Junior Job Hunter: why looking for work is like getting a girl

I recently asked a friend what he thought of my articles (to read them, click here and here) on my search to find the appropriate career path. Being the romantic oddball that he is, he replied, "It's like a movie. We know you're gonna get the girl at the end, but you've just got to fill us in before that with the struggles on how you got there!"

Let's look back over the last six months of my own romantic comedy: I have temped at a bank in a small Australian city in a job that I like, but one that is not relevant to my preferred career in equity-markets analysis. Nor does the town itself hold much in the way of i-banking/asset management roles. I was also (reluctantly) drawn to the idea that postgraduate study might assist my efforts to break into an equity role.

Since beginning these articles, I have written mainly with a focus to discovering the appropriate study-path for myself that could make me more marketable, help define my career path, and land the job (aka "the girl") that I want. Yet I still hadn't decided entirely who the girl was. There are so many different options in financial services that it can become very difficult to choose the right one.

Why I've (finally) chosen the CFA

I have a desire to use what I feel are strong analytical skills, in an investment analysis/ valuation role. From comments on this website, conversations with family and friends, networking, and speaking to a CEO and an equities analyst, I have decided to undertake the CFA Level 1 for 2010.

It was an exhaustive process (and much of the time I spent looking for a course should probably have been spent looking for a better job), but a necessary one.

Cost/benefit, course content, international accreditation, marketability, and most importantly "opportunity" were what I analysed to determine the best course for me. I looked at Masters, MBAs, the CA, etc, before finally deciding on the CFA.

Where to now?

So now I have determined the most suitable study option, what do I want to achieve from it? Obviously of most value for me, will be the knowledge I will gain in financial valuation. However, I want to make sure that I can really use this knowledge in a future job.

Many people who have commented on my previous articles have stated the importance of reading and constantly adding to their expertise: for example checking financial websites; reading investment books; following the ASX daily etc. "Learning is not something that stops after university," someone recently wrote as a comment.

I also want to use the CFA as a tool to market my CV. Past experience has shown me that recruiters do pay attention to candidates' grades and reputation of the courses they attend. Whilst I am no proponent of endless study and can't stand the know-it-all-grad-with-no-life-experience type, I have definitely missed out on bigger opportunities because other candidates have been better qualified.

I want to move to a larger, more international city where I will have a better opportunity to crack the markets. I have tried to get an equity-markets job abroad before, but with no success. I blame this on the GFC, the fact that I was inflexible in my social life, visa restrictions, and also that a 70-hour-per-week job didn't appeal to me at a time when I wanted to explore the world.

But now I feel I'm ready to take the next step. As my friend would say, I am just beginning to actually date "the girl". I have my sights set on her, I am ambitious and want to win her over, my past failures have made me wiser, and the CFA makes me better equipped.

Do you have a job-searching story to share with other eFinancialCareers readers? If so, please email apac.editor@efinancialcareers.com