News

Apr 03, 2007

1) My extra office hours: Apr 17 (Tue) from 2 to 6pm.
2) The TA's office hours: Apr 20 (Fri) from 7 to 9pm @ MW369 (Econ TA room).

Mar 6, 2007

The midterm solution is posted.

Feb 28, 2007

The following is a story of finding finance-related jobs for finance graduate. Although the featured UofT graduate has a master's degree and CFA, his comments on the strategies to find finance-related jobs are valuable to all of you. SOURCE: Career Centre Student Newsletter, The WEB: A publication of the Career Centre of the University of Toronto March 2005, Vol. 8 Issue 8

Career story
featuring...

John Ginis
Analyst,
Research and Valuations/Acquisitions

Education:
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), 2004
Master Of Financial Economics (MFE), 2004
Honours Bachelors Of Arts (Specialist), Economics (HBA), 2002

How did you go about your job search upon graduating?
I found that the best way to find out about exciting job opportunities was by networking. I signed up with the Career Centre so that I was able to apply for finance and economics positions through the University and obtained the position I now have through a posting in the Economics graduate office. During the application process, I did as much research as possible on the company--its mission, its subsidiaries, its key products, its clientele, its investment strategies, its competitors, and the like.

What strategies were most successful for you in marketing your degree and experiences to potential employers?
Tailoring my resume package to each firm and position was very important. This became even more important when applying for more than one position at the same firm. A different cover letter, with perhaps a different focus, goes a long way to impress the firm. Again, during the interview process I was commended for being very specific on each application. I think it makes you a more attractive candidate and demonstrates character.

Why do you think you were hired into your first position?
I attended a few mock interviews at the Career Centre to prepare for the interview, in addition to meeting with real estate investment analysts from other firms and asking them about their job search experiences. They also offered recommendations on preparing for my interview.
During the initial interview process I asked very pertinent and specific questions about the firm and the job in general that aroused the attention of the interviewers. I also made follow-up contact, after every interview stage, with every individual that I met in each round to thank them for taking the time to meet with me, and to ask continued follow-up questions about the firm and their specific roles within the firm. I got very lucky in that a few of the senior vice-presidents agreed to have lunch with me to discuss the job and my career in general.

Any last words of advice?
Take advantage of all the resources at your disposal. The Career Centre is there all year round. Take the time to go in and get your resume and cover letter critiqued. In addition, take advantage of their mock interview sessions. These can only help you in preparing for key questions.
Attend as many career fairs and information sessions as possible. Not only will you find out about particular companies, but also it gives you the chance to meet with interesting people who can go a long way in helping you.
In addition, post your resume--and periodically update it--on a few on-line job repositories, like Workopolis or Monster.

The above is an abbreviated version of John Ginis’ Alumni Profile. You can find the complete profile and others like it on the Career Centre website and in the Career Resource Library collection.

Feb 16, 2007

Extra office hours before midterm:
i] My extra office hours: Feb 22nd (Thursday) from 5 to 7pm @ my office
ii] TA's extra office hours: Feb 23rd (Friday) from 7 to 9pm @ MW369 (Econ TA room)

Jan 8, 2007

The website is up and running. Please constantly check back to see if there is any update.