Student seeks career in international finance

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October 19, 2011

Student seeks career in international finance

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Q: I am a sophomore business student at Miami University, originally from Bellevue. I am a double major in finance and entrepreneurship, with a Chinese minor. I would love to know the kinds of things I should be doing now to best prepare myself for a job working in Seattle with international components. What suggestions do you have?
-- D.S., Oxford, Ohio

Kristen says: One of the disadvantages of looking for jobs out of state is that Seattle-area employers may not target a school like Miami for campus recruiting, even though it may be considered a top-tier school out East. You are smart to start preparing now.

The first thing you should do is identify the size of the company and the industries you are interested in. As a major Pacific Rim hub, Seattle offers a lot of opportunities. If your grades are stellar and you are willing to travel a lot for a few years, management consulting might be a good career choice for you.

Ernst & Young is considered a top company in the financial consulting arena, and it has an annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards program. Given your focus, this might be an excellent company to contact and apply for an internship with. You can use LinkedIn to find campus recruiters; on the advanced search link, use the keyword “finance” and the title “recruiter” (select “current” on the drop-down menu) to search within the company.

Other companies in the area to connect with include Microsoft and Starbucks, both of which value entrepreneurship and have globally focused business and financial teams. The Seattle Networking Guide also has a listing of international organizations.

Another valuable tool is informational interviews. Find managers and recruiters at your target companies via LinkedIn and ask for a 15-minute meeting to discuss what they look for in a successful entry-level employee. It’s important to remember that informational interviews are not about selling yourself as a candidate -- they are about finding out what sort of person a company wants.

If you start networking and meeting people now, you will have a strong framework in place when you are ready to begin your career.