What job skills are necessary to finally land a job at an investment firm. I work in a small financial institution, but have started to look at investment firms in the Chicago area for my next step. I have passed level 2 CFA exam, but am still not landing interviews. What skills am I lacking that I need to have on my resume to get the job.
What is on your resume currently?
Here’s my two cents: Take it for what it’s worth.
Honestly, I think thinking the CFA charter was a golden ticket to a job on the buy side was the biggest misconception I had. I don’t blame the CFAI for it, but I took my cues from a few misinformed friends and colleagues. I did like the knowledge I received, so I’m happy about that. My broader point: don’t think the charter will automatically lead to a job.
Alas, all is not lost for you. Positives: You live in Chicago. What we do know is the CFA designation is perhaps the most advantageous on the buy side. Luckily, Chicago has a lot of buy-side firms. My take, find out the biggest firms in Chicago and look over their job listings. Additionally, I heard Morningstar values the charter highly, so you should check out jobs there. Look over the listings and you should get a feel for what they are looking for.
Finally, not sure if you’re a CFA member, but perhaps the most-underrated feature of the program are the networking opportunities. Local societies have happy hours and events. Those are good times to press the flesh per se.
You are lucky! Increasingly, it’s looking like the CFA charter is of little help in DC. The government doesn’t appear to care about the designation and all the “finance” positions are really “accounting” positions. Funny thing is it appears the government would rather take a Masters (in anything) from no-tier universities like University of Phoenix over the CFA charter if one looks over job descriptions. Go figure, huh? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I would argue my resume is weak to be quite honest. The issue I am having is all of the “entry” level positions listed. These “entry” level positions then go on to say, “we require 1 to 2 years of applicable work experience”. My resume essentially states that I have passed the level 2 exam, obviously. And that I am a motivated, ambitious young investor who is looking to break into the field.
I wasn’t the star of my college class. I attended a state university. I did double major in Economics and Finance. GPA: 3.23
Additionally, I also took full time courses at another state university while working full time in a bank. I took 4 accounting courses to beef up on some areas of weakness, both for job purposes and CFA purposes. GPA while working: 3.5
Over the last 12 months, I have studied and passed Level 1 and 2 of the CFA program.
My job description is that of a credit analyst. So, I do possess an role that give me exposure to financial analysis. I have talked to several “recruiters” and of course the easy track is to find another credit analyst position at another bank. This isn’t meeting my long term objective of getting into investment research.
What I have noticed during my employment search is the need for computer programming. Therefore, I have been learning SQL and VBA on my own in my personal time. Slow and steady in begins to make sense. I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting in on my resume though. Might be misleading as to my true skill level. And it seems like not a true strength if I say Basic SQL capabilities.
I have an extreme interest to learn, and am willing to do anything on my own if necessary. I am just struggling to get my foot in the door. The old adage comes to mind: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. While that is all well and fine, clearly I don’t know the right people.
Let me know what you think. What skills are required to really get in the door. I am not a graduate from a top tier business school. Getting an MBA at this stage seems superfluous. However, if that is what it takes to get a job like this, maybe I should reconsider and sit for the GMAT or GRE.
On a side note, I do have 4 interviews lined up over the next week. They just aren’t the jobs I am looking for yet. I am just trying to get in front of people and let them know how excited I am to be a part of this industry and what I bring to the table (albeit, not much at the moment). I have an interview coming up with Merrill Edge. I believe this might be my best shot at getting into the investment side of things. Hopefully, that will all go well. They sponsor the Series 7 exam. I aspire to take at least Series 7 and 87. I have seen several companies request Series 63 too.
Sorry if this post jumps around a little bit. I am trying to make sure you have all of the relevant information. It’s a forum, so no points taken off for grammatical errors. Right?..