How do I niche down within Financial Markets..

Finding My Niche in Financial Markets

Hi everyone!

I’m feeling a bit lost when it comes to identifying a niche within the investment sector, especially with the subtleties of the financial markets.

In the tech industry, niching down seemed relatively straightforward. For instance:

• Fintech companies with 50-200 employees
• Located in London
• Seeking AWS Cloud Engineers

That was easy to grasp!

However, for the past three years, I’ve been trying to apply a similar approach in financial markets, but I’ve encountered some challenges. I’ve attempted:

• Asset Managers with $1B-$10B AUM in New York looking for Quant Analysts
• Asset Managers with $1B-$10B AUM in New York looking for Data Scientists
• Infrastructure Private Equity in New York seeking Data Analysts

The recurring issue is that job titles in finance are not universally defined. For example, a Quant Analyst at one asset manager may have little interest in candidates who haven’t worked at firms with identical strategies.

This leaves me questioning how to effectively choose a niche. Should I aim for something highly specific, like targeting energy-focused alternative asset managers that hire data scientists? I attempted that in the past, but surprisingly, many of them didn’t even employ data scientists!

I apologize for the long message, but any insights you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Help please

Seeking advice!
Hi everyone, I’ve been working at an agency for the past two years, and while I’ve performed reasonably well, I’m finding the stress quite challenging. Do you have any suggestions for careers I can transition into that aren’t dependent on commission? Thanks!

Lost my job due to relocation

Seeking New Opportunities After Job Loss

I recently lost my job as a recruiter specializing in executive search and IT due to relocation, a consequence of the economic downturn in my home country. As I continue my journey of personal development, it’s a bittersweet moment for me. I truly enjoyed my time at both the consulting firm and the NGO, where I gained invaluable experience and skills.

Despite this setback, I remain hopeful and excited for the next chapter of my career here in the UK. I am actively seeking new opportunities, ideally in fields such as recruitment, human resources, strategy development, business analysis, and social impact strategy. With 6-7 years of experience and an MSc in Human Resources Management (Distinction), I am passionate about helping people find meaningful and fulfilling work.

If you know of any openings or have leads that might align with my background, I would be incredibly grateful for your assistance. Please feel free to reach out to me via email, phone, or LinkedIn. I also welcome any feedback or advice you may have. Thank you!

Blaming Recruitment

Recruitment Under Fire

To what extent should recruitment be held responsible for employees who resign or are terminated? I’ve noticed that we often end up being the scapegoats in these situations. Despite our ongoing efforts to enhance our hiring processes and our commitment to strict selection criteria, when a client expresses dissatisfaction with their staff, we frequently face criticism for allegedly failing to “assess” candidates effectively. The reality is that the process for addressing underperformance within our organization is quite subjective, and it seems like we need to dive deeper into identifying the root causes of these issues rather than placing blame solely on recruitment.

How does a recruiter operate day to day?

What does a recruiter’s daily routine look like?
I’m curious about the inner workings of the recruitment industry, particularly the strategies and processes that recruiters implement every day. This includes aspects like lead generation, metrics, KPIs, and how they qualify candidates, among other things I might not be aware of.
Does anyone know where I can find detailed information on this topic? Or could someone provide a brief overview? I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Searching by job posting volume

Looking for Job Posting Volume Insights

Does anyone know of a website or intelligence tool that allows me to search for companies based on the number of job postings they have? Ideally, I’m looking for a way to see how many roles companies are advertising, similar to how I can search a specific company on LinkedIn. For example, I’d like to see that Company X has 20 roles listed and Company Y has 35. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Is this recruitment agency legit?

Is This Recruitment Agency Real?

Hi everyone, I’m new here. I recently relocated to Manchester from Australia and got a job interview through a recruitment agency called Childcare Heroes (CH) for one of their clients, Thrive Childcare. I had a virtual interview with Thrive’s Head of People, and the following day, CH informed me that I got the job. Exciting, right?

However, I noticed something odd: CH doesn’t have a website or a LinkedIn page. When I looked up the agent’s name on LinkedIn, I found an inactive profile, which is unusual for a recruitment agency (I’ve been in recruitment for several years). On the other hand, Thrive appears to be a legitimate organization, and the person I interviewed with matches their LinkedIn profile as the Head of People.

I’m set to start next week, but I still haven’t received any contracts or paperwork to sign. I reached out to my contact at CH, and here’s their response:

“You will need to sign your contract, which will be issued via the onboarding system. In order to do this, we need to input your details into the system, but since the role has been filled upon your acceptance, we can’t do this through the normal link. To proceed, could you please enter your details against the role below, and then Thrive will adjust it internally.”

This doesn’t quite add up—why do I have to enter my information for another job posting? Is it normal for a recruitment agency to lack a LinkedIn presence or a website? Is this something specific to the childcare sector?

Am I being overly cautious here? I’d appreciate any thoughts or advice on how to proceed. Thanks!

Recruiters in your LinkedIn network?

Are there recruiters in your LinkedIn network?

Hello everyone,

I have a question that may seem trivial but could spark an interesting conversation. If you’re a recruiter, do you connect with recruiters from other firms on LinkedIn?

My initial instinct says no, since it might allow them to reach potential candidates and poach talent. However, the saying “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” has me reconsidering…

What do you think is the best practice in this situation?

Is it possible for AI to identify the top applicants by their CVs?

Can AI help identify the best candidates based on their CVs?

Picture this: I’m a recruiter, and a large portion of my work revolves around assessing how well applicants align with job descriptions. Most of their CVs are saved as PDFs.

I’m curious—could I use ChatGPT or another AI tool to streamline the process of selecting the most qualified candidates from my pool of applicants?

Product Manager vs Management Consultant

Product Manager vs. Management Consultant

After nearly a year of working post-MBA, I’ve started receiving job offers, and I have two strong options on the table:

1. Product Manager in Fintech
2. Associate Consultant at a Big 4 firm

While the salary range is quite similar, I’ve heard that the working hours differ significantly (Product Manager – 8-9 hours, Consultant – 13-14 hours).

I’m curious about the following:

• What does the career trajectory look like for each role?
• Is it likely that I would earn more in consulting in the long run?
• Which role might be more engaging and fulfilling?
• Are those extended hours in consulting ultimately worth it?

I’d appreciate your insights!