Hi guys, Need a little advice, if you please. I’ve got a job interview and would like to know whether the company can find out my exam record with CFAI. What if the company asks ‘did you pass each CFA level first time around’…could I get away with a little white lie of saying I passed all three levels first time around? We all know that CFAI ethical standards prohibit candidates/charterholders from implying first time passes are superior, etc… Cheers for your feedback, K
Geez, you would win way more points saying “well, uh, I failed level II the first time I took it” for being honest than you would gain by saying that you passed them all the first time around. If you pass all the exams eventually, that means you’re smart and can finish difficult tasks. If you pass them in 5 years instead of 2 1/2 then you also persevere. If you can admit that, it means you’re honest. You are way off in thinking you will gain anything by lying about it. BTW - One of the smartest people I know and someone I deeply respect failed level III the first time. I hired him once, and I would hire him or someone like him, a million times over.
I doubt that they will take the trouble to check this. The question is, why would you lie about something like this?
I’ve been through dozens of interviews before, and while my CFA program has nearly always been brought up, no one has ever asked if I passed each level on the 1st try. And it’s already been established, CFAI won’t confirm anything to anyone about your current status as a candidate (including an employer). its hard to believe, but oddly enough it is true. The only thing they confirm is are you a charterholder or not.
Only way it might come up is if the interviewer has gone throughout them and is curious. I think both accomplishments are equally respectable, if not a little more to someone who failed 2 or 3 and went on to complete. That shows a lot of determination (I’m a 2/2 so far guy, and not sure how I’d come back if I missed the cut on 2).
Bit certainly don’t lie about it.
I wouldn’t lie about such a minor thing. We all know that passing first time round doesn’t mean anything* * except in my case, as it clearly proves I’m a genius and a great lover. Other men want to be half the man I am.
i think most employers just care about how many levels you’ve passed
Kakane Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi guys, > > Need a little advice, if you please. > I’ve got a job interview and would like to know > whether the company can find out my exam record > with CFAI. > > What if the company asks ‘did you pass each CFA > level first time around’…could I get away with a > little white lie of saying I passed all three > levels first time around? > We all know that CFAI ethical standards prohibit > candidates/charterholders from implying first time > passes are superior, etc… > > Cheers for your feedback, > > K As the experts have indicated earlier, the CFAI will not go back and check your results. So my advise to you is to lie and add something like " Sure did, but I did not feel that it would be appropriate to specify that on my resume". If the interviewer asks you such a stupid question, he/she is obviously looking for one answer " Yes I did". All the feel good stories about how someone failed each level twice but showed determination, are just that ( feel good stories), I wouldn’t want to work with that guy in a million year, good luck to him away from me.
newsuper Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wouldn’t lie about such a minor thing. We all > know that passing first time round doesn’t mean > anything* > > > > > > > > > > > > * except in my case, as it clearly proves I’m a > genius and a great lover. Other men want to be > half the man I am. lol But seriously, thanks for the insights you all provided. I’ll go with my gut on this one and if the question does indeed arise, I shall shoot from the hip and be honest. K
mo34 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If the interviewer asks you such a stupid > question, he/she is obviously looking for one > answer " Yes I did". False. I failed level 2 rallied and recently finished L3. and would certainly have more respect for someone who owned up to a bump in the road and persevered.
Brent Favre Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > False. I failed level 2 rallied and recently > finished L3. and would certainly have more respect > for someone who owned up to a bump in the road and > persevered. thats just nonsensical. so what, I gotta fail deliberately the first time to earn your respect now? i mean sure, failing once or even twice doesnt mean you are any worse than someone who passes the first time but dude you’re taking it to another level
I have great respect for hedge fund managers who blow up their funds but keep going. Such perseverance! Or that person who rams their car into adjacent vehicles in the parking lot before successfully pulling into the space. Sure, they *could* have gotten it right the first time, but overcoming the adversity of poor parking skills sure build a lot of character.
I disagree with the spirit of this thread. If you fail one or more levels but eventually pass, that’s great. But it’s still not as good as someone who passed 3/3. Anyway, don’t lie about it, that sort of thing can always come back and haunt you later.
ohai Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Or that person who rams their car > into adjacent vehicles in the parking lot before > successfully pulling into the space. Sure, they > *could* have gotten it right the first time, but > overcoming the adversity of poor parking skills > sure build a lot of character. lol
I think it’s stupid not to be honest about this thing. Reward/Risk << Hurdle rate. And, if you shoot your credibility, you have a LONG haul to getting it back, unless you’re applying for a job as a structured product salesperson or a used car salesperson, where no one really expects you to be telling the truth. How people handle adversity and setbacks is a pretty important thing for an interviewer to gauge. That doesn’t mean fail deliberately so that you can pass later, but it does mean that saying “I had to do it again because I wanted it badly enough” isn’t such a bad thing. Lots of bad hires come from people who sailed through life and get frazzled the first time something doesn’t quite work out for them. That’s why experience is so valued. By the time you have some, life has usually thrown you some curve balls, and yes, we all have missed some.
If you even consider lying about your status you’re a douchebag and would problably lie about something that is very important. you’re not to be trusted by any measure. your skills don’t pay the bills. might as well get your ponzi scheme started instead.
bchadwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think it’s stupid not to be honest about this > thing. Reward/Risk << Hurdle rate. What’s the risk in this case ? The CFAI will neither confirm nor deny his claim.
FrankArabia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you even consider lying about your status > you’re a douchebag and would problably lie about > something that is very important. you’re not to be > trusted by any measure. your skills don’t pay the > bills. > > might as well get your ponzi scheme started > instead. sure but on the other hand, if you even consider asking the meaningless question “did you pass on the first try”, you are douchebag and probably deserved to be lied to. you are not to be taken seriously by any measure. if you want to test the candidate’s perseverance and ability to handle setbacks, there are other ways to do that than asking stupid question like this
I would never hire somebody that didn’t pass all three exams on the first try, not even for a lowly doctor or janitor job.