Careers in Hedge Funds
How I Networked My Way into the US Job Market
I moved to the US over 12 years ago. I still recall my first attempts to look for a job. The economy was strong so there were plenty of jobs around. The New York Times job section was several pages long.
As I was new to the country my initial steps were not so successful. My main strategy was to apply for jobs posted in the NYT or online. I never received an answer. So a friend of a friend suggested I need to network more, but I didn’t have a network, at least not in the right industry.
What could I do?
I began to meet with friends who all happened to work in the financial industry, asking them for job search advice on how to find a job in human resources. Eventually my friends referred me to other people they knew, including their human resources representatives. After a few meetings my network of people began to grow.
None of these meetings led directly to a job, but I learned immensely about the work culture in finance, in HR and in New York. I received my best interview coaching ever from a friend working at one of the large investment banks. He advised me to write down at least 30 possible interview questions and prepare answers for each of them. Then he sat down with me and practiced my answers with me. I have never felt nervous about a job interview since.
For a Finn who had recently moved to NY, this was invaluable. The job interviews I had had in Finland were much more relaxed and indirect than the ones my friend prepared me for. I learned how to be assertive, how to talk about my successes and mistakes and what I learned from them. I was learning direct communication as opposite to the Finnish more indirect communication style.
How did I find a job?
On the advice of another friend I signed up with a staffing agency as a “temp”, that is, a temporary administrative staff member to be assigned to short term jobs. My first assignment was in HR at a large investment bank, processing data. I did well and was assigned to another assignment in the same bank, this time working in the Controllers Office processing sensitive data on initial public offerings. I stayed there for four months and was offered to stay on longer but decided to leave to pursue a job that I liked better. At that point I had US work experience and great references.
I wanted to go back to working at a university or a non-profit. So I began applying for jobs at the local universities and colleges and eventually landed an interview at Columbia University. My diligent interview preparation and great references from the investment bank helped me get a job I loved and start a career in my preferred field.
Lessons learned?
When you move to a new country, be prepared initially to adjust your expectations. I did feel my data entry job was below my expectations; I had a master’s degree after all. Consider accepting a job that you may be overqualified for, do it well and make sure your bosses support you. Doing a great job processing data and getting good references eventually opened doors to more interesting jobs later. Learn the local culture, job search strategy and interview culture. Work hard. You are competing with the locals who have home field advantage. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
Be Too Connected to Fail
In one of my workshops for expatriate spouses in the NY area we discuss networking or the concept of creating and maintaining career connections.
We usually launch the workshop by sharing what “to network” means to me, how it is defined and what the networking do’s and don’ts are in my country of origin and compare it to how networking is defined and done in the USA . In the process we also learn to better understand how culture shapes how people look for and find work.
Here are a few examples: According to a spouse from Nigeria, networking is an open secret. This means that in general everyone knows that jobs are found through networking and relatives help each other, but it is not openly talked about or recognized (as in the US). My Kenyan, Bulgarian and South Korean participants agreed. Networking for a job is semi-hidden and indirect were words they used to describe it. The Swedish and British participants agreed with it being carried out indirectly, and that friends and family play an important role. They even mentioned that contacting people you do not know well directly and openly to ask for career advice and job leads would result in losing face or making a fool of yourself.
Who is it appropriate to network with as part of your global job search, according to my workshop participants? In South Korea the school or university you attended plays an important role in defining your network together with your hometown or region. The same seems to be true for Nigeria. Family, close friends and relatives are the pillars of your network in Bulgaria, Kenya, Sweden and Britain.
So with this anecdotal story in mind, how do we create and maintain global career connections?
A. RELATIONSHIPS
1. By nurturing the friendships we have developed over the years, especially if as an expatriate we have moved several times across the globe.
2. By maintaining family ties, so important for our own mental and emotional well-being and, as the examples show, our careers.
3. By keeping in touch with alumni from schools we attended and colleagues from previous jobs we held.
B. CULTURE
1. By being open and curious about others and reaching out to fellow expatriates and locals as we arrive to a new duty station or destination. By being mindful about our own assumptions and heritage.
2. By researching the local cultural patterns through books, workshops, movies, art and with the help of a cultural informant.
3. By knowing the structure of the local job market, where to find jobs, how to identify the key players in a specific industry, organization or office, and understanding specific hiring practices.
C. TOOLS AND STRATEGY
1. Use the Internet! LinkedIN, Facebook and multiple online communities have revolutionized how we live and the nature of our relationships, intimate and distant, personal and professional.
2. Be careful about blending personal and professional online networks. You may wish to use LinkedIN for professional contacts and Facebook for personal relationships. If your personal and professional online networks are intertwined, be mindful about what information you share. How much do you want a possible future employer or colleague to know about you?
3. Create new face-to-face connections at meetings of local professional associations, your religious congregation, your gym or soccer league, or by volunteering your time or skills at a cultural, social, or academic non-profit organization.
D. NETWORKING IN THE USA (a brief intro)
1. It is OPEN and DIRECT (search Amazon, Google or your local bookstore and you find thousands or resources and handbooks).
2. It is acceptable to reach out to an acquaintance or a friend of a friend of a friend to ask for career advice (but it is advisable to have a spokesperson to introduce the two of you).
