Despite the fact that he studied dual majors in Finance and Economics during his time in college, nothing could quite prepare Bilal Basrai for that first year on Wall Street. He knows that a lot of young analysts will be intimidated when they first start working on the street, no matter how much prior learning and networking they have done. The following tips should help them to survive and create a solid foundation on which to build a successful career.
Don’t Be A Big Burden
During your first months on Wall Street you will be spending most of your time learning the ropes, which automatically makes you a burden on your associates. That is to be expected, but you need to make an effort to minimize this burden in any way that you can. Whenever you have a question, make sure to try to figure out a solution for yourself before asking about it. If you solve the problem, you will also demonstrate that you have initiative, which is an added bonus.
Don’t Only Talk About The Markets
New analysts will often make the mistake of focusing entirely on the markets when they are networking, but it is important to build personal relationships with the people in your network too. They want to work with people they can trust and relate to, so make an effort to be that person.
Approach Menial Tasks With The Right Attitude
Bilal Basrai notes that a lot of first year analysts and investors will be asked to do tasks that they may not find particularly interesting. However, you need to show that you are willing to work hard no matter what the job, so be sure to approach the task with enthusiasm and get tit completed efficiently. Eventually, you’ll start to be trusted with more interesting work.
