All else being equal, 750+ gmat score + "CFA 1" vs "CFA 2" alone

lxwarr30 · May 13, 2014, 6:01pm

He’s not trolling. He’s being honest. You are the troll RR.

system · May 13, 2014, 6:05pm

@Lxwarr30:

I know Greenman is being honest.

lxwarr30 · May 13, 2014, 6:09pm

And that’s why you’re the troll.

knakoo · May 13, 2014, 6:24pm

Someone can be trolling and being honest

Guy: “I just found the coolest ninja pencil in existence.” Other Guy: “I just found the most retarded thread in existence.”

Greenman72 · May 13, 2014, 6:30pm

It’s true. I scored a 900 on my GMAT.

lxwarr30 · May 13, 2014, 6:34pm

Hypothetically. You are not a troll Greenie.

comp_sci_kid · May 13, 2014, 6:40pm

Greenman is a Troll lvl 34. Rahul Roy is probably lvl 55

lxwarr30 · May 13, 2014, 6:44pm

Thing is I don’t think Greenman does it to elicite a reaction. I actually think RR might just be a smurf of another user. Especially with his bipolar swings from watercooler threads to cfa forum ones.

system · May 13, 2014, 6:55pm

You can think what ever you want to.

I am what i am.

former_trader · May 13, 2014, 10:36pm

To troll or not to troll: that is the question.

former_trader · May 13, 2014, 10:38pm

No matter how good your credentials are, i will always question the judgment of a Cowboys fan.

igor555 · May 14, 2014, 2:02am

rahul i told u to check urself b4 u wreck urself

cfakid · May 14, 2014, 1:20pm

My .02, anyone who uses their GMAT score for any purpose outside of getting into B-school is trying way too hard to overcompensate for something.

Cth1983 · May 14, 2014, 1:41pm

Greenman72:

knakoo:

How would an employer know if i was a hard worker during my undergrad studies? You are not suppose to put your GPA on your resume are you?

I was thinking that a “CFA lvl 2” would show that i am now hard working and motivated, but maybe not that smart. Also it shows that i have some knowledge in finance, so they don’t have to teach me everything.

But being “smart” is critical no?? What makes you good at a profession is mostly what you learn on the job.

I read that many employers in finance ask for gmat scores. I guess this is for this very reason.

When they ask to see your transcript, they’ll know what your GPA was and they’ll know whether you worked hard.

“CFA L2 Candidate” means that you’re able to pass the entrance exam. “Passed Level 2” means you’re either smart or hard working, and have a base knowledge.

Being smart is overrated. I’d rather have a hard-working person with average intellect any day of the week. Smart people tend to rely on their brains and don’t put enough “elbow grease” into their work.

I have never heard of an employer asking for a GMAT score.

I’ve come to this conclusion too. The first two hires I ever made were because they looked smart, but man were they lazy. I’ll hire the hard worker every day of the week now. Finance isn’t rocket science or brain surgery, I can teach anyone how to do it (from a transaction advisory/valuation perspective).

former_trader · May 14, 2014, 2:44pm

The smart vs hard working question usually comes up in interviews. Lazy people can be a drag on others.

yag · May 14, 2014, 3:04pm

ROTFL. Best post of the day, made the entire thread worth reading!

Oh, Hypothetically only? So sorry for you …

comp_sci_kid · May 14, 2014, 3:15pm

I will take smart over hardwroking any day.

yag · May 14, 2014, 3:22pm

Knakoo,

you got lots of valuable advice in this thread.

If you have 750+ on your GMAT, then:

As a 770-GMAT myself, I confirm: Don’t write it on your CV. You already have to make up a nice story on the poker thing, so you should skip the GMAT question altogether. Read again MK17’s first post.
As a recruiter, I confirm: If you’re smart in a useful way, it will show during the interview. If you’re a smart ass, it will also show in the interview.
As a connoisseur of the Jouy-en-josas area, I believe you have a chance in London, they know a bit what’s coming from there.

If you don’t have the 750+ GMAT and are only thinking of taking the test, then… you have a serious problem in your head.

In both cases, you should read again all the posts in this thread.

knakoo · May 14, 2014, 7:36pm

mk17:

You can’t wipe the slate clean with a GMAT score unfortunately. It can help but only marginally. I wouldn’t bother. You can argue that you are an intelligent person that didn’t work hard in undergrad but that in itself is a ding. Show them why you’ve changed into a hard working person who’s motivated. Another concern would be you playing poker for a living for 3 years. This is a ding. In North America, most employers will think this is the easy way out of the working life grind unless you are a top top player. Some smaller employers may like this about a candidate but not 3 years worth. Tell them why these skills are transferable to whatever field you want to move into. I would spend your time networking and producing samples of analytical work whether it be reports or whatever you want to move into. Don’t expect to find someone who will take you on and teach you everything you need to know - that’s not happening, they have to get something from you as well.

Starting july 2014, i am taking a gap year from my school. Until the beginning of 2015 i will have a lot of free time. My main goal during this period is to find an internship in London starting in january. I plan to take classes of preparation to the CPE (certificate of proficiency in english), from september to december, because my school require me to do something. But this is only 15 hours a week. This will be a good way to improve my english (especially my writing skills). I plan to study the CFA lvl 3 (hopefully) at the same time, so perfecting my expression skills seems like a good idea. As mk17 advised, I will spend time networking and of course actively looking for an internship. I don’t understand the part about “producing samples of analytical work” (i want to work as an asset manager). I also plan to spend a lot of time preparing myself for interviews, because as many of you said, i will have a lot of explaining to do. But despite all this, i still have a lot of free time left. So instead of using all of this free time socializing and going out, reading novels, watching movies, playing poker and overall enjoying myself; i was thinking of preparing the gmat to boost my resume. Is there really something wrong with my head?? Now sorry if it took some convincing that i could not use the only thing that i am really excellent at. Even mk17 said at first that it could be marginally helpful. Considering that i would enjoy spending hundreds of hours studying the gmat, because i think these questions are like games, and this was my one chance to be excellent at something “academic”, this is all a little frustrating…

Ghibli · May 14, 2014, 8:37pm

Three years of poker and now a gap year…I think you need somebody in high fin-nance to bring you along on take-your-son-to-work day. These people don’t stop. Thanks for the chuckle.