3. It is based on a WIN-WIN philosophy. If I help you now, you can help me later and so forth. This is the core idea of the American business culture. As popularized by Maria Bartiromo in her latest book The Weekend that Changed Wall Street, the banks in financial trouble were Too Connected to Fail. Your career should be the same!
?
The Opportunity and Challenge in Moving
One of my workshop participants once said that it feels as she left her best self in her country of origin and that her current version of her self is inferior: less self confident, successful and happy. Professionally she does not feel as accomplished and proud.
Moving to a new country, region or even just a new town or city is both an opportunity and a challenge. I have found it refreshing to move to a new location, even for a short period of time. As an exchange student in France in my mid 20s I felt as if my life was an empty sheet of paper with limitless opportunities for writing a new personal story. Leaving my safe and predictable life in college behind opened new opportunities for me to explore who I am, who I want to be and how to transform. My move to the US from Finland in my late 20s was my ultimate leap of faith. I had another chance to start anew, to explore a new country, new friends and create new goals and dream up new dreams. It has been challenging, but worthwhile. I have learned tremendously.
This is the thrilling aspect of moving and leaving the known and safe behind. It is a wonderful opportunity to create something new, but requires that you remain open to exploring and learning more about yourself and the world.
One key factor to my positive experiences moving across the world is that I was in control. I initiated the move through my own wishes and actions. I was young and single without a family to care for. I was not forced to move because of political, economical or financial reasons or because of my partner’s job. These issues immediately complicate a transition.
Global relocation has been a very different experience for my workshop participant. She followed her spouse to his new job and has children to care for. Her circle of control is much narrower and more people’s well-being depends on how she feels about and adjusts to the new country. Her professional identity is weakened as she has left those who know her accomplishments and career story behind on the other side of the world. In her new city, few know her professional successes and her reputation.
What can we do to facilitate a transition to a new country or city? Research has shown that personality traits such as how you handle uncertainty and change influence the success of the relocation. How much were you involved in the decision making process prior to the move? Have your spouse and his/her employer listened to your needs and attempted to meet them? How do your children feel about the move? How much do you know about the country you are relocating to, it’s history, culture, language, schools and job market?
If you know that change and uncertainty are difficult for you, take time to prepare as much as possible prior to the move. Try to gather information about your new home. Give yourself plenty of time to process your thoughts and feelings related to the upcoming change. Talk to people you trust, your friends, your spouse and your family.
If you are moving with your spouse because of a job assignment, ask the employer to provide assistance finding a home, schools, and career support, if relevant. Demand that your and your family’s needs are taken into account when planning the logistics of relocation. Use the internet and social media to create relationships where you are going and to maintain your relationships with your family, friends and colleagues left behind.
Talk to others who have lived in the same city or region, find a cultural informant. Most of all, try to remain positive and open to new experiences and opportunities to learn. This doesn’t mean ignoring your negative feelings and fears, but it means facing your fears and being open to finding and receiving support to overcome them.
In my next blog I will discuss how to use the internet, social media and networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to nurture your professional and personal relationships, especially if you are a global nomad with your career in your carry-on.
Being in Transition
To be in transition is to be on the way. On the way to something different, something better, something new or perhaps something familiar. Sometimes being in transition is voluntary, other times we are forced into it. Either way what we make of the time “being in transition” is central to what we find at the end. Often “being in transition” between jobs makes us feel anxious, worried and down. We may face an unknown future, filled with unanswered questions. We feel as if our circle of control has shrunk immensely.
In many ways life is “being in transition” . From the moment we are born we are on the way somewhere. Each day as our body matures, we learn to crawl, to walk, to speak, and to read, we are in transition. In transition from infancy to childhood, from childhood to our teenage years and on to adulthood, old age and towards the end of our life. While being in the transition of life, we love, we learn and we create. We experience moments of joy and success, disappointment and failure, boredom and stagnation.
Placing a career transition or relocation transition into the larger context of our lives helps us gain perspective on the moment and its challenges. While it may feel extremely challenging at times, keeping our faith in ourselves and in our possibilities and in the gift of life is the first step towards reaching our goals.
It is important that we remember to respect ourselves, our needs, values, skills and celebrate our successes. But succeeding alone is almost impossible or at least much harder, so sharing our challenges and successes with those close to us is imperative. Talk to you friends and family, start a support group or join one!
The keys to a successful transition can be translated into the word RISE: R for respecting yourself, I for identifying your values and skills, S for sharing with family and friends and E for enjoying the new beginning.
Moving to a new country or region can feel daunting and scary. We leave the familiar behind, our family and friends , a job we like and a culture we know and feel part of. Therefore it is not surprising that relocation can be so stressful. What can we do to ease the stress and help ourselves and our family transition into the new?
Keep a curious and open mind, investigate the new country, region and culture before you decide if you like it or not. Find out as much as you can before you move and keep on learning. Ask questions, look for others who have gone through a similar move, and to the same location. Share your concerns and expectations with family and friends. Join an online or in person support group. And last but not least identify and understand your own assumptions and how your history and origins has influenced you. This will help you understand your new neighbors and coworkers.
RISE can also define your successful relocation: R for recognizing your assumptions, I for investigating the new before you judge, S for soliciting and sharing advise and E for exploring the world with curiosity.
Gloabl Coach center
Thumbtrack Profile