Career Advice

Water Cooler Careers
#1

Hi,

I am a recent graduate 3 months ago from a State University, and registered for CFA level 1. My GPA is 3.40. I know it’s nearly zero chances to get into investment banking. so I haven been applying to all kinds of finance-related entry-jobs. However, I did not receive any responses from those employers. Someone told me to start low as a teller in a bank and climb the ladder. However, I found out that it is impossible to get promoted to corporate positions.

Now, I feel very stressful and not able to find a job that has potential growth or at least some financial experience.

Please advice me on what I should do.

#2

Your profile lists your location as the United States, but you don’t write like you’re from the U.S. So, I’m not sure if you are real.

#3

I am from the U.S. but English is not my first language.

#4

Don’t be a bank teller.

#5

Where did you intern between junior/senior year?

#6

I am trying to get another job. I have applied to so many different types of jobs such as auditor, staff accountant, financial analyst- entry level, trading assistant and etc. Unfortunately, I did not receive any response from those employers. That’s why I am extremely stressful now since the spring recruiting season is over.

#7

I don’t have any internship because I was majoring in something else. I changed my major to finance during the last quarter of my junior year.

#8

Start an excel sheet. Apply to every job in your qualifying country. 100 applications is usually an interview. You should be able to get 10 interviews. Track this on the sheet. If you’re not doing anything you should be able to apply to 10-50 jobs per day. Use indeed.com.

#9

Also, network network network. Reach out to alumni from your school who are in finance.

#10

never retail banking…

get a job at a bank or money manager whether that is operations or accounting. You have to learn to model through BIWS or IBI or take classes through local CFA chapter or schools. Network and aim for smaller firms and be sure to have your models ready - both to be sent and discussed. Remember opportunities only knock on those who are well prepared - if you are not prepared you will never know the opportunity of a lifetime passed right by you.

#11

From a best practice stand point regarding valuation, you can read this for free. Fundamentally. I think this guy is borderline maniacal (in the best possible way).

http://people.stern.nyu.edu/adamodar/pdfiles/country/Brvaln01.pdf

One of my favorite ppts he’s made, although this represent like a percent of what this guy has covered and made available for everyone.

#12

always call people “boy” when interviewing

#13

Thank you for your advises. I am trying to network with alumni through linkedin now.

#14

boy, you right

#15

I sympathized because finding the first job to kick-start your career is tough because jobs (even entry level) often demand experience (but how do you get experience without getting a job?!?!).

The best thing you could have done is to do some internships (even if it delayed your graduation by a year or two), but by the sounds of things, you didn’t go down that route. So, the best thing to for you right now is…

  1. Find some type of work (any type of work) even if it’s not finance related. You don’t want the interviewer to think that you have just been sitting at home after you graduated just because you couldn’t find a finance related job.

  2. While you work, also work on your English skills. English isn’t my first language either, so I understand it’s tough but it can be a major hurdle when you are looking for a job. You can also make other efforts to improve yourself as others have suggested (ie. modelling classes or your current pursuit of the CFA charter qualifies as well).

  3. Network and network some more. Most jobs don’t even get posted and people get hired through non-conventional often (ie. a friend or past co-worker).

It is a tough transition going from school to career, so best of luck.