http://www.razume.com/documents/28608
This is a very rough draft so tear it apart if you'd like.
My goal is to become a Research Associate at a top-tier Asset Management firm like Fidelity, Wellington, BlackRock, Capital Group, or PIMCO. Fidelity in particular would be incredible.
First large blackout is contact info.
Grad school was done at a semi-target public school whose undergrad program places very well into IBD and whose MBA program is considered top 15. I have an MSF, so it is not officially ranked.
Undergrad was done at a very well respected university that specializes in STEM fields and does poorly with finance recruitment.
I have an intense passion for investing. This led me to sell investments for a (top 3) BB bank as a first job out of college. It was retail financial sales, so nothing glamorous. Because I just SOLD investments, and didn't do any rigorous analysis or stock-picking, I realized that I needed to look for a career in institutional investment management. I also realized that I do not ever want to be on the sell-side of the transaction. IBD is not at all for me.
I am currently an analyst with an absolutely wonderful buyside firm. I love my job. However, due to its small size (60 employees, $27bn AUM) there is very little formal training and I feel this may eventually limit me, especially if applying externally. We are entirely fixed income, and my role is a hybrid and not very well defined due to the flexible nature of the firm. Sometimes it's FO, sometimes it's MO. I have taken a ton of responsibility, so hopefully that shows character.
After many years in traditional asset management learning the business, I would eventually like to move to a hedge fund. I would like to stay in research and not portfolio management.
Oh also I haven't really aligned the right side of it or made sure the line breaks are of equal length so don't kill me too much on the formatting, looking more for content advice.
What exactly is your issue with your current shop? Bigger AUM does not necessarily equate to better. Sure you probably would get more structure at those places but not infrequently, the boutiques are better places to be.
Absolutely no issue, I seriously love my job to death. I just feel like the lack of a formal training program may put me at a disadvantage? Maybe my concern is baseless. I would also like to go to a large hedge fund at some point in the future and I feel like having a big, impressive name on the resume would be an advantage, since my current employer is virtually unknown here on WSO. I also get paid around 60k all-in, and when I see the massive compensation figures being tossed around here from larger organizations, I start to wonder if I could be doing better. Granted, my location is 83% as expensive to live in versus the national average, according to a cost of living calculator I googled. NYC, for example, would be about 200% more expensive, so maybe my 60k=180k and I have nothing to complain about. Tough to tell when there is this huge of a cost of living discrepancy between different areas of the US.
As far as the training goes, I understand where you are coming from. It is easier said than done but you need to find people that are willing to work with you and teach you. No, you will not have formal training, but if you find a mentor or two that will be patient and teach you as you go, you can learn as much or more in an unstructured role. Name brand on WSO and name brand in the real world are two different things, you should know that if you already work in Asset Management. My shop doesn't even come up in search and let me tell you that there isn't a hedge fund out there that hasn't heard of us. Who are you trying to impress, your friends or the people that matter? I can't speak to your situation/comp package but only you know if you are learning, I don't think you need a formal program to tell you.
Thank you, it is nice to talk to someone with more experience than me in this area. Asset Management is a much hazier environment than the structured, prepackaged world of IBD/PE, so it is difficult to navigate as a young guy. It's good to know that I am not damaging my career by being at a smaller firm. As far as my resume goes, is it half decent? I see these LinkedIn rockstars at Fidelity with HWS degrees everywhere and insane BB experience and I get bummed out.
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