Hi all:
I am 31 years old and am a new CFA Charterholder . I have been in financial planning industry for 5 years and would like to move to an analyst role. Any suggestion?
Cheers
To be honest, that’s a difficult transition to make.
Just do it. No need to ask us for advice. Beef up the resume, brush up some modeling skills, and go forth an apply.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
^ +1
Look for a common ground between what you are good at doing now and what you would like to do in the new role. Your beefed up resume should reflect this, as a Charterholder it won’t be difficult to find a link and exploit your strength. Don’t consider (neither reflect) it as a change or transition but take (and project) it as a timely adjustment for career growth and adaptation to exploit your current knowledge, skill and previous expertise more profoundly and earnestly than you have been able to do till now. If you think you want to do it just ignore any pessimist or unhelpful thoughts and responses from any corner. Finally, don’t give up if the initial response is not upto your liking (if it was so easy everyone will do it, so try harder) . When you succeed do post it.
Network, network, and then network some more.
I got my first job in finance as a buy-side analyst in my early 30s. Difficult but possible.
how did you network
Thanks guys for putting a lot of positive comment here. I am really appreciated an I will not give up.
Where did you learn the advanced modeling skill? Through work or other education institutions?
Bump for this. I’ve got the formal application part down (posting/cover letter/resume) but I have no idea how to go about networking. I have a hard enough time opening up with friends, meeting a complete stranger with the sole purpose of getting him to get me a job is a whole other game.
im pretty bad at small talk but its such an important part of networking…ugh
I recommend talking a public speaking class if your shy or have trouble starting a conversation. Maybe even an improv class could work to. It’s definately not about being booksmart in most cases. The guy that the interviewer likes is the one that get’s the job. Not the one who looks good on paper.
I’m probably one of the shyest, most introverted guys out there. It’s painful for me to make small talk. However, I was highly motivated since I was so sick of working at the retail level of my bank.
I got in front of some high level folks in asset management by way of introduction. The broker I was working closely with at the time got me an information interview with the regional trust manager. She in turn got me in front of the regional head of the portfolio managers. When a position opened up with our liquidity group, the broker encouraged me to apply. He knew the hiring manager and called her on behalf. Without being instigated, the two people from my information interviews and a couple of high level bankers I had previously worked with also called the hiring manager.
Another thing I want to mention is that I was one of the top performing retail bankers in my region. I’m not adding this extra commentary to toot my own horn but to emphasize how important it is to stand out at whatever position you’re in. This is probably even more important for those trying to switch careers into finance. Knowing that someone is a dedicated/hard worker goes a long way.