eFinancialCareers

All the interviews that I had recently seemed to be implicitly composed of two components – a "skills and experience" component and a "soft skills" component. A misstep in either area can cost you the job. According to author Vicky Oliver, the goal of these behavioral interviews is to give the interviewer the opportunity to assess your problem-solving skills, people skills and closure skills. Skills and Experience Component If you have done... Read more

The fate of the mortgage securities business rests on more than the path taken by home prices and credit spreads. It also rests to a great extent on decisions that will be made in Washington by a post-Bush administration and the Congress. The federal takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac closed the door on one long-running national policy debate, only to open the door on another that's likely... Read more

As the marketing manager of my own job search, the more I go out networking and promoting myself, the more I realize that my profile positioning is at the core of everything that I do. How do I improve my product positioning - one of the four "P's" in my marketing mix? How do I improve the way I am perceived by prospective employers and by people I network with? What... Read more

As a candidate in a competitive job market, it is critical to distinguish your brand from that of your competition. I’ve known many managers and executives who cringe at the word, “marketing.” You have to get past this, and be a strong, passionate advocate for your personal brand and how it is positioned in the market. For each person you meet with, it is critical to understand what their needs... Read more

An eFC user recently asked, "Can someone tell when the market will shift?" Unfortunately, our best answer at this point is, "Don't hold your breath." Banks will begin reporting third-quarter results next week, and there is wide consensus they won't be pretty. Continued profit deterioration augurs further downscaling of 2008 bonus expectations. Worse, important indicators of banks' future profits are weakening at the same time - pushing prospects of a recovery... Read more

In the last couple of weeks, I've challenged myself to create more structure around my search process by developing tools to increase the odds of a positive response from prospective employers or anyone I'm networking with. It's been helpful to think about myself as if I was a marketing manager responsible for a consumer good. My tool kit resembles the "marketing mix" - or the four Ps of marketing: my... Read more

After speaking with a number of people about job search techniques, my observation is there doesn't seem to be a clear understanding of how to work with recruiters. Some traps seem easy to fall into: I have read a number of 'how to work with recruiters' articles and yet still made mistakes during this current job search. Retained Recruiters I have little first-hand knowledge in this area as I have only talked... Read more

Recently, two sports stories caught my eye by showcasing opposite poles of an issue many financial services professionals grapple with every day: the perceived relationship between job performance and age. One story involves allegations that some of China's star female gymnasts overstated their ages to skirt a long-standing Olympic ban on athletes younger than 16. Toronto Globe and Mail reporter Rebecca Dube made that the jumping-off point for an article about... Read more

I'm a portfolio manager recently let go by the hedge fund group at a bulge bracket investment bank in New York. Like many of my peers, I grew into the role through an apprentice process that included a lot of hard work and the luck of being in the right place at the right time. Indeed, at many points my physical location may have been the most important factor: It... Read more

Just to give some context to this column, I spent the last six years working at a major conglomerate before my job was eliminated in June. For the first four to five years, the company was insanely profitable (better margins than Goldman), but in 2007 the competitive landscape shifted. After six quarters of lagging revenues and budget cuts, the layoffs started. I've had a few people ask if I saw the... Read more

If market conditions throw a roadblock in your career path, should you go back to school? Economic and market signals suggest opportunities for career growth within Wall Street may be less plentiful over the next year or two. Market downturns tend to drive many early- and mid-career professionals to consider taking an educational detour. So this seems like a good time to discuss factors that should figure in a decision whether... Read more