From 5-12 September 2020, CFA Society Malaysia hosted an innovative “Digital Career Carnival” that promoted the value of the CFA® Program and encouraged young professionals to unleash their potential in the investment industry.
The local society created its own virtual platform to simulate a similar experience to an in-person career fair and had more than 700 participants in attendance.
This was the fifth year CFA Society Malaysia hosted this career event, which aims to develop future finance professionals and build professional recognition of the CFA® designation in the finance and investment industry.
The tagline of this event was “Unleashing Your Potential in the Financial World” and it was opened by Margaret Franklin, CFA, President and CEO, CFA Institute. In a meaningful, pre-recorded video played in the “virtual lobby”, she encouraged young professionals to always remain curious, commit to a life-long learning journey and equip themselves with both technical and soft skills to hold an edge in today’s investment management industry.
Industry Insight
The event provided an opportunity for participants to uncover valuable and in-depth insights into the investment management industry through a series of forums with industry practitioners and employer engagement sessions.
The forums focused on relevant topical issues, including leadership, the evolving banking and asset management industry, and the versatility of CFA® charterholders. These sessions featured 20 industry leaders, of which 90% were CFA® Charterholders [view the Forum Playlist here]. The speakers also shared how the CFA® Program enabled them to excel and stay relevant in their career journey, be it in the financial or non-financial arena.
Top employers were invited to participate and provided perspectives on the many career pathways to aspiring finance professionals. CFA® Charterholders working in each of the organisations were invited to speak, and the sessions were interactive with participants fielding enquiries on the possible career opportunities for a CFA® Charterholder.
Mentoring Initiative
The local society received more than 80 sign-ups from university students and working professionals for its highly sought-after private mentoring initiative, which was offered by 15 mentors from diverse industries (12 were CFA® Charterholders and the remaining three CFA® Level III candidates).
Mentees were assigned to a group of five to gather insights and personalized advice on the different career paths offered in the industry through virtual mentoring sessions facilitated throughout the week.
As they gained career advice from the exclusive mentoring sessions, Internspoon and Hays, an internship partner and recruitment specialist respectively, also provided the participants with useful tips and techniques to enhance their CV and resume in job applications.
CFA® Program Track
During the sharing sessions with the Preparatory Providers and Knowledge Partners, the event participants gained a good understanding of the additional on the CFA® Program study support available to them to supplement their self-study.
Results
CFA Society Malaysia received positive feedback about the career carnival:
- The participants found the event line-up very insightful and inspiring in preparing them for the pursuit of financial and investment industry;
- Mentees wanted to continue the role of mentoring after the event;
- The unique design and user-friendly interface of the virtual platform enabled participants to join the different activities available to them.
- The employers found their sessions with the participants interactive and engaging and would be interested in supporting the event again.
The week-long event also achieved a number of new records for the local society, with participation from:
- 700+ attendees
- Five employer partners
- A recruitment specialist and internship partner
- Four preparatory providers, two knowledge partners
- 21 speakers
- 15 mentors (with 29 mentoring sessions)
The holistic career suite run by CFA Society Malaysia was nominated as a finalist at the CFA Institute Society Award Programme 2020 in the Impact and Innovation category.
The local society believes the sustainable career event continuously upheld its objectives to develop future finance professionals and advance professionalism and professional recognition.
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