eFinancialCareers

Some job seekers paint their skills and experiences in identical language whenever they send out a resume or go to an interview. That's a mistake. You absolutely have to re-position yourself for each opportunity.

Watch our video, or read a related story.

Jack Markwalter, chief executive of Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management, has major ambitions for the successful wealth management arm of Invesco Ltd. In its most recent quarterly earnings report, Invesco said long-term net asset inflows at Atlantic Trust had hit $100 million, marking the company's 11th straight positive quarter. Markwalter now means to double the Atlanta-based firm's $15.2 billion under management in five years by adding new advisor talent at its... Read more

Well, it's something of a consolation prize. Gregory Curl didn't ascend to the top job at Bank of America, and in fact lost his chief risk officer's job, but he made more money last year than the man he lost out to, new CEO Brian Moynihan. The Wall Street Journal says received stock valued at about $9.2 million. He'll receive the cash value in 36 installments over three years. (In case... Read more

The percentage of companies that paid all or part of the cost of workers' private long-term disability insurance fell to 48 percent last year from 59 percent in 2002, The Wall Street Journal observed recently, citing LIMRA, an association of financial-services and insurance companies. That puts the onus on employees to purchase richer benefits if they choose. Beware, though: both employer-sponsored group coverage and individual disability policies may exclude bonus compensation.... Read more

UBS Wealth Management Americas elevates Chandler to head of private wealth management, replacing Straus, as McCann's reorganization continues [Registered Rep] AIG hires ex-JPMorgan CFO Peter Hancock as executive VP for finance and risk [AIG, via BW] John Thain is CIT Group's new CEO. He'll reportedly make $500,000 base and up to $7 million in restricted shares [NY Post] Rockefeller hires Marsh from Lynx Investment Advisory as senior VP for non-profit client business development... Read more

In January 2008, after 20 years on Wall Street, Francine Colon was laid off from her compliance position at Citigroup. Nearly two years later, she landed a job as a supervisory analyst with a Spanish investment firm. She told her story to Emma Johnson. This process has been extremely difficult. I've had lots of ups and downs and several false starts. I almost didn't believe it when I was offered this... Read more

Will Goldman Sachs' decision to hold five top executives' year-end compensation to $9 million in "shares at risk" usher in an industry-wide effort to rein in compensation not only for CEOs and other senior leaders, but for the bulk of professionals who receive most of their yearly compensation in a variable lump after year-end? The answer may rest on whether the move stems the bleeding in the bank's reputation in America's... Read more

Eaton Vance Distributors hires former iShares marketing head Paul Nobile as chief marketing officer [Mutual Fund Wire] Lightyear Capital's Cetera Financial broker-dealer hires Schwab business development executive Barnaby Grist as EVP of wealth management, based in L.A. [Investment News] Digital content executives Wendle and Klaus start AppFund, a New York firm that will finance application development for iPad [AppFund] Long-short equity prop trader Matthew Carpenter reportedly leaving Citigroup for an undisclosed hedge fund... Read more

A weekly rundown of low-cost and free events of interest to financial professionals. Thursday, Feb. 18, 6:00 – 8:15 p.m. "Social Media Marketing Interactive Workshop." Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York. Live instruction in use of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, with Kristen Ruby, president and founder of Ruby Media Group, a social media marketing and public relations agency. Admission: Non-members $25, members $20. Greenwich Library (2nd floor meeting room),... Read more

A recent story showcasing recruiters' complaints about "crazy" candidates seems to have hit a nerve among many of our users. Several comments draw a link between overeager job-seekers - who recruiters may view as pests - and uncommunicative recruiters whom sincere and well-behaved job-seekers may label rude and unprofessional. The question of whether recruiters should be more responsive to candidates who've been eliminated from a client's interview process (and those job-seekers... Read more

The longer this recession goes on, the more transitioning professionals will stumble into the "overqualified" pit. Too much of a good thing is wonderful, said Mae West. But that's not how hiring managers see it. Relevant work experience, advanced degrees and credentials - while prerequisites for many finance jobs - can disqualify as well as qualify. If a candidate previously held a role at a higher level than the one she's... Read more

Picture this: You’ve just lost your job and you’re scouring the job boards, looking for something - anything - that matches your professional qualifications and experience. Suddenly, you spot a position that looks too good to be true. The job title is perfect, the responsibilities are right up your alley, and the firm is… Oh, wait a minute. It's your former employer; the one that just handed you a pink... Read more

Even as the finance industry writhes amid recession and restructuring, some jobless professionals are having trouble adjusting their expectations to the new reality. A column in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer details the saga of one Byron Wilson, a former investment advisor, insurance company vice president and Big Four CPA. In 2007, Wilson left a steady job to build his own investment advisory business at Smith Barney, leaving little time to build a... Read more

Kerry Jordan, CFA, has been out of work since January 2008, despite 14 years of experience at FBR Capital Markets, Bank of America, and NASDAQ. You'd think her work in new business development, strategic planning, risk management and raising capital would have left her well-positioned to land a new job quickly. But here's the rub: "Everyone is in retrenchment mode and the few positions that do become available are filled... Read more

Hopefully, you'll never need this step-by-step guide to surviving a layoff. But if you do, following these steps will put you on your way to a new opportunity. 1. Negotiate a Good Deal It may be possible to negotiate at least some terms of your layoff. Employers often budget substantial funds for such purposes, but exiting employees don't realize they can negotiate or they are too traumatized to ask. As soon as... Read more

From London, Sarah Butcher writes: With more and more people pursuing fewer and fewer jobs, recruiters say some candidates are exhibiting strange and unusual behaviors in an attempt to catch their attention. These apparently include: Sending in their CV for every single job going: “These are the serial appliers,” says Recruiter A. “They apply for everything we advertise across every function.” Repeatedly sending in their CV for the same job: “If someone sees... Read more

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has hiring plans. According to Investment Dealers' Digest, the New York-based company plans to hire 100 people for its fixed-income business alone this year. Already, the firm's hired 20 specialists for a developing high-yield bond business, and is bringing on as many as 25 investment bankers, along with sales and trading professionals. "The talent pool out there is very deep right now and the opportunity to grow... Read more