Daniel Yee on why the perception of perfection might not always be a positive.
In writing this piece, I am going to allow myself to make a statement that may read like a hot take, but I think is both true and important for those looking to meaningfully advance their career: the “Perfect” CV can be a Dangerous Thing (if you let it).
After a number of search processes with this individual, we recently closed a role with a highly qualified private equity candidate whose CV to date was close to perfect for her level: she worked for the right sort of firms in the right sort of roles and got the right sort of experience. She had glowing references from the MDs and Partners that she worked for. Even in the context of the highly (highly!) competitive private equity job market, her CV is a standout.
Similarly, I have been partnering with a candidate who is currently working for a Tier-1 investment bank who, prior to banking, had a slightly non-traditional background which made him not only appropriate to the traditional routes out of investment banking, but also for a whole slew of roles including healthcare policy, real assets investing and quantitative research.
The problem? The quality of their profiles - and therefore the many avenues open to both these candidates - created a situation that ranged from indecision to complete inertia.
We cover a wide range of roles here at JMES and, collectively, the team were able to bring a range of options to the table for both candidates, including opportunities in Direct and Secondaries Investment, Asset Management, Corporate Development/C-Suite and roles in Financial Markets.
The challenge here wasn’t lack of quality of options. The challenge lay in taking the time to walk the individual down each of their potential career paths and really fleshing out which path made sense for their present and future ambitions. Many conversations, coffees and calls were had between us, the candidate and clients in our network to help develop a sense of comfort - and often reality - around each potential option. Repeatedly, what was even more of value was the sense of timing and cadence each candidate developed about their options. Whatever path one chooses now may not preclude them from some other rewarding path later on.
If you feel like you may be losing the forest for the trees in your own job search and career path and would benefit from a sense of direction in the world of investment management and beyond, please do drop us a line.
Contact Daniel or any of the JMES team here
