Need some career advice please

             How is everyone doing, well I graduated college with a finance degree, the only challenge I have that I dont have much expereince in the field, I have had 1 job during my college years as a superviser in Best Buy, and since senior year till now ( I graduated a little less then a year ago) I have been a sales coach for a Dish Network.   My goal is  of course now to get into my field, preferably investment banking - Id love to be an analyst or research. 

               Any advice from you guys who have been out there of how I should get my food in the door, Im aware that I have to start at the bottom, with less pay, and climb my way up, and im fine with that because Im an extremely hard worker and ambitious, so basically I just need advice on how to get in the door, and what would be a good position to apply for as an entree level employee?

Thanks for all your advice!

10 Comments
 

Wow i get to be the first person to comment.  All i have to say is dont take what the people below me too seriously.  At the same time i have nothing else to offer you at this time because your so far off course we dont even know which direction to start.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 

well the first thing I wonder is what have you done so far to get your foot in the door? did you reach out to any alumni? do you have friends in the field from your school or other schools? what about family? I mean its hard to say you should apply online and just that, have you tried to get some training for ib after you finished school to either make yourself a better candidate or network with people in the field? 

I would definetly aim to move to a financial services type of job, whether it's accounting, corporate fine at f500 or anything along those lines. Some school's offer alumni job postings, that may be a good start for you if nothing else comes to mind.  

 

trade4size is right, some people will bash the hell out of you. ignore them, but realize you are in a very difficult position. try and talk to friends or family that are in the finance industry and see if they can help.

 
Best Response

Keep in mind that this post is from a college student (don't actually have a job).

So, you're a bit off track. There are a few tracks you can take.

1) Build up to it: Basically, build up your resume.  With your finance degree you can probably find some decent finance related jobs. Work at these for a few years, always with an eye towards advancement (into better/higher ranking positions). Also consider getting some training (in modelling, valuation and such) and possibly a few listable credential type training things (CFA) in the meantime. Build a compelling sotry about why you didn't go into finance at first (shouldn't be too hard, you needed to find yourself or w/e) and network like crazy (this is why your job should be as finance-ish as possible so you'll come in contact with the right people).

2) The quick, hard path.  Get your CFA and such while trying like hell to network your way into a spot. This is basically 1 without the finance work.

3) Basically, start all over by returning to school and getting an advanced degree (preferrably in somethign finance-ish).

4) You probably don't need me to tell you this, but make sure you really want it before you change your life to try to get into ib. If you don't want it, you're screwed already.

 

Crxi777,

Given that you are already out of school, and that the job market is as tough as it is right now, the best thing you can do is look for an opportunity at a boutique.  Those businesses don't tend to be as cyclical as the larger fin. institutions.  You're going to have to really sell yourself and your story, but hey, that's the key to success in any career.

On a personal note, I too use to be a sales associate at Best Buy and am now a banker at a "top 10" wall st. firm.  Don't ever let anyone give you shit about the school you went to , past employment, etc.  It's where you're going, not where you're from that matters.

Best of luck and shoot me a private message if you have any more questions (might take me a few days to respond).

 

Open the door, stick the food in. Close.

J/k.  Use your network to the max. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want- be honest but genuine about your interests. Sure, you're a little late, but you have to start somewhere right?

 

Thanks for the positive feedbacks guys! Now I know I’m a little late, but I still feel confident due to the fact that I know where I’m going, and my story is simple, the reason I worked at Best Buy as a supervisor first was due to the fact that it paid for my college and I had medical benefits, so I was able to work full time and go to school full time. Had no time for internship because I had to pay the bills, but I understand that it’s important, but I had no choice at the time.

And I graduated only less than a year ago, and I got a degree, and I am looking to get in the industry even if it’s in a small boutique, that’s not a problem, I’m a humble but confident guy and Ill work my way up.

Any suggestion for what position / department I should apply which will be the most beneficial to me to get experience and buff up the resume?

Oh and anyone here from New Jersey/ NYC area, I’d love to share some ideas!

Thank you guys!

 

Thats a pretty admirable story in todays society when you see so many people having their schools paid for them souly from there parents.  Has a touch of the Persuit of Happyness movie to it, now you have a starting point for a reason why you should be given a chance.

What type school did you go to and how were grades.

What contacts within in the industry do you have?

What do you know about this industry?  (im assuming you didnt major in finance)

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 

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