Ask the Expert: Show up in person if you want a job
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I am looking for a job in private banking in London or Geneva covering Latin American countries. I have more than 10 years experience in the financial markets, and an excellent profile for customer relationship management. But I have always been based in Latin America. I have had good feedback from phone interviews with recruitment consultants but no interviews with banks yet. Should I come to London and/or Geneva for a while to try and get people to interview me personally?
The one word answer is: yes. Communicating by phone and email is all very well, but there is nothing to beat meeting someone face to face or being in a position to say, 'Let's get together for coffee/lunch/a drink,' after a positive phone call.
Start by planning a 2-6 week reconnaissance trip (depending on how long you can afford). Don't come in August, when many people will be on holiday. Set up whatever meetings you can before you arrive. Call up those headhunters who gave you positive feedback and tell them you'll be in town on date X and would like to meet up and drop off an updated CV. Ply all your contacts for introductions to people in London and Geneva, as you must network like crazy during your time in Europe. Do as much homework as you can now to identify target institutions in private banking and wealth management and then try and network your way into meeting people there.
One word of caution: You may have more luck in Geneva than London, because Latin American clients are not classically serviced out of London (in fact the USA is the most promising place outside Latin America itself). But these are the kinds of things you can ascertain properly on a visit.
You would be very lucky actually to find a job during your visit, but you will definitely have a better idea of what your chances are and whether it's worth the risk of a permanent move on spec. You should also have a better idea of whether you would like living in either of these cities - which are very different from each other.
Two readers give their advice:
Reader 1:
If you want to work in London or Geneva, get your ass over here. Personal experience of relocating taught us a great deal when we moved to this country sixteen years ago. My husband managed to line up job interviews with contacts on a preliminary visit we made (our honeymoon, in fact!) but nobody was prepared to take him seriously as a potential hire until we were actually resident in this country. It makes sense - you don't want to waste company time interviewing a candidate if you can't be certain they are fully committed to working in your country. Headhunters aren't going to market you unless they too feel sure about your commitment. I detect a hesitation about making the move that might indicate you should have a good long think about your long term goals and where you really want to live. It's likely that
you'll find Europe very different in many ways to Latin America, and it could be that you'll love it. Or hate it. But you won't know if you don't try.
Reader 2:
If you are seriously thinking of moving abroad, decide which country you'd like to move to and start working immediately on getting a free-standing work visa that does not require employer sponsorship. My husband tried to set up interviews for his two-week job hunting visit to England in 2002 - all interviews fell through. It wasn't until he moved here with visa in hand, and London based address, that he was even considered. Expect the job search to take 6 months & thus you should be prepared for the expenses involved. Good Luck!
Next week's question: I work as an analyst in an M&A boutique after doing several internships in bulge bracket banks. I am considering moving to London and am preparing a resume. Is it too aggressive to insert in the personal information that I am a Mensa member (which implies an IQ above 148) or could it be considered a plus. Once in an interview with a second tier investment bank I was asked if it didn't seem arrogant to show my IQ.
What would you advise? Send your answer to: expertadmin@efinancialcareers.com.
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Our experts include: Roger Steare, a career coach at Roger Steare Consulting, Makbool Javaid, an employment partner at the law firm DLA, and Tony Tucker, a recruitment consultant at ERG, talking to careers journalist Hashi Syedain.
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