Breaking into finance: your first 12 months with Kunal Tolani

Most people trying to enter finance lose two years to the same mistakes: chasing certifications before they know what seat they want, applying to roles they were never in the running for, and treating "finance" as one industry when it's six with very different entry doors.

I've sat on both sides of this. I came in from an Economics background with no MBA, worked through portfolio operations and financial research, moved into sector coverage for a tier-1 US investment bank, and now work in PE deal origination in Big 4 deal advisory, where I build investment pipelines for European sponsors and hire into my own team. I also cleared all three CFA levels on the first attempt while working full time, so I can tell you honestly when the charter helps and when it's an expensive detour.

In 60 minutes we cover:

• Which part of finance actually fits you. IB, PE, equity research, credit, deal advisory and the KPO route all have different entry requirements, different ceilings and very different day jobs. Picking wrong is the single most expensive mistake at this stage.
• Whether your profile can reach that seat directly, or needs a bridge role first, and what a realistic bridge looks like.
• CFA, MBA, modelling certifications, internships: what to do in what order for your specific target, and what to skip.
• How to build evidence of commercial judgement before you have a finance job, because that is what separates the CVs that get read from the 400 that don't.
• What the first 12 months should look like month by month, with the checkpoints that tell you whether it's working.

Come prepared. Send your CV or LinkedIn in the booking notes, plus one line on what you think you want to do.

Who this is for: final-year students, recent graduates, and professionals switching in from adjacent fields like accounting, engineering, consulting or operations.

Who this is not for: anyone already inside a finance support role looking to move front-office. Book the 45-minute repositioning session instead, it's built for you.