Army Veteran seeking advice to break in asset management
Greetings my dearest monkeys,
This monkey needs some advice. I am currently interested on seeking a career on the Asset Management field. The reason for this is that since a very young age I have been fascinated by the markets and the way the assets behave based on the ever changing factors of the world economy. Based on this, I decided to study finance and try to make my way into this industry. I am currently enrolled in the CFA program. I will be taking the test again on June. I took the test on December and ended up in score band 10. I have been applying to many positions posted on the internet on many banks. To be honest the search have not been successful. I haven't been able to even get a phone interview. I know this a very competitive field and also I don't think I am entitled to a position based on the fact of my veteran status. I would like to know if there are any veterans that have had any success getting an interview or if anyone could give me some light into the types of candidates that are been looked for at the moment. Please feel free to reply if there is any other information that you need to make an assessment about my case.
Thank you for your service.
It's great that you're studying for the CFA, that will certainly show initiative as you're interviewing and having level I passed will be a nice addition to your resume. Have you looked into any of the veteran programs at some of the BBs such as GS's VIP (http://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/experienced-professionals/veterans-…). These would be a great option for you if you qualify (not sure when you left the Army). Additionally, if you haven't been doing this already I would recommend that you use linkedin/google to find a few people who work in the firm/division of the roles you're applying to online. The job portals are like a blackbox and the odds of getting an offer after blindly applying without following up are very low. Reaching out right after applying will show initiative and already set you apart from the other 90% of the applicants who just hit "apply" and hope for the best.
Thank you very much for the support, it is greatly appreciated. I left the army around 2 years ago. I did applied for the GS's VIP program, unfortunately I didn't got chosen to participate. I would definitely take your advise on the use of linked/google strategy. It seems like the appropriate course of action. Thank you very much for the advise.
Have you considered getting an MBA? That could also be a good strategy for you since it will get you back on an organized recruiting cycle. Downside is that you wouldn't be able to matriculate until Fall 2018 at this point, but something to keep in mind.
Do you have any other experience? Once you start having some relevant it helps to open doors.
I do have some experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Until recently I worked as a credit analyst. I got exposed to a lot of financial statement analysis and reporting. I tried to put it as attractive as possible on my resume without lying.
There you go! Keep sending them out. It is a numbers game, similar to machine gun fire.
Every vet I've met in finance has always killed it (no pun intended). Good luck, brotha!
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