Okay, so, this week is the Halo 3 release. I should be locked up in my room finishing the fight for several days…

Part of the reason this post comes about 30 minutes too late… lol

This week, I’m talking about on campus groups. For finance jobs, the college you choose and the classes you take a really important but being an active member of a finance related club is a great perk. At Bentley, there is a club called the Bentley Investment Group (BIG) and basically they meet and talk about stocks and the market and stuff like that. People who put that on their resume have a nice little line Item to talk about when they go into their interview. The Interviewer asks you, “so you’re a member of BIG, tell me about it.” Then you get to have a nice long chat about what you talked about this past week in the club meeting and, if you pay attention, you might be able to say some really intelligent stuff about the market and really impress your interviewer. At the very least, being a part of these clubs means you’re staying current on market activities and economic events that are great to talk about in interviews even if the conversation doesn’t arise as a direct result from “so you’re a member of BIG?”

Say your college doesn’t have this type of thing. START ONE! Go to a member of your college administration and just ask “hey I wanna start an investment group here at school. Can we get a room or something to meet?” Then you get to put on your resume, “I started the So-and-So College investment group”. How amazing does that sound?

Okay, say your lazy. Well, quit being lazy…easier said than done…but if you don’t want to start your own group, might want to do something else to help you stay current in the market: try to just watch CNBC or Bloomberg TV during the day. I realize some people don’t like the commentary but at the very least, your AWARE of what the hell is going on. If they ask you your opinion on the sub prime mess, you’ll have at least a basic answer more intelligent than “uhh…well it’s bad…”

Be creative…think outside the box. be less cliche than me.

Leader = sacrifice = REWARDS

In high school, I was never into extracurricular activities because I figured as long as I maintained my straight A's, I could not go wrong. Sure enough, my grades awarded me the status of Salutatorian for my graduating class but what else did I have to be proud of??

Only in the Junior year in college did I start to realize that grades are just a third of the package that prospective employers look for in college candidates. Ever heard of being well-rounded? For the past year and a half, I have been actively participating in organizations and school-related programs. Why? To help others means to help myself.

Being an officer in Beta Alpha Psi (an honorary Accounting fraternity) for a semester gave me really good insights on what is expected of me as a leader. I worked hard and now I reap the rewards. It is one thing to join a club and just be a seat-filler once a week at meetings. It is an entirely different meaning to actually make a difference by offering your efforts. Own the bullet.That is a term that means actually knowing what it means to be a part of an organization and leaving your hand prints behind after you've left.

As this is my last semester, I have very little time to achieve what I have been doing in the past six months--leave a legacy behind for all those who come after me. I co-founded Ascend, a national organization that promotes the success and unity of Pan-Asian professionals in the Accounting and Finance industries. I sit as the President of my student chapter.

Last night, I attended the Launch of our Greater Philadelphia Chapter (the local chapter). There were numerous firm partners and professionals who are also actively working to build Ascend across the country wanting to talk to me! People approached me and told me how much they appreciated what I was doing for the organization. I was in disbelief! I thought to myself, I would have never though in a million years that people so high up in the professional world would come to introduce themselves to me and make me feel like an honorary individual. It's amazing. People notice.

Do yourself a favor => be a leader, sacrifice, but you will be so glad you did. Trust me.

