Significant Career Lesson From A Senior Manager Financial Alliances And Strategy At LiquiLoans
Arnav, a senior manager at a FinTech startup, advises against directly pursuing internal strategy roles fresh out of college, suggesting instead that entry-level positions at investment banks ("analyst position in investment banking"), large consulting firms ("analyst level positions at consulting firms"), or big four accounting firms ("staff slash accountant" or "audit assistant") provide better foundational experience. These roles offer internships during college and build the necessary skills and industry knowledge for future advancement into strategy.
Financial Analysis, Investment Banking, Management Consulting, Accounting, Entry-Level Positions
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Arnav Sutaria
Sr. Manager - Financial Alliances & Strategy
LiquiLoans (FinTech Startup)
University of Mumbai, 2018
None, professional certification - Chartered Accountant (India)
Accounting
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Strategic Management and Executive
International Student
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level positions in finance for undergraduates include analyst roles in investment banking, consulting, and accounting firms.
2. Investment banking internships are often available during college, providing experience and insight into the field.
3. Consider working for larger firms (investment banking, big four auditing/consulting firms) before moving into internal strategy roles which typically require 2-3 years of experience
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider?
Sure, happy to answer that. That might be interesting.
I would say internal strategy isn't typically pursued by people fresh out of college, and honestly, I may not even recommend it. Perhaps after two or three years in your career, once you have some basic industry, functional, or sectoral knowledge, that's when you might consider internal strategy.
Some people recruit into external consulting, like MBB, EY, or PLEC, straight out of college, but these are rarer. A more typical career path involves working for a larger firm. I would even recommend that sort of approach, where you work for an investment banking firm, a Big Four auditing firm, or a Big Four consulting firm. Something like that is worth exploring.
An analyst position in investment banking is a typical role, and I believe there are internships you can do while still in college. In India, we were able to do that. I'm not entirely sure how it works in the United States, but from what I've gathered, there are opportunities in your third and fourth year of college for a couple of months' internship at a bank or a big firm. This allows you to understand the culture and see if you'd like to join full-time. Analyst-level positions at investment banks are definitely interesting propositions to consider.
Similarly, in external consulting, not internal consulting, there are analyst-level positions at consulting firms that you can recruit for. They can be a little tricky to get into, but it's always a possibility.
The third type of entry-level position is like a staff accountant or an audit assistant. Every firm has its own designation, but it's basically an entry-level position at a Big Four accounting firm. You would support senior associates on an audit engagement, visiting companies and reviewing balance sheets.
So, you have analyst and entry-level positions in audit, investment banking, and consulting. All of these are worth considering if you're interested in any of these three fields.
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