Growing up, my dad always taught my sister and I the importance of investing and encouraged us to invest our first pay checks into the stock market in high school. Ever since, the stock market and investing became an informal hobby my dad and I bonded over. After graduating from George Washington University in 2019, it was a natural transition to start my financial services career at a large U.S. commercial bank where I completed a one-year training program. Through this program, I gained a lot of knowledge about various aspects of financial services in a short period of time, while simultaneously growing professionally. Upon completion of the program, I placed into the company’s finance project management office.
Throughout my time at the bank, I built my network and connected with a few people who became my mentors. I found mentors through internal and external channels and the strongest mentor relationships were a natural fit. These mentors have become a critical part of my life, especially this early in my career, by helping me talk through my current role, my next career steps, and everything in between.
As I talked through my various assignments with my mentor, I realized I enjoyed solving complex issues that put my problem-solving skills to the test. The blend of these interests led me to explore the consulting side of financial services, and Capco was at the top of my list of in this field. I heard a lot about Capco from their recruiting efforts on GWU’s campus during college and always had a positive interaction at Capco-hosted events. I remember attending a case study workshop where the unique thought process and ideas presented by participants from Capco intrigued me. I was fortunate to interview in the Wealth and Asset Management domain at Capco. Throughout the interview process, my favorable impressions of Capco were reconfirmed and the great conversations allowed me to share my background while gaining a critical understanding of what it means to work at Capco.
In my short time at Capco, I have clearly seen the company’s commitment to partnering with the group Women @ Capco to ensure equal representation across genders at all levels and in the hiring process. Historically, I understand the challenges women have faced advancing their careers and moving to higher levels in organizations. 100 years ago, women became eligible to vote; 50 years ago, it was extremely rare to see a woman in an executive role at a Fortune 500 company. Today, I see women being highly successfully in executive roles in all industries.
At Capco specifically, I see women holding and being promoted to senior level roles. I look up to these leaders for guidance and inspiration as to how to best advance my career and overcome any obstacles I may face. I strongly believe I can advance in financial services by focusing on the quality of my work and growing my skills professionally.
My advice to women entering this field is to build as many connections as possible. Take advantage of opportunities that come your way, including going to the event you think will lead to nowhere. I started out in a smaller city where sports were super important to the culture. I quickly learned the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest news and sports results to be a part of the conversations at work and strengthen my working relationships.
Every time I meet someone, I jot down a few notes about them, such as how many children they have or their favorite sports team, so the next time I talk with them I can have a personal connection to start the conversation. While I did not invent this technique, I have found it to be effective in building key relationships.