and I have worked out there. in that case, use all the designations that you can muster lol! They go ga-ga for foreign credentials out there, I worked in banking and it was the norm. In London - complete opposite. CFA on business card, accounting designations on Resume/CV only (unless you worked in public audit for which iit’d help to display your designation), and never once saw MBA on a business card.
The rule is simple. If you’re proud of it; use it.
use both - i think the key point is the difficulty with which the degree is obtained - not everyone has an MBA - not everyone holds the CFA - fewer still hold both - i hold a CFA - and will use it proudly - cuz - as we all know - it’s a thunderbtch to get i do not hold an MBA - but if i did - i’d use that as well. why not ? you broke your a$$ to get your MBA and then won’t use it for fear you’ll look like a douche ? i say you’re a douche to bust your ass and then not use it ( internal email is the obvious exception - i’m talking about client facing or external audiences ) doesn’t make you a douchebag to advertise to people that you’re a serious person who’s motivated and committed to higher learning. and if you have both - f-ing right use both - that’s a hell of a combo - and you should be proud of it.
on a related note - we had an intern over the summer - we called him ’ young gun’ - anyway - he had just finished his undergrad and so he puts Bcomm on his email man oh man - did we rip him a new one - i’ve seen that a couple of times now - we surely all agree that makes you a douchebag. " young gun - it’s lunch time - think you can use that Bcomm to run down to the thai place and grab us some schezuan chicken ? ask them if they still have the BComm discount " man - poor kid - we wouldn’t let that one go after we all saw it lol
My one of my past managers put “Jane Doe, BSc, MBA, PMP” on her email signature and card. Who the F puts BSc?
I say exclude MBA - degrees are great but general. I personally use any industry cerfications or licenses that are relevant. If I was an engineer for example, I would use PEng (professional engineer) but not BEng (civil). I use CPA, CA, and CFA