FinArchives

1. In plain English, please describe your current role and function.

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I’m an energy portfolio manager, my role is to manage a sum of money for my company by investing it into stocks in the energy sector (oil and gas and renewables and power), the aim is to buy stocks when they are cheap and make money by selling them at a higher price.

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2. On average, how is your time divided across quantitative work (e.g., financial analysis), qualitative work (research and writing), presentations (to investors, management, etc), and other tasks? Please describe what falls into ‘other.’

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0% on presentations, 30% financial analysis (models or analyzing financial statements), 40% meetings with management teams to discuss their operations or calls with analysts who write research about the companies I want to invest in, or listening to conference calls for investors, 30% writing up reports on my findings, 

 

3. Where did you attend college and what was your major/minor? Did you participate in any clubs in school or internships that you believe helped you decide what you wanted to pursue as your career? 

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I went to Melbourne University, studied Bachelor of Commerce and information systems. I didn’t join any clubs during university for my career, but I did apply and completed 3 internships in the final year of uni, which was secured based on my marks and a competitive interview process 

 

4. Do you have a graduate degree, and if so, what type?

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No grad degree, and not many people have one in finance initially. But some do an MBA when they have some work experience 

 

5. What about certifications like as a chartered financial analyst, certified public accountant, or other similar certifications? 

 

I got my CFA a few years after I started work, but these days it’s popular to get it around the time you graduate. It was only useful to give me a competitive edge when I was a grad. 

 

6. What did you wish you had known in college that would have made your transition into the working world smoother? 

 

That your grades really matter when you apply for your job, after that it’s about showing up, paying attention to detail and putting in effort. 

 

7. How will the rising prominence of artificial intelligence (“AI”) impact your job and entry level jobs in your industry?

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It should be a useful tool to make my work easier, but as it stands today, it’s not advanced enough to replace entry level jobs, someone still needs to guide it to do the correct analysis and then also double check the outputs. Obviously, this may change as AI gets more advanced. 

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8. What skills or qualities do you look for when hiring for an entry job level candidate?

 

Someone I can communicate easily with, no bad attitude, keen to learn, understands the basics related to the role, and understands that work is a means to make a living, not a place to just have fun. 

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9. Is there any other information you would like to share that hasn’t been shared through the questions above?

 

No -  pretty comprehensive set of questions.