Apr 30, 2019

How to pick coverage industry?

For some background, I am going into my 3rd year at university and would like to go into ER. In preparation for recruiting and networking I want to make my own initiation/coverage report. I was wondering what would be the best sector to cover given my situation. I am very interested in tech however since I am from Canada, most analysts/associates cover Metals & Mining or Oil & Gas. Does it matter what I cover for recruiting?

409 WSO Academy Equity Research Session Reviews: 4.83/5

Class of '25 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Equity Research Career Roadmap (optional)

“Chris was very easy to talk to and made the session feel relaxed and genuinely useful. He gave me clear, actionable tasks that I can go away and work on straight away to expand my network. I hope to reconvene with him at a later date to discuss the progress I have made and get his feedback on the work I have been doing.”

Springfield College

Class of '29 Sep 2026 Cohort

4.85/5

Equity Research Mock Coffee Chat

“Craig gave me a really clear picture of how sell-side equity research actually works. The biggest takeaway was that research is a service business built on trust, not on picking stocks, and that analysts are paid on rankings rather than on whether a call is right. He was honest that even a 60% hit rate is excellent, and that it matters more to understand where you went wrong than where you were right. I also liked his point about not being “unintelligently wrong”: own the mistake and explain it well. On the practical side, he told me to start now by running a blog, posting on Seeking Alpha, using Koyfin as a cheap Bloomberg alternative, and using AI to draft commentary so I have more time to think deeply and explore other sectors. He also explained that research recruiting is much more targeted than IB, since sector teams are fairly autonomous, so I should reach out to senior analysts in specific sectors and recommend based on fit. His own path from no finance background, through China, to Wharton was encouraging. My one suggestion would be a quick walkthrough of what a strong first report looks like beyond the core pieces (recommendation, risks, summary, price target).”

See All 11,551 WSO Academy Reviews

4 Comments

WSO Monkey Bot

Watches and Stocks, hey, look at the bright side, at least you didn't get a ton of monkey shit thrown at you...here is my best guess on threads that might be helpful:

Which sector coverage would you choose and why? S&P500). Is this the right approach to decide which sector to cover or not? In general, what are things you ... have to watch out for when it comes to choosing a certain area/sector besides being passionate about ... Hi guys, For those of you that do ER: What would be your favorite sector coverage and why? Since ...
Choosing a Minor To Go With a Finance Major probably more interesting to talk to. Decided to Pursue a Wall Street Career? Learn How to Network like ... you'd probably learn a language or two, and, if not, you'd be able to pick one up very easily ... reading a few basic trading books. I am a finance major at a non target and I have time to pursue a minor. ...
Why Did You Choose to Pursue Finance? Check out our guide to answering this question here. Decided to Pursue a Wall Street Career? Learn How ... Or did you go into the industry to pay off college debt quickly, get a fat pay check, live in NYC ... you choose the finance major, or did you actually want to study it because you enjoy it. (or are you ...
Choosing between McKinsey, Bain, and BCG? up to date information. Click the link below to get started. Consulting Industry Report Bain McKinsey ... In deciding between MBB, would you guys offer any insights about differences between the three ... firms or things to think about while making a decision? All three offers are from the same city. ...
MFIN vs. MBA in Europe? How to decide? me some advice on which master/ school to pick in order to get a foot in the door in the IB industry ... almost 2 years now.In order to get a foot in the door in the IB industry I want to pursue a master. I got ... Esade, which really got me thinking which master to choose. I would be really grateful if you could give ...
Need help choosing an offer!!!!!!!! one company against another and then also how would you rank each position? Ideally, I would like to ... suggest any good questions besides the obvious ones to ask each company to make the selection process any ... Hi Guys, I have 3 offers for the summer and could use all the help I can get with deciding on one. ...
The Case for Choosing a Non-Target scholarship. I had to choose between a top target and a free state school, a decision that I am sure has faced ... programs at a non-target. With less kids wanting to go into the industry, leadership positions in finance ... willing to put in the work, strategically choosing to attend a non-target school could be the best ...
How to choose what asset type to work with in investment sales? I could not find a specific thread on this topic, so curious to hear yalls input. I'm very ... towards retail since I kind of already have a few connections in that area, but don't want to rule ... out anything yet (especially since I do not even have a job lined up). Thanks in advance. to Saturday, ...
More suggestions...

Fingers crossed that one of those helps you.

Quote

Report

Other

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

SomePleb

Not necessarily, but if you're not interested in the only sectors that have openings, that could prove detrimental. I think the important part is to show your passion for research and investing as well as your ability to research / what can benefit can you provide to your analyst. PM if you want more details, maybe I can steer you better.

Quote

Report

Other

Authored by: Certified Equity Research Professional - 2nd Year AssociateCertified Equity Research Pro

casualgamer

In my opinion, go for a sector you truly enjoy. If you end up in Energy just because there's an opening, it's going to be tough for you in the long-run to be a true value-add

Quote

Report

Other

Authored by: Certified Hedge Fund Professional - 2nd Year AnalystCertified Hedge Fund Pro

wcER

Consequuntur vitae dolore maxime voluptatum non assumenda sint. Et ex dolorem qui et nemo corporis expedita unde. Illo delectus adipisci accusantium fuga optio. Magnam dolore illo eveniet.

Sunt quod eos laboriosam et ducimus officia dolor. Quia qui in sunt non soluta fuga. Consequuntur quia fuga et vero et tempora. Laboriosam ea illo odit. Eius amet dolorem dolor illum et commodi.

Quidem optio et quos cupiditate atque commodi autem ut. Explicabo odio temporibus omnis deleniti et. Voluptatum maxime in ad ducimus ex qui. Qui ex maxime voluptates dolor quia ipsa aspernatur. Quis quia fugiat quod optio voluptas dolorem.

Officiis et velit velit reiciendis perferendis vero modi rerum. Omnis dolorem quasi enim harum incidunt. Alias cumque aut ut quas esse ad nisi occaecati. Quo aut facilis quae qui inventore modi.

Quote

Report

Other

+13	Is Equity Research Dying - Where Are the Future Opportunites?	4	1d
+10	Associates who stuck around for > 5 years working for the same analyst. Why?	4	6d
+9	UBS ER SA27 Superday	7	3w
+9	Detailed Revenue and Cost Builds	3	1w
+7	Analyst with no coverage or ranking	5	1w
+7	Uiuc or Ross or UChicago	8	2w
+1	IB SA -> ER FT	4	2w
0	Equity Research Rankings	1	1w

1	redever	99.2
2	kanon	99.0
3	BankonBanking	99.0
4	Secyh62	99.0
5	GameTheory	98.9
6	Betsy Massar	98.9
7	CompBanker	98.9
8	dosk17	98.9
9	DrApeman	98.9
10	Mimbs	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

How to pick coverage industry?

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

How to pick coverage industry?

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Equity Research Forum