Hiring Fresh CFAs? 
(Senior Monkey, 98 
Points) on 3/8/10 at 1:04am
Guys i need to know if there are good firms which hire fresh CFAs.( meand candidates who have passed all the levels of the CFA programme but do not have relevant experience). I guess there must be sum firms who prefer CFA over a college degree and offer fresh positions to those who have passed the Level 3).
I am posting this in AM forum an i know that its hell tuff to het a job in this industry but hope there may be some who prefer fresh CFAs over frsh MBAs or Undergrads( bu fresh i mean with little or no experience). Also mention any ER firms (if any) also.
Please do tell if u know
Well if you spell like that
by ElijahPriceWell if you spell like that you won't get hired anywhere
thx Elijah for being the
by afzthx Elijah for being the mentor, now with all my rubbish spellings, i guess u got what i wanted to know, if u can contribute anything towards that then..........................................
I would look into getting a
by CashCowI would look into getting a bachelors degree, even if it's online. I'm not aware of any firms that would hire without it.
suppose u have a bacheolars
by afzsuppose u have a bacheolars and passed CFA then????????
jesus christ... we really
by excelsiorjesus christ... we really need to clamp down on these new posters
you can't be a cfa without
by gutsyou can't be a cfa without passing all three levels and having 4 years of relevant work exp.
guys i simple mean that u
by afzguys i simple mean that u have passed all levels of CFA ( dont take it as a CFA Chaterholder when i say fresh CFA) padon me and please give sum constructive input.
go to college.
by LeatherPantz1go to college.
Your point is not funny. I
by Canuck CapitalYour point is not funny.
I don't seem why people feel the need to slam and mock the CFA degree.
Are you bitter you haven't passed it afz?
The point is that no one even
by jhoratioThe point is that no one even cares about CFA. Not trying to slam it, just keeping it real. Should I lie and tell you that lots and lots of firms go out of their way to seek out CFAs? No one gives a crap about CFA. I've asked this before, but who are all the shysters making money off of the poor unsuspecting souls they get to take these exams? We need to expose these frauds.
absolute drivel
by adapt or dieabsolute drivel
agreed people who know
by LAWMagreed
people who know nothing.
In HFs, AM, and ER, the CFA
by CashCowIn HFs, AM, and ER, the CFA is a worthwhile designation.
PMs at top HFs have told me that it is a viable designation to get instead of the MBA (assuming you have strong undergrad and work experience).
Even Howard Marks has it.
guys, stop messing around
by Pringles and Cokeguys, stop messing around with the kid.
That being said, I think you should just search "CFA" under the search section and should find more posts useful to you. I think in this economy you have to just apply everywhere and hope one place calls you back.
Again congrats on your effort. I am trying to pass level 2 myself this june.
yea CFA is pretty worthless
by MarginCallingyea CFA is pretty worthless imo. never talked to anyone who cared about it
bro i have passed all levels
by afzbro i have passed all levels and its not me in this thread who is bitter abt CFA
well guys thanks, i dont wana
by afzwell guys thanks, i dont wana listen praises of CFA here just because i have done it, just honest opinion and a goood directed answer to my simple question : do any firm prefer to hire guys who have passed all levels of CFA for entry level positions
well guys thanks, i dont wana
by afzwell guys thanks, i dont wana listen praises of CFA here just because i have done it, just honest opinion and a goood directed answer to my simple question : do any firm prefer to hire guys who have passed all levels of CFA for entry level positions
jhoratio wrote: The point is
by LeatherPantz1The point is that no one even cares about CFA. Not trying to slam it, just keeping it real. Should I lie and tell you that lots and lots of firms go out of their way to seek out CFAs? No one gives a crap about CFA. I've asked this before, but who are all the shysters making money off of the poor unsuspecting souls they get to take these exams? We need to expose these frauds.
1. Without a college degree there's no hope at all. Plus I don't think you can take the tests without work experience (correct me if I'm wrong).
2. This doens't matter because no firm cares about a CFA if you haven't gone to college, but some parts of the fiannce world do infact require CFA. Research desks at banks and asset management (long only equities, mutual funds, etc...) do require CFAs. So do places like PIMCO but it's a moot point since no one would look at the resume of someone without a college degree.
You CAN take the tests
by KanonYou CAN take the tests without work experience, but you CAN'T take anything beyond CFA Level 1 without a college degree (if I recall correctly).
When people say they don't care about the CFA, you really gotta consider who's saying it. On this board it's going to be mostly IB and PE guys, so in that case, yeah, the CFA isn't worth much. But if you ask someone in research, asset management, something related to portfolio mngt. and etc. then yes the CFA has value.
