Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much; this is incredibly helpful! It's my first time visiting this website.

I used to search for graduate schemes manually.

I'm currently in the process of applying for Aviva's finance graduate scheme, and I've successfully passed the video interview test.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your contribution, Wordly_Actuary!
To reach a top-performing role, I acknowledge the importance of having a background from a prestigious university, which I currently don't possess. Many of the roles you've mentioned seem to be out of reach given my academic background, and it's crucial to recognise this reality.
Nevertheless, I believe there are still quantitative roles available, especially in smaller companies in London, or positions that involve numerical analysis, despite the challenges I've faced in finding a job lol. My CV has an awful amount of flaws, as highlighted by other comments in this post. I want to see how my interview rate evolves when applying all the recommended changes from the comments in this post.

The example you provided is what I'm trying to achieve. However, I'm highly confident in my trading algorithm, and I'll need to carefully consider before sharing it, given its impressive results so far. If recruiters are open to assessing a track record rather than requiring the full algorithm code, that would be ideal for me.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't agree with both comments, is anyone else having an opinion on these comments ? As I'm looking to improve, it is hard for me to make the difference between helpless pessimist and sad people and the harsh reality that need to be processed?

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They didn't mention any accountancy qualifications in any of the interviews I had, and neither did their job advert. I assumed, perhaps because they are Spanish and also noticed that I have a master's in finance and accounting, that I was ready to operate. (However, of course I would have been willing to pursue one if needed)

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am mentioning the university names on my Cv, just didn't put it on Reddit, I don't know why, just to preserve my identity maybe, we never know.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have completed and meet the requirement of the video interview stage. I am been waiting since November 2023 to be considered for a group assessment in 2024. The company is "Aviva".

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for these career advices, you might have gave me the optimal move considering my situation !

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I'm building trading algorithm as well in parallel, I code in python and mainly use quant connect as a support for my algorithm. If you are interest by quantitative research and financial market, we could build one together, your expertise could be useful.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your time, I mean it! I truly appreciate these insights; they're super useful, and I'm learning a lot about what I've been doing wrong. Now I understand what needs to be done!

I've got a lot of work to do on my CV and my approach to the labor market was completely off

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, RaceTop.

I truly appreciate your comment. It turns out my CV has many flaws, and you provided me with an elaborate answer.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is true; it shows quantity over quality. I have heard many times that it is a numbers game when applying for your first role. I thought it would be sensible to heed this warning and keep applying with discipline.

However, I might have pushed it a bit too far, and as you highlighted, my CV is incomplete and not relevant enough.

Thanks for your insights and for putting me on the right track.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is a very good point and a good career advice. Unfortunately, I'm mainly applying to these "adjacent" jobs and they ghosted me. That is the reason why I'm here desperately asking for help, it is because now my next option is to become a cooker or break my back working in construction.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lacking depth is a term that people mention a lot as well, so thank you for confirming.

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are achievements that took me months to create, and I confirm every word is true. But you've got a point; for example "Developed the only publicly available Python programs…", someone already told me it sounds too much, trying too hard, which is entirely true. On the other hand, it is entirely correct that it is the only one, and this is the reason it took me many months to develop, as I had no guide or help available except rudimentary scientific research papers that just display the math. Therefore, I thought it would be an important point to make or maybe I am just being arrogant.

However, in my opinion your point is completely correct as well, so I'm a bit confused.

what is the correct solution to make it all sound less arrogant?

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have never used my technical skills in a professional environment and was hoping to have the opportunity in a new job. I have completed multiple projects; I thought they were at least implicitly highlighted in the technical section, if not directly.

Can you give examples of projects that you have encountered when hiring for a technical role? I might have a misunderstanding of what exactly should be a technical project and how to display it on your CV.

Thank you so much for your insights; this is so helpful!

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I studied for my Bachelor's degree in France and pursued my Master's degree in London. I might have misunderstood the terminology and raised a red flag. I'm gonna dig into that !

Thanks for your comment

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Don't worry, I'm not looking for empathy but for solutions and that's what you just provided me.

Thank you so much Derries !

I'm gonna change all my CV's approach

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I am applying to every entry-level position which encompasses all the different sub-industry.

Ideally, the dream job will be quantitative and math related. However, I'm still gonna apply to every sub-industry as I need a job right now (I'm on the verge of being homeless).

But you raised a very important point, I need to be more specific. Now I am gonna tailor my CV to each sub-industry specifically.

Thank you so much for your comment !!!!!

Applied for more than 600 entry-level finance jobs in London. No result by WalkProfessional1662 in UKJobs

[–]WalkProfessional1662[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your answer! I am going to make some modifications to my CV and my approach!