R.A.I.N. Conference Call Series - January 29th Highlights

On Wednesday January 29th, R.A.I.N. Career Institute hosted Herk Yang on our inaugural bi-weekly conference call. Herk shared his journey starting from his undergrad in China to securing a full-time job with private equity firm Novacap and all of the insights he gathered along the way. The call was followed by a Q&A session with call participants. 

For those who were not able to call in, a brief summary of the call is highlighted below:

 When asked about what he learned throughout his finance recruitment process, he offered the following three insights:

1. It is a myth that you cannot get interviews by cold applying. People tend to have an inflated view of how competitive the process truly is. If you are a qualified candidate you can still secure interviews simply by applying online.
2. The peak recruiting seasons are spring and fall.
3. Another myth is that nobody reads cover letters. Having a well-written cover letter is another way to stand out.

The conversation continued with Herk explaining how he used skills he developed during his non-finance internships to help him excel at Novacap.

“In my marketing internship a large part of the job was cold calling. It gave me the confidence I have now to speak to clients over the phone. Before that I worked in a warehouse. That taught me how to work long hours and it’s where I first started developing a strong attention to detail.”

He also gave multiple pieces of advice for international students aspiring to break in to the finance industry:

“For students who do not have North American work experience, do whatever you can to get some. Some employers will discount overseas experience during the application process.”

“Learning English as a second language, you might never become as proficient as a native speaker but it’s important to keep practicing. At the end of the day what’s most important is that people can understand you.”