Hello friends,
I’m currently in my late 40s, doing CFA (L2 exam pending on May’24). I have a career gap of 12 years (for first 3 years I took a break due to some personal reasons, and then I couldn’t land a job as I was unable to shift away from my city as I had to look after my parents, both of whom were seriously ill at that time, and then Covid period started). In the meantime, during this huge break, I continuously upgraded myself by doing multiple courses in finance before finally joining the CFA and passed Level 1 in the last May. Now I seriously want to join the workforce after completing my L2 exam.
Now, my issue is how can I bridge this gap in my career? Any advice regarding this, and how to constructively handle it, will be of big help to me. I really want to join the work force as a Finance professional. Earlier, I had worked for 10 years, in the IT field as a Corporate Trainer, which I think will be of no help to me in my current venture. What exactly should I do? Please help, anyone.
You are such a kind and motivated person. I don’t have specific advice because I’m not familiar with your region but I’m sure you’ll find a boss who appreciates you. The financial industry is not in a good environment right now, so it doesn’t matter if you get a lot of rejections. Manage your expectations and keep applying and you’ll find a satisfying job. Wish you luck.
I think you need to be prepared to disclose those “personal reasons” that compelled you to take a break from work. As a former CFO, I would want to know about those so I’d have a better understanding of the person whom I was interviewing for a job. If the person refused to disclose them, that individual would not get a job offer from me. I hasten add that you have the right not to disclose them. . .but I have the right not to hire you.
Thank you, sir. I’m a bit late in answering, as I was busy with my CFA Level 2 exam.
Yes, I do admit that I shall be required to disclose the reasons for taking a break from work. And I’m absolutely open to it, as there’s nothing that can’t be disclosed if asked for.
But the problem is that I’m not getting any response for my job applications (may be due to this break period, I think), what should I do in this regard? Should I try to personally approach the company personnels regarding this? O should I mention it in my cover letter? Please help.
Passing CFA Level 1 and preparing for Level 2 is a significant achievement. Highlight this prominently on your resume and LinkedIn profile, showing your commitment to the finance industry.
I passed level 1 in my early thirties and then my wife had children. I waited 8 years to restart and then passed level 2 and 3. In ten years since, I moved from Corporate Treasury Analyst to Treasurer of a 20B depository. The CFA was a huge catalyst in the process, more the learning than the letters, but the letters open doors,
At your age, you really need to know the end game. You’ve been around, seen the industries and roles. What is the role you want when you are 55-60. What is the path to get there. People will take a chance on a talented newcomer at your age as you have a good 15-20 years left. But you have to be massively confident and convincing in the interview. You need to convince them you really know what you want to do, and this job in front of you is the way there. Good luck.