There are many different paths to landing a hedge fund job. Some candidates will muscle in through connections, networking and countless interviews. Others will find opportunities listed on specialized hedge fund job sites.
Still others, apparently, will take a less traditional route. A growing number of experienced financial types who may have been let go by their previous firms are opting to drive a New York City taxi. The choice offers the dual benefits of both income and a “captive” audience for your pitch, reports Dealbreaker.
The number of licensed city cab drivers has risen by 10 percent since the stock market crash of 2007. What’s more, at Master Cabbie Taxi Academy on Long Island, instructors have noticed an increase in former financial workers taking the training.
Scott Curtis is one of them. Curtis worked on Wall Street for 25 years until he became a casualty of the recession. When traditional job-hunting didn’t pay off, he took a job as a cabbie. “I thought people would see this, and think, ‘He’ll go the extra yard to go and get a job.’ ” Passengers are greeted by a laminated sheet of paper reading: “Ask to see my résumé. You won’t be sorry!” So far he’s landed three interviews, one with a major British bank, though he ultimately hopes to land a position with a hedge fund.
The whole cab driving job-seeking gig got a big boost of publicity back in 2008, when James Williamson III, an M.B.A. graduate, gained some notoriety for his own resume pitching routine to passengers. Unfortunately Williamson, who studied business at La Salle University, never managed to land a job in finance after 18 months behind the wheel.
We’ve also heard of financial types taking part-time jobs as bartenders to tide them over until they land a new position. What’s your take? Is it better to keep plugging away and networking fulltime to land a hedge fund job? Have you ever worked a part-time job while hunting for a new position? And if so, which part-time positions might put you in contact with those better able to advance your hedge fund career?
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