BBA in finance without experience.. will job hunting suck? (NYC)

[rolexryan329]

Hey all,

So I'm just about finished up with college, graduating next week from Baruch with a BBA in finance. I'm gonna be applying as much as I can hoping to catch a job. Just a few considerations:

1.) I dont have any experience working in finance. No internships or jobs to put on my resumé. All I have is 5 years at Starbucks and the same amount of time delivering for my local neighborhood institution
2.) My GPA isn't exactly the greatest

I would like to do something regarding FP&A but I'm not gunna be overly picky as I just want a job to start making enough money that I can move out of my parents house and get on with my life lol. Also, anything I could put on my resumé that I can leapfrog towards the next better position now that I'd have more experience under the belt. I have a pretty good network of friends who went to my school and found jobs and also, my family has a good network of people who can help me in my search. I'm just concerned that it's highly competitive in NYC and prospective companies would rather hire the Columbia kid or the NYU kid.

I just want some testimony from people who were once in my shoes or some insight from people who might work in the NYC metro area. thanks!

[subtona]

Don't indicate that you would like to jump in your interviews.


Be open to opportunity. I would say, don't seek shortcuts. Work hard and follow through get a good reputation for work ethic and get along with coworkers.
Opportunity will come.

[Rock]

In Australia, recent scrutiny has shown that the quality of Financial Planners is very poor, due mainly to the failure of either the Industry or the government to specify suitable educational requirements for Planners/Advisors. IMHO it should be at least an undergraduate degree with a 12mth 'mentoring' period when they are essentially supervised by a more experienced and better qualified practitioner.
It is an extremely responsible field and requires time and study to come up to speed. Often a period working in a related field in the financial industry is a big help.
In Australia, the field expanded rapidly about 30 years ago and a big proportion of the entrants were either ex-salesmen or Insurance salespeople. The average educational standard is still only a Diploma in Financial Planning.

[SMD]

Consider some of the finance temp agencies. You can try out a bunch of things and if you make a good impression you can land a full time jobs. In the meantime you can get some experience to put on a resume. It won't always be sexy or interesting but you have to start somewhere. I have known countless people who have landed positions this way. Reality is that you aren't just competing with NYU and Columbia in NYC (and Fordham), you are competing with all of the elite schools across the country.

[Wesley Crusher]

I would leverage your family network. IMO, that’s going to be the easiest way to land a job.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

I would leverage your family network. IMO, that’s going to be the easiest way to land a job.

I think the number one mistake in job hunting is applying to jobs.

[tyler1980]

my advice is your GPA doesnt matter. Connections matter. You need to network as the vast majority of people who get the job they want were referred or somehow got their foot in the door because of someone they know. Its not a popular thing to admit, but its true.

Second, dont jump on the first job you get offered if you dont want it. Its hard to shift later because life happens and then you realize you are in a dead end job with no growth opportunities and you are stuck.

[texasmade]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

Second, dont jump on the first job you get offered if you dont want it. Its hard to shift later because life happens and then you realize you are in a dead end job with no growth opportunities and you are stuck.

I disagree with that. The OP is an entry level grad and he should jump on the first entry level opportunity he gets in his chosen field to get real world experience. Waiting for thr perfect opportunity that might never come along because he doesn’t have the right experience won’t do him any good.

I’d adivise him to take whatever he can get that’s related to the field he wants to have a career in to get experience. He’ll also need to keep in mind that as an entry level, his job will suck big time and will always suck unless he works hard to get promoted. Once you get experience you can be picky with what you want.

[ckaynyc]

To be very honest with you, this "hunt" should've started two years ago. Baruch has great student services from resume help, internship placings, interview practice, and a large database of job listings. Higher education isn't about acing your classes, it is about networking and utilizing the school's resources to improve your real world skill sets. I strongly suggest you make a donation for your Alumni card and start utilizing those resources ASAP.

From an FP&A focus in which I assume you mean corporate FP&A, Pepsico is in White Plains, and Regeneron is in Elmsford. Those are probably the two larger corporations in which you can take mass transit that may have what you are looking for in terms of positions. While IBM still exists, I would NOT apply to jobs there. It is only a matter of time before they disappear.

From a personal, in-your-shoes perspective, I graduated from Baruch undergrad as well with a degree in finance & investments. I had a choice of NYU, Columbia, Fordham, or Baruch and it was a decision of paying tuition in cash, or financing my education. I had to make the decision of how to distinguish myself from every student coming out of school nationwide. I held down a 40 hour/week no pay or credit internship and classes from 6-10. I also took my Series 7 & 66 during my internship as well to make myself as marketable as possible. In my Senior year, I took to an Options and Derivatives course very well, and the adjunct professor there ran the Derivatives Desk at Bear Stearns. I made it to the CDO/CMO desk through him. Without him, I wouldn't have gotten onto the Street. That only lasted a few months as I graduated in 2007 and we all know what happened next. I got term'd and the company went under. I haven't been back on the Street since, but it was either wait it out(Street is no easier to get a job), or move on with my life and career and am a Financial Advisor planning for mid-to-high NW clients.

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

To be very honest with you, this "hunt" should've started two years ago. Baruch has great student services from resume help, internship placings, interview practice, and a large database of job listings. Higher education isn't about acing your classes, it is about networking and utilizing the school's resources to improve your real world skill sets. I strongly suggest you make a donation for your Alumni card and start utilizing those resources ASAP.

From an FP&A focus in which I assume you mean corporate FP&A, Pepsico is in White Plains, and Regeneron is in Elmsford. Those are probably the two larger corporations in which you can take mass transit that may have what you are looking for in terms of positions. While IBM still exists, I would NOT apply to jobs there. It is only a matter of time before they disappear.

From a personal, in-your-shoes perspective, I graduated from Baruch undergrad as well with a degree in finance & investments. I had a choice of NYU, Columbia, Fordham, or Baruch and it was a decision of paying tuition in cash, or financing my education. I had to make the decision of how to distinguish myself from every student coming out of school nationwide. I held down a 40 hour/week no pay or credit internship and classes from 6-10. I also took my Series 7 & 66 during my internship as well to make myself as marketable as possible. In my Senior year, I took to an Options and Derivatives course very well, and the adjunct professor there ran the Derivatives Desk at Bear Stearns. I made it to the CDO/CMO desk through him. Without him, I wouldn't have gotten onto the Street. That only lasted a few months as I graduated in 2007 and we all know what happened next. I got term'd and the company went under. I haven't been back on the Street since, but it was either wait it out(Street is no easier to get a job), or move on with my life and career and am a Financial Advisor planning for mid-to-high NW clients.

^^^^^THIS!!!^^^^^

Except the part about IBM... I'll just agree to disagree but this is great advice!

[ckaynyc]

Originally Posted by wantonebad

^^^^^THIS!!!^^^^^

Except the part about IBM... I'll just agree to disagree but this is great advice!

LOL you know what? I misspoke on IBM as I was relating it to a tech oriented POV. From a finance POV you will gain a lot of experience and knowledge being that IBM is a global giant. You will also have a great opportunity to travel the World from the business side of IBM.

[dafuture]

It's definitely not an easy market. You might be better served trying to work with Baruch Career Services and get an internship to start. Unless you have a connection, most places want you to have some sort of business experience.

I'm probably only a few years older than you and work for a bank in NYC. Everything you do from here on out, do it in service of you moving your career forward.

[MonsterSS]

get on linkedin, start networking with recruiters, they will help!!!