Finding Colleges

Well, for nepotism/cronyism’s sake, (as much as I’d hate to say it) going to an Ivy League school will increase your chances of getting a job exponentially. I’d be willing bitch for hours about how this is total crap but…that’s neither here nor there. Many investment banks will look for the Ivy League schools before anywhere else and those students do get special treatment. It is beginning to change, however, because people are finally realizing how useless it is to hire somebody who went to Harvard and doesn’t have any sort of business degree. No offense to the Harvard folk but a dude with an anthropology degree shouldn’t get preferential treatment over my finance and accounting degree.
But let’s say you’re not irritatingly rich and didn’t every extra-curricular activity in high school while still holding their 4.0 GPA…when you’re looking for colleges, picking ones that specialize in the right fields is obviously a big plus. I go to Bentley so I’m a little partial to their education (I can bitch to no end about this school but I still think I’m better prepared than a vast majority of people coming out of college and even people already in the workforce for a few years) but it’s a good example of what I’m talking about. Bentley is a specialty school: specializes in business if you didn’t know, especially accounting. Other schools around, like Brandeis and Babson to name a few in my area, are the same way. They specialize in business and basically put you in the position of needing virtually no training when you get a job, not to mention the simple fact you spent 4 years at a business school networking with people who are looking for jobs in the same place.
If you can’t or don’t want to go to a specialty school, go to a school with good business programs and major in those. I believe it’s UGA (or Georgia State) has the 2nd best Real Estate Finance program in the country behind Wharton. So, if you want real estate finance, look into that program there. Look for other schools with similar properties like this.
Okay, so let’s say we’re past that stage of finding colleges and you’re already there, you’re half way through your English major, and you realize you don’t want to be an English teacher when you graduate. Fret not. Do basically the same thing you did in high school and apply your searching skills to finding a grad school. Get/keep a good GPA and over-prepare for taking the GMATs (GMATs being the business SATs). From there, get a decent score and move into a grad school that has some great business programs. I could recommend Bentley (if you do want to go to Bentley grad school, shoot me an email and I’ll tell you what classes you want to take).
As a side note when picking your colleges: there is always a debate about this type of stuff and I’m gonna take a side and tell you not to go for you MBA right out of school. It’s nice to have, yes, but people don’t really respect it as much you might think. The MBA degree is designed for people who have been in the workforce for a while and have office experience. Getting a masters (which is different from an MBA) would be a better idea. Doesn’t have the stigma of “you got your MBA right out of school…why?” but still makes you vastly more educated for a job. Getting a Master’s is like the equivalent of double majoring in the same field which looks GREAT.
But I digress….
Back to recap:
1.) Try for the Ivy Leagues because they do get special treatment.
2.) If you can’t do that, try for specialty business schools because they will prepare you the best for a job in the finance industry.
3.) If you can’t do that, go to a college with a good business program and major in business related subjects.
4.) If you’re past these options and already in school for something unrelated to business, find a grad school and get your masters in finance/accounting.

One last thing, and I’ll say this later on in more posts, but try to find a college with a good accounting background. Accounting is like the common language of all business and if you have an understanding of that, you have a great advantage over people who don’t. My roommate for 3 years, brilliant kid, got a job at RBS as a research analyst. He got a finance degree (no accounting) from Bentley (and Bentley makes you take at least 3 accounting courses no matter your major) and says his biggest issue is that he doesn’t understand accounting. He wishes he had taken more accounting business electives so he would have a better understanding of what he is reading in financial statements. I took that to heart and I hope you do too.

For Starters

Hi Folks, my name is Rich, I’ll be your blogger this evenin’. I just graduated from Bentley College with a degree in Corporate Finance and Accounting and minors in Mathematics and Japanese and am presently studying Quantitative Finance in Bentley’s Graduate School. I’m originally from Norcross, GA (North East Atlanta) so if I say “y’all” or don’t put a “g” when I’m writin’ something, get over it. I’ve had experience in Manhattan at Calyon Corporate and Investment Bank in the Global Fixed Income Department and R.N.C. Industries, Inc. as an intern.

Now I’m supposed to blog about finance related things and figure its best to start at the beginning of gettin a job in finance at its earliest point (birth) and move through the sequence as I see it. Please, feel free to tell me if I forget something or ask questions on the postings. I’ll do my best to answer as humorously as possible.

So…part I:

Birth:
Well folks, I can only assume your all reading this because your either A) too bored to do anything else, B) you were misdirected to my blog because you were looking for porn, or C) you came to me for advice on getting a job in the financial industry. For my own ego, I’ll chose to believe that you want my help…cause I’m awesome.
Anyway, let us start with birth. Now, you want a job in the finance industry. The first thing you should do is ask your uncle for an internship at his investment bank. Assuming you don’t have an uncle, you should go out and find yourself a nice young gal from New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, marry her, then ask her uncle for an internship at his investment bank. If you cannot procure a nice young gal from previously mentioned regions who have an uncle with an investment bank…this will be a little harder and I think you should really keep reading my blog ‘til at LEAST December, checking it daily for updates.
Admittedly, it’s damn difficult to break into this industry if you don’t know someone. But fret not young ones; I’ll give you an outline that should put you in the right spot for getting a job and I plan to elaborate in following weeks.

1.) Choose the right college:
If you can, go to an Ivy League school because they honestly do get preferential treatment. This IS changing but it still makes it easier.
If you’re not one of the few and the lucky to be accepted of those ivy covered institutions of higher learning, pick a school that specializes in business related majors like accounting and finance.

