College Experiences That Helped A Private Equity Director At ZT Corporate Succeed
Chihiro, a Private Equity Director, surprisingly reveals their biggest regret was not seeking mentorship during undergrad, advising students to "reach out to 10 people" on LinkedIn for informational interviews to discover career paths. This proactive approach, which they did not take, would have provided much earlier direction and ultimately contributed to greater career success.
Networking, Mentorship, Career Exploration, Financial Services, Self-Directed Learning
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Chihiro Kurokawa
Private Equity Director
ZT Corporate
UC Berkeley
UCLA; MBA
Business Management & Admin
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing), Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Finance
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. Seek mentorship early on: Actively reach out to professionals in your field of interest via LinkedIn or other networks to learn about their career paths and gain insights. This can help you gain clarity on your career goals and make informed decisions about your future.
2. Network strategically: Don't limit yourself to your immediate circle. Connect with alumni from your university who work in areas that intrigue you. A 15-30 minute informational interview can be transformative.
3. Use informational interviews to self-direct: These conversations can confirm or redirect your career interests. If a field isn't a good fit, you can pivot and explore other options using the same networking strategy.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
I'm going to turn this question on its head. There's a really important thing I did not do during undergrad that would have set me up for success earlier on. I didn't seek out mentorship until much later in life.
I'm glad I eventually learned that lesson and benefited from it greatly. I just didn't realize how much I had to learn and gain from finding mentors, whether on campus or beyond.
So, my biggest counsel to anyone in college right now is to seek out mentors. To be specific, let's say you're interested in finance. Or maybe you think you might be interested in finance, or in what I do.
At that point, it's important to find people within your network. The easiest way to do this is through LinkedIn. Find alumni from your school who are doing what you're interested in, whether that's finance, teaching, or whatever it is.
Reach out to about ten of those people. Maybe two, three, or even one will respond and agree to a 15 or 30-minute conversation. Schedule that call, Zoom, or in-person meeting. Have coffee with them and really learn about it.
After that meeting, one of two things will happen. Either you'll realize, "This isn't exactly what I thought, and I'm not interested." Or you'll think, "What they said was really interesting, and I do want to learn more about this."
Based on that, you'll give yourself direction. You'll gradually create a path for yourself, like, "I do want to learn more about finance. I do want to find a finance job. I definitely want to work in finance."
Alternatively, as a result of that conversation, you'll conclude the opposite: "I don't like that, but maybe I should look more into marketing." Then, you do the same process on LinkedIn. Find someone who's a marketer and an alumnus of your university. Have substantive conversations with that person.
That's how you figure things out for your life. I didn't do that as an undergrad. So, my biggest piece of advice is that seeking mentors will set you up for success, or more broadly, for direction in your life.
Advizer Personal Links
instagram.com/cgkurokawa, linkedin.com/in/cgkurokawa