RAIN CAREER Blog

On Tuesday, January 26 th , R.A.I.N Career Institute was joined by Kelvin Vo on the first conference call of the new academic year. Kelvin shared how his interest in finance originally developed as well as how he eventually became a Private Equity Analyst at NYX Capital Highlights of our conversation with Kelvin are below for those who were unable to tune-in:  At the beginning of the call, Kelvin described how he landed a role in Private Equity “The third-year internship is crucial for full time recruitment once you graduate. More often than not the chances of getting a return offer are quite high and that would set you up perfectly for the future. Along with that, participating in extracurricular activities is extremely important as it shows interest and passion in the field you want to pursue. They provided me with a means to improve my english skills and be able to speak eloquently in an interview setting. Along with that having the technical skills and

In partnership with RBC Capital Markets Mosaic ("RBCCM Mosaic"), on Wednesday, November 11th,  R.A.I.N. Career Institute ("RAIN")  co-hosted its first speaker panel event where RAIN participants were provided with an in-depth look at recruiting within RBC Capital Markets and RBC Ventures. RBCCM Mosaic is an employee-led resource group focused on promoting a safe and inclusive environment for employees of all origins, ethnicities, race, religion, background and education. With ~200 members across 24 individual business groups, RBCCM Mosaic is committed to supporting the retention and advancement of these employees and leveraging the benefits of diversity and inclusion.  This was the second of many speaker series to come with RBCCM Mosaic. Become a member and follow us on social media to tune into the next event! Speakers & Moderators: Kathryn Tooley Talent Acquisition Lead for RBC Ventures Kathryn is the Talent Acquisition Lead for RBC Ventures, a subsidiary of R

On Wednesday, November 11 th , R.A.I.N Career Institute was joined by Nicole Hu on the first bi-weekly conference call of the new academic year. Nicole shared her experiences on coming from China to Canada to pursue her MBA and shares how she ultimately secured a full-time position as a Corporate Banking Analyst with Scotiabank's US Power and Utilities group.  Highlights of our conversation with Nicole are below for those who were unable to tune-in:  At the beginning of the call, Nicole described some of the major factors that are key to land a role in Corporate Banking as an international student “In terms of corporate banking, one of the most important skillsets that can differentiate candidates is grasping a complete understanding of the technicalities of credit analysis. Along with that, since corporate banking tends to be a client facing role, having great social and networking skills can go a long way in landing an interview. Buying into the Canadian culture is also crucial a

On Thursday October 8 th , R.A.I.N Career Institute was joined by Sarina Cui on the first bi-weekly conference call of the new academic year. Sarina shared her experiences on coming from China to Canada to pursue her undergraduate studies and her interest in finance and how she ultimately secured a full-time position as an Investment Banking Analyst with BMO Capital Markets.  Highlights of our conversation with Sarina are below for those who were unable to tune-in:  At the beginning of the call, Sarina described some of the major obstacles that she overcame being an international student “According to me presentation skills are one of the most important set of skills that can differentiate candidates. Coming from China I had small trouble with the language barrier in my first couple of years while networking and reaching out to people for coffee chats. Understanding and buying into the entire culture of Canada was extremely important in o

We are excited to announce that R.A.I.N. Career Institute ("RAIN") has established a partnership with RBC Capital Markets Mosaic ("RBCCM Mosaic"). On Friday, September 18th, RAIN and RBCCM Mosaic co-hosted its first speaker panel event where RAIN participants were provided the opportunity to learn about each panelist's background and engage in the discussion via Q&A.  Each panelist had a unique international background and the discussion was focused on how they were able to successfully integrate into the North American workforce. RBCCM Mosaic is an employee-led resource group focused on promoting a safe and inclusive environment for employees of all origins, ethnicities, race, religion, background and education. With ~200 members across 24 individual business groups, RBCCM Mosaic is committed to supporting the retention and advancement of these employees and leveraging the benefits of diversity and inclusion.  This is th

On Thursday March 19th, R.A.I.N. Career Institute was joined by Rohan Chen on our bi-weekly conference call. Since graduating from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University his career in finance has led him to work as an Investment Banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley’s Toronto office before moving to New York to join a large-cap private equity fund. Highlights of our conversation with Rohan are below for those who were unable to tune-in:  How did you overcome the language barrier? “Co-op really helped. Working fulltime in an environment where you are forced to speak and explain yourself really forces you to find ways to communicate. Another important thing is to not lose patience. It is not something you can solve in a few days. Just wake up and try again and it will improve over time. The language barrier is something that you will need to overcome. It does not have to be perfect but you need to be confident when you are speaking and do not doubt yourself.” Are

On Wednesday February 26th, R.A.I.N. Career Institute was joined by Franklin Gumeyi on our bi-weekly conference call. Franklin shared his journey from working at EY in Africa and New York City, to coming to Toronto in order to pursue his MBA and ultimately securing a full-time position as an Investment Banking Associate with RBC Capital Markets. For those who were not able to call in last Wednesday, a brief summary of the call is highlighted below: At the beginning of the call Franklin described the details of the investment banking recruiting process as an MBA candidate:  “I knew quite a bit about how the recruiting process worked in the U.S. and over there you have multiple firms coming on campus to conduct coffee chats to try to get to know the candidates better. Here in Canada it’s completely different. The banks here prefer to use networking events and case competitions to get to know you. You also need to make sure you maintain strong grades as there is a huge emphas