Sunday, March 04, 2007
I must say, it's has sure been quite a while since I last posted something here. Been busy pounding the pavement for a full-time job in the capital markets here in Hogtown.
Now that the Queen's MBA is finished and the consulting gig for Kelly at IPC Securities has also wrapped up, I am eager to find something permanent in investment banking, equity research or private equity.
Despite getting some good interviews with the likes of GMP Securities, Desjardins Securities and Dynamic Fund/Dundee Wealth recently (Jan/Feb), nothing formal has materialized as of yet.
I have the right education, an excellent track record of performance, industry work experience, and am hard-working, a quick-learner, etc. However, apparently these traits of success are NOT enough for Toronto.
In fact, a Torontonian interviewed in this past weekend's Toronto Star newspaper explains his success in Calgary after moving there from Hogtown after difficulty finding the right job here. Ironic, since he is in a field - securities law - that one would figure needs bodies and talent in Hogtown much more than in Cowtown.
Here's an excerpt from the Toronto Star article, "One-way street," from March 3, 2007:
"He wasn't in the right networks and hadn't made enough contacts to edge his way into a law firm that specialized in finance – his passion.
I hope my handle doesn't have to change to "Cowtown Lotuslander." :)
Now that the Queen's MBA is finished and the consulting gig for Kelly at IPC Securities has also wrapped up, I am eager to find something permanent in investment banking, equity research or private equity.
Despite getting some good interviews with the likes of GMP Securities, Desjardins Securities and Dynamic Fund/Dundee Wealth recently (Jan/Feb), nothing formal has materialized as of yet.
I have the right education, an excellent track record of performance, industry work experience, and am hard-working, a quick-learner, etc. However, apparently these traits of success are NOT enough for Toronto.
In fact, a Torontonian interviewed in this past weekend's Toronto Star newspaper explains his success in Calgary after moving there from Hogtown after difficulty finding the right job here. Ironic, since he is in a field - securities law - that one would figure needs bodies and talent in Hogtown much more than in Cowtown.
Here's an excerpt from the Toronto Star article, "One-way street," from March 3, 2007:
"He wasn't in the right networks and hadn't made enough contacts to edge his way into a law firm that specialized in finance – his passion.
Then he ran across a newspaper article. Calgary's booming, it said. On a whim, he went online and landed a job in the Calgary office of Blake Cassels & Graydon, one of Canada's largest law firms.
Alberta is a province where, unlike Toronto, the job you get is commensurate with the one you're trained to do – rather than the people you know, he says." (emphasis added)
I guess my challenge is that I too don't know the right people, didn't go to the right schools, didn't hang out at the right clubs or watering holes, etc. to get inside this (old boys) network. It's disappointing for me to see that brains and talent can only get you so far, apparently, despite executives all lamenting the shortage of qualified workers.
I hope my handle doesn't have to change to "Cowtown Lotuslander." :)