2.) Make sure you have the right undergraduate major.
When you get to college, find a major in finance/accounting/BS-artist degree that’ll ensure you don’t need all that much training when you go to work.

3.) Get some decent grades.
Not everyone will have perfect grades… but really, try hard to get some damn good ones. At the undergraduate level, your GPA DOES matter. The market is so flooded at the undergrad level, the interviewers need some way of screening out from thousands of applicants.

4.) Join some school related finance/accounting clubs.
For the most part, these are added bonuses. They won’t ensure you get the job but it makes you sound like you’re more motivated to do that job.

5.) Go to every Job fair you can attend and get every business card of every person there.
Simple, people will remember you/your name.

6.) Start early.
If you start looking a year ahead of time, you’ll likely find something you want.

7.) All else fails, go to Grad School.
If you don’t find a job immediately out of school, which does happen, go to grad school and pick up a complimentary degree in a related field (i.e. undergrad: accounting, grad: finance, see, they compliment each other).

8.) Don’t give up.
No retreat. No surrender. That is Spartan Law.

Okay kiddies, forgive the 300 reference, it’s just the best movie ever. Anyway, til next week y’all, I’ll be here. Leave your questions/comments/sly-remarks and I’ll answer/comment/insult back.

Putting your face on the market

As the job market becomes increasingly competitive today, we all must work harder to put ourselves at an advantage. Employers are becoming more selective toward candidates and so the door to landing a hot job is growing narrow. So what can you do to make yourself known to your future employers? Sell yourself!

That's right! You need to attend every single job fair there is that comes your way. You must crawl your way through every crack opening that sheds a single light of hope for your future. It's not demeaning or desperate, it's a necessity! Go to the networking receptions & career fairs offered by your school. They do wonders!!

Always look professional! Dressed in no less than a suit. Hand clutching your resume portfolio. Always. Be prepared. Know your 30-second spot speech. (The sales pitch that you must offer to prospective employers when you are standing in front of them. You only get 30 seconds..or less!) Nothing is worse than a candidate who comes up to you & says, "umm..uhh..a..a..a..I'm Joe Shmoe." See my point?

Most importantly => always SMILE. Even if you start feeling nervous or says something stupid during your 30-second spot with a recruiter, continue your speech & SMILE! Be confident in yourself. Positive attitude will exude through your mannerism & the recruiter will notice.

Why put yourself through this torture? Because a resume is only a piece of paper with some name & a few credentials. But when you put your face to that resume, it becomes more solid because your resume becomes less impersonal. The recruiter remembers you & recognizes the confidence & great attitude you showed. That alone will take you so much farther than submitting a resume from just another Jane Doe.

And like everything else, practice makes perfect. Don't be dismayed if you feel nervous the first few times at career-related networking events. Everyone has been there at one point. Just relax & you will prevail.

My sneak peek into corporate America

This past summer, I interned for Ernst&Young, LLP as an Audit Intern. I must say it was an incredible summer and I enjoyed my entire experience so much more than I expected. There is a tremendous difference between applying yourself as a professional and just another employee.

Prior to my internship, I was very nervous because an internship with such a huge firm means better perks but it also means more pressure. I was dealing with the insecurities that we all deal with before we start a job. I was unsure how things would turn out. However, I was not going to allow my insecurity to override my confidence because I knew that I need to invest everything I could into this summer because this was the door to my future career.

I worked in the office for the first two weeks instead of being sent out at a client site. I noticed that the environment was very relaxed which surprised me. No one was watching over my shoulders and I definitely did not feel that tension of having a supervisor watching my every move as I did in my previous summer job experiences. I was invited to lunch by a staff Auditor there and we left when we wanted & no one was keeping track of our time out & in. This came as a surprise to me because I had never worked in such a laid-back atmosphere before. I was told by the staff that, "in corporate life, they trust you. You're treated like an adult & they expect you to behave like one." I was impressed with this mentality but I also understood immediately that this trust is (like all perks) a two-way street. I was treated like a responsible adult so no one needed to personally guard my every move. On the contrary, expectations of me are much higher than they ever were with any previous jobs. I knew then, that this was for real. My door to my future career was approaching me so rapidly and I needed to make the path to that door as clear as possible.

I now realize that being a professional means carrying the responsibility of acting with honesty, integrity, and professionalism at all times. Your career and reputation are always held high so any adverse action on your part can ruin what you work hard to build. I believe that you have to put in twice the amount of effort and energy to build up a good reputation; and only half of the negativity to ruin that.