These past two weeks have been hectic, but the job hunt is well underway. As of 5 p.m. Friday, my internship with Bank of New York Mellon has come to completion. For those of you who are entering into your junior and senior years of college, keep in mind that an internship provides an invaluable experience that will help jump-start you on your future career.
While my internship with BNY Mellon was not in my primary field of interest, it did allow me to build my network by giving me the opportunity to meet with employees in areas that are closer to what I ultimately envision for my career. I had the opportunity to meet with an analyst, a vice president and a portfolio manager of the two Mellon stock mutual funds. During my meetings, I also inquired as to how they got where they are today and what advice they might be able to provide me in my search for the ultimate job. Here is a compilation of their thoughts with my comments in italics:
- Always be looking one-step ahead, that way you know what you have to do to get to the point where you want to be.
Use a big organization to your advantage; if you take a position in one area but have your eyes set on other, keep a look out and always know where you want to go.
- Seek out opportunities; don’t expect them to fall in your lap.
If you have a serious passion for investments and you are working in an unrelated field, talk to people in that department and see if you can assist the department in some way.
- You must demonstrate a passion for what you do; it is your best marketing tool, especially if you are coming right out of school.
If you show passion for the field, then a company is more likely to offer you a position than someone who is just after the dollar signs.
- Network, network, network. You probably hear this all the time, but “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
From my experiences with applying for internships, this advice goes the furthest. If you have someone to back you up, you actually become a resume in front of someone instead of being one in a stack of many.
- A CFA designation will go a lot further than any other degree in the field of investment management.
If you pass your CFA, you will gain a great deal more credibility and it will show current or potential employers that you have a serious enthusiasm for the field.
- A strong, decisive opinion is preferred.
Anyone can provide a basic view—a stock could do this or it could do that; what a portfolio manager is looking for is a clear decision to buy or sell, and an explanation why an investment did not go as planned if the analysis is wrong.
While the above advice is geared more towards an individual looking for a finance-related or investment career, a lot of the guidance can be applicable to everyone.
Good luck, and happy hunting!
Time Remaining: 4 Months, 12 Days or 134 Days as of August 4, 2007
