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Quick CFA/resume question

post #1 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
I am going to get the CFA Institute books to study while I look for work in the industry. How should I put this on my resume?

Option 1: Preparing for the December 2010 CFA Level 1 exam
Option 2: Started preparation for the December 2010 CFA Level 1 exam

Should it go under the Activities or Skills heading?
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post #2 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:24am
Maybe i'm way off base, I've heard that you shouldn't get your CFA unless you have prior work experience. Earning your CFA does nothing to increase your chances of getting an entry level job.
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post #3 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bhowie View Post
Maybe i'm way off base, I've heard that you shouldn't get your CFA unless you have prior work experience. Earning your CFA does nothing to increase your chances of getting an entry level job.

It can't possibly hurt, either.
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post #4 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bhowie View Post
Maybe i'm way off base, I've heard that you shouldn't get your CFA unless you have prior work experience. Earning your CFA does nothing to increase your chances of getting an entry level job.

That's not true. It depends mostly on previous education. A liberal arts BA/MA with a CFA has vastly improved chances of getting a job in the financial services industry than without the CFA. Even having only level 1 or 2 helps in that case. If one is a business school undergrad, then it may not add much - but it would still help for investment management jobs.

I think you should just write "CFA candidate" or "CFA Level 1 candidate"
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post #5 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:29am
Thread Starter 
You misunderstood my intentions. I am merely studying to show initiative and concrete interest in becoming a Charterholer. I was also an econ major so I lack a lot of finance knowledge. I don't think there is a question about whether studying for the CFA will help me in interviews. I am broke so I don't plan on taking the exam unless my employer will cover the $1100 cost.
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post #6 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by leftover_salmon View Post
It can't possibly hurt, either.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gdl203 View Post
That's not true. It depends mostly on previous education. A liberal arts MA with a CFA has vastly improved chances of getting a job in the financial services industry than without the CFA. Even having only level 1 or 2 helps in that case. If one is a business school undergrad, then it may not add much - but it would still help for investment management jobs.

I think you should just write "CFA applicant" or "CFA Level 1 applicant"

You know more than I do.
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post #7 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheD0n View Post
I am broke so I don't plan on taking the exam unless my employer will cover the $1100 cost.

Then I believe that listing it at all is a violation of the CFA ethics standards. It's been a while since I finished up the program (2005), but as I recall, there are very specific ways that you're 'allowed' to reference the CFA on a resume, and I don't believe that you're allowed to present yourself as a candidate/studying for/etc unless you have registered to take the exam in its next administration.

Not that I think anybody will care, unless you get interviewed by somebody who's actually in the midst of it all.

That said, I don't think putting it on your resume at all is a great idea.
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post #8 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:46am
^^ agree
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post #9 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:47am
Thread Starter 
"Started prepartion for the exam" surely can not violate any ethics standards. However, I can see how "candidate" could violate some codes.
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post #10 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheD0n View Post
"Started prepartion for the exam" surely can not violate any ethics standards. However, I can see how "candidate" could violate some codes.

Even if it was not a violation, it is a very weak statement that I would leave out of your resume.
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post #11 of 16
6/18/10 at 11:51am
unless you sign up for the exam, you can't say anything. if you sign up, you can write "CFA Level 1 Candidate". you would know this if you signed up and got the books.
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post #12 of 16
6/18/10 at 12:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdl203 View Post
That's not true. It depends mostly on previous education. A liberal arts MA with a CFA has vastly improved chances of getting a job in the financial services industry than without the CFA. Even having only level 1 or 2 helps in that case. If one is a business school undergrad, then it may not add much - but it would still help for investment management jobs.

I think you should just write "CFA candidate" or "CFA Level 1 candidate"
Since the topic was brought up .. a friend and myself were having a talk the other day.

I start my MA in Economics this fall. I'd focus on firm/consumer behavior, and econometrics. Depending on how that goes, I have thought about signing up for the CFA once I have finished. I've always been a very "technical economist", and working as a "financial economist" intrigues me. I took a look at the CFA website. What I find interesting is the focus on investment tools and investment markets, that I'd be missing from my MA.

Am I on the right track with this reasoning?
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post #13 of 16
6/18/10 at 12:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheD0n View Post
"Started prepartion for the exam" surely can not violate any ethics standards. However, I can see how "candidate" could violate some codes.

You could say "started preparation for the exam" if you don't use the letters "CFA" anywhere - but then, what would be the point?

They're hyper-protective of the trademark, and very specific about how you can use the letters.
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post #14 of 16
6/18/10 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheD0n View Post
I am going to get the CFA Institute books to study while I look for work in the industry. How should I put this on my resume?

Option 1: Preparing for the December 2010 CFA Level 1 exam
Option 2: Started preparation for the December 2010 CFA Level 1 exam

Should it go under the Activities or Skills heading?

Are people really still putting "Activities" on their resumes?
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post #15 of 16
6/18/10 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by harvey_birdman View Post
Are people really still putting "Activities" on their resumes?

Sure. I always read that part.


imschatz - hard to say since you don't really talk about what career path(s) you are contemplating
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