Hi Sabrina! Thank you for speaking with Investment Society! Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Sabrina Beaver and I graduated back in May, Class of 2020. While at Wellesley, I majored in international relations/economics and minored in Russian. I recently started a position as a research associate at the Global Macro Research Team at Franklin Templeton.
How is your experience at Frankel Franklin Templeton as a Global Macro Research Associate? How did you learn about this position?
I really like the position so far. It's given me an opportunity to explore my interests with the support of the other team members. I learned about this position actually from a Wellesley class. My senior fall, I was taking international macroeconomics with Professor Joyce. Offhandedly one day, he's like, “Oh, I got this email from a past student about this position that she really liked, and she said that people who enjoyed this class should apply for it.” I looked it up on Handshake and I was interested in all of the things posted on this job posting. I wrote up a cover letter and resume and sent it in. So, it was just by chance that I came across the opportunity because I was in class that day and happened to be early to hear what he was saying about this email that he received from a past student.
What does a research associate do and what does your day to day look like?
As a research associate, my job is to provide background on a country or a region in the world. We do this through quarterly reports. Because I’m new this quarter, I'm just working on one report but as I get more comfortable, I will do several reports every quarter. What you do is you want to give an economic background for the country. Also, you cover politics or demographics. Obviously for whatever region of the world you're working in, this is going to look different, so there isn't a set way to approach this. It functions a lot like an independent project would, where you have an idea but it's your choice of how you pursue that. As far as day-to-day, because the structure is so open, it does change a little bit. But we have a meeting every single morning. Before that, I come in, log on, read all of the news headlines and see if there's been any data releases that I want to talk about with the other team members. After that, sometimes we have calls or different things with other organizations that watch these regions. Sometimes that's watching a presentation from the IMF or talking to another resource associate who covers the region. Then you spend time working on your report or other projects. That sometimes looks like reading other reports have been written. Sometimes that's working with data and making graphs and tables or running projections. It really depends on what your day looks like and where in that reporting process you are.
How did you know you want to pursue something in finance?
Going into my senior year, I was not particularly looking for something in finance. I had obviously studied economics and had known about the options out there. When I was applying for jobs, I applied to quite a spread of positions. I had stuff that were very much research positions, some that were more in like business or finance, and some other positions as well. It wasn't something I was necessarily looking for, but then when I found a job and started the interviewing process I really loved the team and I was really passionate about the way that it brought together my different interests. It seemed to be a great opportunity to grow. So, I think it's interesting in that I wasn't necessarily looking for a position like this one, or even necessarily a position in finance, but they ended up coming together at the right moment with all of the qualities I was looking for in a position.
What did your internships in previous summers look like?
Building off the last answer, the previous summer I had been interning at the Department of State on the pol-econ team in Almaty, Kazakhstan. There, I was doing stuff that was related to what I'm doing now, so related to economic development, investment, and regional political dynamics, but it was a government position where I was in-country. The summer before that I was working in DC at an NGO that focused on Russian and post-Soviet politics and economics, so again not necessarily pointed towards finance. That being said, I think the preparation for both of those positions has helped me in my position at Franklin Templeton because it gave me a unique perspective to approach the countries in the regions that I work on. There are definitely some technical tools that I had to learn coming on, but having the background of arriving in a country, diving in, and getting to know it by researching it and by working on projects there really helped me become more comfortable in my position.
How is your transition to the finance industry, given that you like your previous summer internship experiences?
COVID aside, the transition has gone pretty smoothly. Obviously, there are some tools now that I use working in finance that either weren't available or that we didn't use in my other positions. There's a steep learning curve coming on, both in terms of the programs and tools I was using and some of the concepts because what you're looking at when you're doing cables or reports for the government or for an NGO are different than what we're going to be looking at for a private firm. So there was a bit of adjustment. That being said, I think there's a lot of skills that you'll learn in internships whether they are in finance or in other realms that are really transferable. So learning how to work on a team, learning how to work independently, and having research skills all transferred quite well. It was just fitting those skills into some of the new tools, programs and workflows that I was introduced to at Franklin Templeton.
Is there any advice that you could give to students who are looking to pursue a finance career? Advice on how to network, find their first internship, etc.?
On networking, when I was at Wellesley, I was very hesitant to reach out to people because I was like, “Oh, they're like really busy professionals. They don't want to get an email from me.” But my experience, both in my later years at Wellesley and now that I'm in the workforce, is people like talking about their interests and what they're passionate about. So if you're passionate about something and you come across somebody who is also passionate about them, I would encourage students to reach out and make those connections. I think some of my most meaningful projects that I've done have happened because of cold emails. I would encourage current students to be a little bit bolder in their willingness to reach out to alums or professionals in their field.
Another thing that has really helped me in my transition and my preparation for this job is doing things that you're passionate about and things that are interesting to you, even if those don't necessarily always seem like the right thing to do or the thing that everyone else is doing. When I was interviewing for positions, my past experience in Kazakhstan was probably not traditional. But I think those kinds of experiences that you're just passionate about, whether that's a club or an org that you start or whether that’s an internship that you don't think is related to what you want to go into but that you find is really interesting, sometimes those experiences are the ones that set you apart. A lot of times when you're interviewing, everyone will have good grades and everyone will have good test scores. It's those interests or experiences that you have that really set you apart. While it's important to prepare for your life after Wellesley, also take time to have interests and do things that you're passionate about because a lot of times that's what will help you in a candidate pool.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with the Wellesley community interested in finance?
Whether it's in classes, starting a new career in finance, or moving across the country during a pandemic, my advice would be keep an open mind. You went to Wellesley. You've been fabulously prepared for anything that comes ahead. No matter how difficult those situations may seem, take a deep breath and have confidence in yourself. When you walk in a room to present, whether that's for a job interview or preparing for internships or doing a presentation in class, know that you have those skills and be prepared to use them. Know going out into the world that you are excellently prepared and have confidence in your public speaking skills, your research skills, and your academic skills. Know that you are capable of pursuing the things you're passionate about.
Lastly, what's your favorite quarantine activity?
Now that it's fall, the leaves are changing and the weather is nice. I really enjoyed hiking and going for walks with my dog and my family, just enjoying the last few days of nice weather before winter comes. With quarantine and spending so much time inside like working on my computer during the week, I really like to get out and enjoy the fresh air and see some of the scenery on the weekends.
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