It is my pleasure to speak in SV’s mailer during Chinese New Year. First of all, I would like to thank SpringBoard Program for the job opportunity provided for me, and Yoman and Eng Yew’s recommendation.  Last year in April, out of curiosity on how buy side works together with sell side in the industry, I attended Springboard’s event – “How does Buy side achieve win-win with Sell side”. The event was set in a very relaxed ambience that you can talk with people working in the finance industry and get to know what kind of people they are looking for when it comes to recruitment or their daily work. More interestingly, SV’s organizers were also collecting resumes to provide some potential job opportunities with the best fit. At that time, I was doing my Master degree in Applied Finance and I definitely would not miss the chance.  Several days later, I was called for an interview and after several rounds, I successfully got a job at a buy side house as an Analyst, helping fund managers do research on relative value arbitrage.

I would consider myself very lucky to come for that event and be selected for interview. At the same time, I would encourage job hunters or job switchers like me to always be prepared. Not only prepare resume for opportunities like this, but also prepare yourself the knowledge needed in the industry – like the CFA involvement people are looking for, and last but not least, a good academic background to demonstrate your excellence. Some people may not agree with the last part, as we know academic excellence does not mean you can perform well in the job. However, in my opinion, a good relevant degree does help to get you the interview in the first place, because it shows your learning ability, and to survive in the industry, one definitely need to be a fast learner. In my own experience, the solid foundation also helped me catch up with the learning cycle when I started the job and delivered quickly to the fund managers what they need.

Above is my 2 cents’ advice, it is in line with Yoman’s favorite logo – “Continue Learning and Keep on Networking”. I encourage all to support Springboard’s future events. Wish Springboard a success in 2012 and happy Chinese New Year for everyone!