Relevant Experience?
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I just came across this in an FAs website on the internet under his experience tab.
Business Experience 2008 - Present: Financial Advisor Associate2006 - 2008: d***'s Sporting Goods
1997 - 2006: The Home Depot
I deleted the company name and the city, but I got a good laugh from this and nothing like boosting client confidence in this economy with knowledge on fertilizer and fishing lines!
I have some past jobs that I would never include in my experience, any other good ones out there?well, I would’t advertise such experience, but I know an ex shoe salesman who built a 200+mm book from scratch, and an ex clothes salesman who manages around the same. Both started in late '80’s…
'I'm just sayin' cant a;waays judge by PAST experience. But I 'll admit those are pretty lame.Actually, I was looking at our regional roster yesterday. We get one when we go to our sumemr regional meetigns each year. It shows each FA, start date, location, etc., plus their previous employer.
I was very surprised to see, despite all the "stories" on this board, that about 95% of our existing FA's previously worked in financial services. A handful (such as I) were accountants or finance people in unrelated industries. Then there were a couple that I could not identify who the employer was. Most of the previous related experience was at banks and insurance companies, followed by wirehouses, and a maybe a few independant-type firms. Nobody recently out of college. A few people in unrelated sales fields. Average age about 47 (I'm guessing). A couple young people in their mid/late 20's.I agree Jones, in no way am I an elitist in that aspect, you could have an ivy league grad fail just a easily as anyone else. It doesnt matter what your experience is, it is what you do in the present that matters.
I just was shocked to see someone put this on their FA website and that the firm actually allowed this.This could be a really informative thread. It might be interesting to see if general backgrounds varied from region to region. Here in the semi-rural, semi-retirement mecca regions of Florida there seem to be a lot of retired military guys in the biz. Lots of USAF, USCG and Navy influence in this neck o' the woods. Also have a couple former CPAs, teachers, and general sales guys in local branches. Indy guys around here seem to be the ones that started out as pure insurance guys first, then made the transition. I myself come from a professional interpretive dance background, which I've learned is very common in this field.
I myself come from a professional interpretive dance background, which I’ve learned is very common in this field.
Beemer,
I mean this without trying to be a wiseass, but what exactly is 'a professional interpretive dance background?'
For that matter, what is interpretive dance? I've heard the phrase but have no idea what it means.
[quote=2wheeledbeemer] I myself come from a professional interpretive dance background, which I’ve learned is very common in this field.
Beemer,
I mean this without trying to be a wiseass, but what exactly is 'a professional interpretive dance background?'
For that matter, what is interpretive dance? I've heard the phrase but have no idea what it means.[/quote]
That was the whole problem! Our art was cut down in its prime...We had this fantastic routine where the whole troupe did forward somersault around the stage while the narrator would read aloud a list of grains found native in Ecuador, set to Christopher Cross' most politically wrenching piece ever, "Sailing." I mean, what could more clearly transcend all cultural, socio-economic barriers than art like that? Stuff like that gets everybody, right there! There wasn't a junior high auditorium across America that we couldn't fill at our peak (4:27 pm, March 23rd, 1996.)
Anyway, we had it knocked because we had this amazingly beneficent big wheel in New York named Grubman or Gubman or something, and he understood us. We reached a part of his soul, I guess. Well, the wheels fell off of whatever he was doing, we lost our major funding from him, and then Newt Gingrich pulled the plug on our grant, and then next thing you know, I'm learning about how the Putnam Investors fund has some of the most balanced approaches to perpetual growth ever known to man.
To quote that oft overlooked bard, Christopher Cross, "What a long, strange trip it's been...."
Damn. For a minute there I thought I was finally going to learn the secret to interpretive dance.
Oh woe is me.
[quote=mooose]I just came across this in an FAs website on the internet under his experience tab.
Business Experience 2008 - Present: Financial Advisor Associate2006 - 2008: d***'s Sporting Goods
1997 - 2006: The Home Depot
I deleted the company name and the city, but I got a good laugh from this and nothing like boosting client confidence in this economy with knowledge on fertilizer and fishing lines!
I have some past jobs that I would never include in my experience, any other good ones out there?[/quote] IMO the only reason you may want to do this is to show that you are older... aka not straight out of college. Otherwise I agree its pretty lame to list those employers.
when you’re playing your strengths, it all depends on where you live…
i’m sure there’s towns where this background would work to someone’s benefit, especially when they are working to open accounts. Building investable assets, that’s another thing…
[quote=Still@jones]when you’re playing your strengths, it all depends on where you live…
i’m sure there’s towns where this background would work to someone’s benefit, especially when they are working to open accounts. Building investable assets, that’s another thing…
[/quote]
What towns do you figure it would work to someone’s benefit to
advertise the fact that their experience in managing money amounts to working at a sporting goods store and a home improvement store?
And do you suppose these same towns would also react favorably to prior money management experience in interpretive dance?
Are you saying that there is something wrong with interpretive dance, Mophius? Be careful!
[quote=voltmoie]Are you saying that there is something wrong with interpretive dance, Mophius? Be careful![/quote]
I guess that all depends on the town, and how they interpret it.
Sorry. Couldn’t resist that one.
Are you saying that there is something wrong with interpretive dance, Mophius? Be careful!
volt, you don’t look like I thought you would look.