Career conversations: Differentiate yourself from the competition

I approached a lecturer of mine back at university who is a CFA® Charterholder and I asked the question, "How can I differentiate myself from the other graduates in the same degree?" And she suggested the CFA Program as a path I could take to set myself aside from the rest of the graduates, and it sends a good signal to employers.

My name is Chris Rodrigues and I work in debt capital markets at a major Australian bank. I studied a Bachelor of Commerce degree in finance and economics at a leading New Zealand university.

I thought the CFA® title told a bit more of a story about your background and your character, rather than just a Bachelor of Commerce degree in finance and economics, it speaks volumes for your character and the determination and grit that you have to get through the program and what it requires from you.

I think it's important to start the CFA® Program early in your career. The job market's a lot more competitive early in your career, when everyone's at that sort of early stage, and it really adds a unique aspect to your CV, which other applicants might not have. It could be the tipping point between you getting the job and someone else.

I found the CFA Program allowed me to hit the ground running in my role in debt capital markets. It gave a really good general understanding of fixed income and macroeconomics, which really helped me understand what was happening in the market and really develop my technical expertise further.

I think the CFA Program's about getting a broad range of understanding across, the whole spectrum of finance, which you won't always get to work in. So I think it's unique in the sense that you can get that experience and knowledge across several sectors at once rather than specializing in one. So it gives you a great overall understanding of the industry as a whole.