I am thinking maybe I am not from the top university that’s why its harder for me to get a cfa related job.
Also do you guys suggest any programming skills we Must know in order to get the job? (VBA, SQL etc…).
Any other suggestions for candidates like me to land in a finance job ? (ex. Go for master, FRM etc…)
Dream dream dream when I think about you all I ever do is dream
What are some jobs that you have applied to?
Hi Ohai,
I applied all entry level finance jobs like analyst, investment associate etc…
My personal guess is the whole finance sector has been shrinking since 2008 (eg. many financial products are no longer allowed or strictly regulated by the Government which means they dont need many analysts for those positions.) However, emerging market like China, I think there is lots of opportunity there because their financial market is not mature, especially Bond market. Nevertheless, I really want to gain some experience in the North America.
More importantly, I believe I dont have much networking and computer skills (like VBA, SQL). Do you think I should join those CFA Society and take some programming courses which will really increase the chance for me to get a cfa related job?
Thanks
Yes, any skills like those will help incrementally, but like anything, they will not make a difference by themselves.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but the first thing you need to do is improve your English writing. I can tell immediately that English is not your first language. This is an auto reject for 90% of jobs. Fact: in finance, polished presentation matters.
Second, think critically about improving all aspects of yourself in the eyes of employers - from your skills and education, language skills, physical fitness, to the way you look and dress. “This guy is great in every way - why doesn’t he have a great job”, is what needs to come across to employers.
You can tell from this forum alone that many people are having trouble finding entry level jobs. Most of these people will not get the jobs they want, because frankly, they are not good enough and do not deserve those jobs. Become better in all ways - that is my advice.
My friend went through a recruiter and they got him a few interviews in back office roles at the big banks. Landed a 6 month contract in Capital Markets which turned into a full time gig.
He did do a few internships before this though, paid off in the long run.
Many thanks for your advice! That is true. I think the first priority should be my English skill.
Agree. Regret I didnt take intership when I was in school.
This.
Agree with this. I get flamed hard for saying this but it’s apparently cool if ohai says it. so I’ll just agree here
^ lol.
OP: Toronto is a tough market and you didn’t indicate what type of roles you are interested in / apply to. Are you currently working in Finance or a related field?
Reputation… lifetime to build…
Thanks for everyone advise.
It’s so depressing coming to this forum and read the careers section lol.
*advice better here than on a client report if you land that job
This. Having worked in Canada, I can promise that Canadians want people who they feel absolute comfort in communicating with, and no risk of misunderstandings.
And culturally compatible too. Need to understand the social norms of an office. Wow, you’d be surprised, that’s all I’ll say on that!
I really need an English tutor lol
If you speak another language (i.e. Mandarin, French) this could help you in your job search - but would be more relevant in the bigger cities (Toronto, Vancouver, MTL) for certain client facing roles I would think.
^
Canadians would rather not confront you even if they are uncomfortable. They’d just rather not have to deal with it at all if avoidable.