From Engineer to Financial Analyst

That is quite an ambitious title right there. How someone can go from being a process/mechanical engineer to getting a job as a financial analyst in a bank with no previous knowledge in Economics? Well, the answer is: you don’t. Just because you SAY (thoughts, words) that you have an interest in something, it doesn’t get you the job. You need to take ACTION.

Imagine this: There is an open position for a kindergarten teacher. Both John and Mary decide to apply for it. None of them have worked in a kindergarten before.

Mary writes in her application that although she doesn’t have the relevant position, she is very fond of kids, and has a huge interest in children’s development and personality. The hiring manager is interested more in finding the right person for their kindergarten rather than focusing on a ton of experience, so Mary is called for an interview. During the interview she is asked: so, do you have siblings? Answer:No. Have you ever babysitt for some of your friends, family, or neighbours? Answer: No. Have you ever done some volunteer work related to children? Answer: No. Have you read book, or took courses in children’s behaviour and developement? Answer: No and no. See where I am going with this? (hopefully your answer is yes!).

John is also called for the interview. Same questions, however John has volunteered to spend 1 afternoon per week at the city’s orphanage to help the kids do their homework for the past year. Although he doesn’t have younger siblings, he had been babysitting his neighbour’s kids several times. He likes to read books about children’s behaviour and how the nature influences their creativity.

Who do you think got the job? Yes, you are right. It was indeed John. But why? Because he was able to actually back up his interest and motivation with ACTIONS.

We are what you think. So, thoughts shape us. But that is not enough. Thoughts are just the first step into becoming who we are, or who we want to be. Thoughts need to be translated to ACTIONS. Actions will yield to RESULTS. And results will form our CHARACTER, or SKILLS.

So, based on that thought, I decided that I should always turn my thoughts into actions whenever I want to develop a new skill. Take it from the phase “I have always had an interest in this” to ” I am doing this because I have an interest in it”.

I started writing this blog post because I found a Analyst position in a bank where I live that I want to apply to. My current status is: PhD student in mechanical engineering. Although I have a strong mathematical background, which could easily be used in my advantage for a career in economics, I have no knowledge in that area. And when I say no knowledge I don’t meant that I don’t know what a P&L sheet is, or a budget, expenses, liabilities, income, profit, or return of investment are, because I do. What I mean is that I don’t know what Macroeconomics stands for, I have no idea how the Euler equations can be used in economics, and stuff like that.

So, before applying for this position, I need to take some serious ACTIONS to improve my skills, and to make a better impressions at the interview. Because I am positive that there is going to be an interview 🙂 (I am trying the positive thinking here now, let’s see how that will turn out).

Here are the first steps for getting a job as a financial analyst:

1. Check out the company first. Find out who they are, what are their vision and values. If their core values and vision coincide with yours, then you can go to the next step, otherwise, even if you get the job, it will be just another boring job that you will want to move away from rather sooner than later. Only after you do this step, you can go to the next one.
2. Find out who is the person responsible for your interview, and look him/her up on LinkedIn. Find out their background. What skills do they have that qualify them for that position? You should try to copy them. Now, in my case it was a bit intimidating what I found out. The person responsible for the position I want to apply has a PhD in Economics. How can I even come near that? No way I can beat that, so I need to rely on my creative side of my personality and come up with something eye-catching at least. (I feel it is my duty to mention here that creativity and I are not in a very good relationship at the moment … we never actually been, and most probably we will never be, but my sense of humor always stood by my side, even when I was the only one laughing at my jokes).
3. Dig dipper into the person you are going to work for. Nowadays is quite easy to find people on line. If their Facebook profile is private, find them on twitter, Instagram. See what they share. See their interest. Is this a person you see yourself working for? People normally leave their managers/supervisors, not their jobs (most of the time). Is this person someone you could learn from? That could take you up (knowledge-wise) in our career? If yes, then go to the next step. If no, then stop right here, and find another company/position to work for. Don’t waste your time, or their time for that matter.
4. After you do your due diligence (hopefully you are luckier than me), make a list with the skills that you need to develop or improve in order for your CV to be attractive enough for a first interview. Here, of course, you can also look up the holy google search, and find out what skills are required for a financial analyst. Most probably can find part of those in the job description for the position you want to apply to. The healthiest relationships are the ones of win-win type.