Life on the Buy Side

How to Pass the CFA Exams

in CFA, MBA, etc.

Passing the Exam I have a confession: I failed the CFA Level II exam the first time I sat for it. It sucked. Like, really bad. Really, really bad. Back then, they only gave the CFA Level II exam once per year, so I had to wait until the next June to retake it. Today, more dates are available to take the exams, but the painful lessons I learned from my journey through the CFA program are still applicable today if you want to pass the CFA exams.

To set the stage for my failure, I started a new job as an equity analyst after getting my MBA and had just passed Level I in December. For many years, Level I was given in December and June, while Levels II and III were only offered in June. Level I was easy to pass as I liken it to an undergrad finance degree, which meant I had all of that curriculum down.

Feeling good after easily passing Level I, I decided to press my luck and register for the Level II exam in June. This is where things took a turn for the worse…

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Everything You’ve Learned About Networking is Wrong

in Recruiting

Everything you’ve learned or read about networking for jobs in finance is wrong. I know this because I’ve recently realized that everything I’ve learned or read about finance networking is wrong, too. Either you’re now confused by that statement or you think I’m being arrogant. But bear with me as we look further at how networking in the finance industry is taught online …

Here is how the finance networking process is usually defined as on the internet:

Step 1 – Develop a list of contacts. Research every potential firm you’re interested in and identify the people in those firms who you want to reach out to. Remember that your goal is to land an interview and then a job from that interview.

Step 2 – Prepare your cold email template (see the internet). Prepare for some light stalking.

Step 3 – Cold email everyone in your newly curated contact list.

Step 4 – Sit around and hope that one of those people email you back.

Step 5 – Holy sh*t! Somebody emailed me back and is willing to meet for coffee! You meet for coffee and ask for an interview.

Step 6 – Nail your interview and win the job offer. Yay!

Easy. Right?

While this process can land you a job offer, it misses the big picture when it comes to networking. Networking is not a simple linear process with a defined ending. It is so much more than that and it took me way too many years to figure that out.

The real way to network and get more out of life is to remember these three little words: Play the Game.

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