No matter what though, OP, you're gonna find yourself sorely disappointed for the most part... passing all levels of CFA w/o some decent/relevant work exp. is not going to get you too far if you apply blindly and hope that one line about CFA on your resume will bring you to the interview pack. Best bet to using it to your advantage? Networking with your local CFA society, or checking out their job boards...
Kanon is right. I hope to God
by baylormaleKanon is right. I hope to God this is a joke, but after reviewing AFZ's previous posts I don't think it is. Here is his background:
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/help-and-advice-needed
The CFA is important on the buyside, and helps if you are managing money. NO ONE WILL GIVE YOU MONEY TO MANAGE IF YOU CANNOT COMMUNICATE. You sound truly stupid, you will never go anywhere unless you learn to communicate. As it is, you have just wasted the last three years studying and will never get a job outside Pakistan.
afz, I would first work on
by Kanonafz, I would first work on improving your english and general communication skills (both written and verbal). I'm not trying to be mean, but really to be frank. Even if you get interviews, you're going to lose out to someone more polished if you're awkward.
Next, assuming you're still in tax auditing at a member firm of PWC or something, I would try to get into their corporate finance or transactions group, and get more relevant work experience that way.
If that's not an option, use your new polished communication skills to go out and network. As I said before, CFA has global/regional societies of alumni. Cold call or go to their events, wow them on your dedication to go into the AM or banking or whatever finance industry you're trying to get into, and try and get interviews that way.
I think a lot of people see profiles of PE/HF/AM/(very very rare instances of IB) guys with CFAs and think 'oh, that's the ticket', but really, they are bankers/research analysts/prior-consultants who have gained relevant PRACTICAL experience, and are just topping off their already impressive stats with a CFA because it helps round out their experience.
CFA might help newbie applicants demonstrate their interest in finance, and initiative when the rest of their resume doesn't, but it's not a game changer.
So you are not a native
by CanYouHearMeNowSo you are not a native English speaker..thats cool, neither am I.. but since you passed all three levels of the CFA I'm assuming you are smart enough to understand what I'm about to tell you:
Learn to polish your written work. Awkwarded grammar is understandable, but the mind-boggling amount of spelling mistakes in your posts make you look extremely careless and even ignorant. It doesn't take much effort, just review your writing word-by-word before hitting the "post" button.
Now back to your question
I will just reiterate what the other people have said: go to college, even if its a crappy one
u r right about my spellings.
by afzu r right about my spellings. i do take care abt my scripts, but i thought here in this forum I dont need to care much abt that. moreover, my spellings mistake are mostly attributed to my "crowded" keyboard.
Thx , i have a college degree too guys and moreover i am a Chartered Accountant from my country and it is considered equal to a masters here and if i pay some bucks, i can het the master's equivalent degree.
afz wrote: u r right about my
by bertcamelu r right about my spellings. i do take care abt my scripts, but i thought here in this forum I dont need to care much abt that. moreover, my spellings mistake are mostly attributed to my "crowded" keyboard.
Thx , i have a college degree too guys and moreover i am a Chartered Accountant from my country and it is considered equal to a masters here and if i pay some bucks, i can het the master's equivalent degree.
So you got the right certifications and the right degrees, I can't see why you won't get interviews. Good luck with that.
Also, " u r", "abt", "thx" isn't the best way to elicit career advice. Would you go to a corporate presentation without wearing a suit? Point is, if you aren't even writing out the full word or spell-checking, it leaves the impression that you don't really care, and most people won't take you seriously.
..to answer your question?
by Gimme Dat..to answer your question? no.
CfA is only valuable outside
by non-targetCfA is only valuable outside of the US and Europe (west). It is simply accepted as the standard for countries whose finance industries are up and coming (i.e. middle east, india, china, africa) Notice I did not say hong kong or singapore. It is good for any entry level analyst positions or anything related to investments(i.e. HF's and anything to do with portfolio management. Not PE or IB) and can also be a good tool in corporate finance positions, period. Real experience goes a lot further than the CFA any where in the world financial arena, thus why it is very had to obtain a decent finance job by simply passing the tests rather being a charter holder. TO be a charterholder you need 4 yrs relevant industry experince and a bachelors degree. I know in the middle east especially at ADIA and other abu dhabi firms and qatari firms they exclusively look at cfa's rather than any other criteria, but these people will most likely have cfa's plus experience and they will be charterholders rather than just having passed the test. You really need to expand your networking and convince someone to take you in and do shit work for 4 yrs and become chartered. after 4 yrs make the sheep experience look like an elephant (as long as its an animal) to get into something truly worth while.