4 answers
Swinfield
Student
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
1
Question
Asked
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What should l do to have practical experience for a research analyst role while studying?
Dear friends, I am currently studying the Foundations of Investments, the CFA program and after that l want to study the CFA Level 1. My dream and career aspirations have always been to start an investment bank that will invest heavily in my society. To prepare for that have decided to study the CFA. So please help me out by pointing out the right direction so that l can learn and have experience. Would appreciate the assistance given. #finance #education
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4 answers
Michael Pooley
Institutional Equity Sales
5
Answers
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Swinfield, that is a great question. I sit on an institutional sales desk and work very closely with research analysts. One of the things I have seen them do at the outset of their career is to actually create a mock 'research report' on a specific company and actually bring that into the interview to discuss. It shows that you are willing to go above and beyond, it shows your critical thinking, and hopefully it sparks an interesting discussion. Otherwise I would continue to read daily and weekly publications and to invest personally. As they say, become a student of the market!
TLAURENTONI HUBBARD
CA
115
Answers
San Gabriel, California
Updated
TLAURENTONI’s Answer
First you should have a decent temporary position insight, intriguing ventures, and information about your subject all add to finding a decent line of work in the business. It's likewise essential to recall that your resume is the principal thing the recruiting supervisor will see so it's vital that you make it noteworthy.
Kellee Scott
Director, MBA Admissions at USC Marshall School of Business
23
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Kellee’s Answer
Hi Swinefield. what a great question. Kudos on your road to CFA certification. Making it to level III would be helpful in reaching your goals.
You weren't clear as to whether you have finished college or are in the process of finishing, so I'll try to present as many options as I can.
1. If you are still a college student, seek internship opportunities in finance roles. Even corporate finance exposure will help you understand the road to investment banking. If your college has a career center, connect with them to find opportunities
2. If you are already working, seek finance related projects at your company, even if it stretches your work day. I've found that Investment Banking MBA candidates are driven, take initiative, and are willingness to work long hours early in the learning curve for a big pay-off in knowledge and experience. The Investment banking culture is very competitive, but loosening in some ways a more diverse players enter the market.
3. Consider exploring entrepreneurship classes and connecting with entrepreneurs to learn what it takes to start a business. Bonus if there is a focus on banking/investing banking.
4. If you're not shy connecting with people, try reaching out to alumni in your college network who might be in the investment banking field. If your school has alumni events, go to them and network, network, network! If needed, get coaching on how to approach people, be engaging, and tell your story/goals with focus and purpose.
5. Finally, if you are really passionate about this, find a way to connect and shadow someone in the business if your schedule allows.
6. If you find someone who takes interest in helping you and are solid in the industry, don't be shy about asking them to be a mentor for you. Having a mentor who imparts wisdom and advice, as well as supports you in your journey has a value that money can't buy. It's golden to be able to have strong mentorship.
I hope you find this information useful. :-)
Keep up with your CFA studies. Your on your way!
Connect with your college career center (if applicable) as soon as you can to seek opportunities
Network, learn to network. You need to get out there and meet people in the industry at all levels
You weren't clear as to whether you have finished college or are in the process of finishing, so I'll try to present as many options as I can.
1. If you are still a college student, seek internship opportunities in finance roles. Even corporate finance exposure will help you understand the road to investment banking. If your college has a career center, connect with them to find opportunities
2. If you are already working, seek finance related projects at your company, even if it stretches your work day. I've found that Investment Banking MBA candidates are driven, take initiative, and are willingness to work long hours early in the learning curve for a big pay-off in knowledge and experience. The Investment banking culture is very competitive, but loosening in some ways a more diverse players enter the market.
3. Consider exploring entrepreneurship classes and connecting with entrepreneurs to learn what it takes to start a business. Bonus if there is a focus on banking/investing banking.
4. If you're not shy connecting with people, try reaching out to alumni in your college network who might be in the investment banking field. If your school has alumni events, go to them and network, network, network! If needed, get coaching on how to approach people, be engaging, and tell your story/goals with focus and purpose.
5. Finally, if you are really passionate about this, find a way to connect and shadow someone in the business if your schedule allows.
6. If you find someone who takes interest in helping you and are solid in the industry, don't be shy about asking them to be a mentor for you. Having a mentor who imparts wisdom and advice, as well as supports you in your journey has a value that money can't buy. It's golden to be able to have strong mentorship.
I hope you find this information useful. :-)
Kellee recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much for the response and for your time in giving an answer. Yes l do have a college degree in Accounting and Finance, I have not been fortunate enough to work in finance since l graduated from College, I have worked in retail, charity and now currently working in operations of an organization in the South African Food Industry something different from my passion or goals. Recently l have started learning and connecting with people in banking and finance through LinkedIn, but have not been successful and sometimes l do get a cold shoulder.
Swinfield
Will keep trying and soon after the pandemic is over l think events would be much better. I have to go all the way to level three in my studies of the CFA. I will also consider the Investment Banking MBA and to look out for scholarships and learnerships. Thank you so much, will save your answer and use as a roadmap.
Swinfield
Andrea Carlin
Client Manager
4
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Andrea’s Answer
1. Read as much as you can, on topics related to the sector you will be working in as well as broader subject matter. Books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and blogs are all great resources. There are also some excellent podcasts out there.
2. Create a “paper portfolio” by picking a stock to track and analyze over a period of time. As you follow the stock, you will learn about trends in the broader sector and can experiment by trial and error. You can also seek input from peers and mentors.
3. Ask a teacher or professor for advice. They can suggest people to talk to who are in the field you will be entering.
4. Find opportunities to shadow someone already working as a research analyst. Ask them what they did to prepare for the role and what kind of background experience is useful.
5. Build your critical thinking skills.
The only thing I would add, which was a huge benefit to me when I was in college, was picking out a public company that is very widely well known (McDonald's, Amazon, Netflix, Chipotle) and do some extensive analysis on the company. I would recommend going to the company's Investor Relations page of their website where you can find loads of useful information.
Jeff Hans