I am privileged to debut our Expert Interview with Tom Budinger, Partner of The Curran Group. In the interview, Tom discusses the essential qualities he looks for in candidates. Among the many qualities mentioned are:

• Passion for the business
• Independent judgment
• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Internally driven but not externally competitive
• Willingness to put in the hours
• Listen to other people’s opinion
• Good ethics and high integrity

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW:

(26 minutes)

Do any of these surprise you? Now compare this list with my recent post, 30 Qualities Of An Outstanding Financial Analyst from the viewpoint of financial analysts. Passion is a recurring theme and is conspicuously the top attribute to succeed in the field or any field for that matter. I most certainly agree with Tom that it is easy to tell if someone truly has a passion for the business.

I have always been a big believer that everyone should pursue his/her passion. Success without passion is success without fulfillment.

Based on Tom’s experience, only two of ten candidates possess the qualities listed above. That’s excellent opportunity for you! All you have to do is to develop these qualities, to give you the edge to be among the top 20% of the candidates.

The even better news is that ALL of these qualities can be developed, including passion, according to Tom. I’ve always thought that passion only comes from within. It is encouraging to hear that it takes less time to develop these qualities than to become a CFA charter holder.

Assuming you already possess these skills, how do you differentiate yourself from the other candidates in an interview? today all have solid financial knowledge. Although the job market isn’t as gloomy as the media suggests, Tom admittedly says that there are more candidates vying for the same positions.

Tom has some excellent advice for you on how to prepare for an interview to greatly enhance your chance for a second meeting. I invite you listen to the audio for the full details.

The Curran Group has experience and significant presence in the financial industry and continually has searches for many fields in the industry. For more information, visit www.curransearch.com. To learn more about the latest openings, you can contact Tom Budinger or Laura Russell-Jones at 415-956-9990.

I would love to hear your feedback on this first Expert Interview. Invite your friends to listen to this call with Tom Budinger if you enjoyed it.

I look forward to your suggestions on any topics or experts that you’d like me to include in our Expert Interview. It is my intention to bring more experts to share their insights with you here on Financial Analyst Blog.

You Should Also Check Out This Post: