By Liz De La Cruz
Peers for Careers/SCDC Correspondent
(As originally published in The Ticker – http://ticker.baruchconnect.com/)
Are you interested in a career in Wall Street? If the answer is yes then keep on reading. If you have an interest in Wall Street and don’t know how to pursue it; if you have researched it and want to expand your network; if you are exploring your career options and just want to know what Wall Street is like; and/or if you can relate to any of these scenarios then the Starr Career Development Center (SCDC) has the necessary resources for you.
For example, the SCDC is hosting an event called “Recent Alumni on Wall Street” on Thursday, November 8th in NVC 14-220 from 12:30PM to 2:30PM. This event is open to everyone in Baruch: undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. The event will be a panel composed of Baruch College recent alumni that graduated between 2008 and 2011 and currently work in front-office positions in Wall Street. The banking institutions represented include: BMO Capital Markets, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Prudential Capital Group, and Waterfall Asset Management. The panelists will be discussing what they did while at Baruch, what helped them to prepare for their careers while at Baruch, and what they do in their current jobs. There is also going to be a Question & Answer session at the end of the panel.
During your time at Baruch you will hear about and hopefully attend various events with representatives from companies. In order to get the most out of these events you need to do your homework and prepare for them. One resource you can access from home that the SCDC offers is Vault. It delivers insider information and advice that allows students and professionals to define and achieve personal success at every stage of their careers in a timely manner. In this website you can research both the company and the industry of the panelists and presenters of the events. This information will help you to better understand their perspective and you can use it to formulate well-researched questions that can help you stand out in the crowd. Remember first impressions count. They may not be able to get you a job interview, but you can always do an informational interview with that person which will help you extend your network. As they say it’s not about what you know, but who you know.
There are also some in person resources that the SCDC offers that can help you prepare for those events. If you would like to learn more about Finance you can attend the Finance 101 workshop. If you are unsure about how to formulate your personal pitch or how to mingle with people you can attend our Small Talk: Big Deal workshop. Many of us use Social Media in order to communicate with our friends and family but you can also use it to connect with people who work in your chosen industry.
If you are currently a sophomore and you are interested in a job on Wall Street, please watch for the Financial Leadership Program (FLP) applications in the spring semester. FLP focuses on training students for top financial analyst programs in a variety of firms. Baruch College also offers other programs such as Mentor for a Morning, Financial Women’s Association, Executives on Campus, Global Student Certificate Program, among others. You can also gain substantial knowledge and experience about the industry by joining student clubs and organizations.
When it comes to your career there isn’t a shortcut. There is no such thing as over-preparation. Keep in mind that you are always being evaluated, so you need to do your homework when you interact with other people especially if they work in the industry you wish to enter. Educate yourself about opportunities on and off campus because there are many resources to enhance your career success.