Conrad Carbonell van Reck’s Post

Over the summer, I reviewed over 250 applications for an Investment Associate role. Apart from having relevant experience, some traits were obvious deal-breakers, while others made us consider a candidate on the spot. ❌ Here’s what 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 keep a candidate in the running: ↳ Generic lines like: “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴-𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.” ↳ Bold claims like: “𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵” or “𝘐’𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘺” ↳ CVs and cover letters that read like they were created by the same person (or ChatGPT). ↳ Vague statements that might fit 1,000 other roles—but none in particular. ↳ And flashy, over-the-top adjectives like: “𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺,” “𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵” or “𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭-𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘺” ✅ Instead, what truly 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 were applications that: ↳ Were 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰, sharing a genuine story. ↳ Demonstrated real 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻—not in a clichéd “𝘐’𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴” way, but in a way that felt personal. ↳ Directly answered a key question: “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?” ↳ Highlighted 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 rather than broad claims. ↳ Showed 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲—they researched our portfolio, learned about us, and mentioned specific companies. Some reached out to our network for recommendations. And others even prepared small assignments we did not ask for! 📌 To sum it up: Don't try to fit the frame. Do the opposite. Demonstrate what makes you unique. And go the extra mile, it pays off. Any other tips for making a good impression before the interview stage?

Treat your career like an investor: “You can love the founder, and you can love the market, but just not love the valuation.” - Mark Suster Make sure you love all 3 before you join a company - especially these days! There are so many solid companies, with solid founders/teams, that are overvalued, which in turn makes them poor investments! This includes the investment of your time which is what you are doing when you choose to join a company full time. That is not meant to be rude or offensive to the founder, CEO, or your manager, it’s just the reality of business in 2024. You as the employee are extremely concentrated with your career investment, you need to be smart with that investment! If you need help finding a great company, with a strong team, and a solid valuation, please reach out, I’m happy to help point you in the right direction!

There will be uncertainty before we start anything, whether it’s switching to a new sector or cracking a particular role, & what helped me during such uncertainties was my "RESEARCH skill and the confidence to start and take the next step". . . #linkedinforcreators #linkedincreators

🌟 Seeking Input from INVESTORS for Bachelor Thesis 🌟 Hello LinkedIn community 👋 I'm working on my thesis and I need your help! I'm focusing on how to attract investors to early-stage companies (in this case an entertainment company). I would like to conduct a few INTERVIEWS, which this post is about, before I also publish a survey. If you're an investor or know someone who invests in the entertainment industry, especially based in LA, I'd love to chat with you. It would be great to conduct a face-to-face interview, but if that's not possible, we can do it online. Your insights will be super helpful for my research. Just drop a comment or shoot me a message. Thanks a lot 🙏! Angelina #BachelorThesis #Investor #AngelInvestors #FamilyOffices #VentureCapital #EarlyStage #LA #LAInvestors #Investment #ResearchStudy #BusinessDevelopment #Funding #InvestorInterview #LoveIsAllWeNeed

Another day, thinking about what might be next? Is this it? Is there more to this career than you are feeling right now? All of these questions and more are answered in this 90-minute investment in YOU. Get the tools to succeed in the next phase of your career, we share our journeys, mistakes and successes to help you shape your career #legalcareers #bethebestyou https://lnkd.in/eNCCESTs

Another day, thinking about what might be next? Is this it? Is there more to this career than you are feeling right now? All of these questions and more are answered in this 90-minute investment in YOU. Get the tools to succeed in the next phase of your career, we share our journeys, mistakes and successes to help you shape your career #legalcareers #bethebestyou https://lnkd.in/eNCCESTs

Another day, thinking about what might be next? Is this it? Is there more to this career than you are feeling right now? All of these questions and more are answered in this 90-minute investment in YOU. Get the tools to succeed in the next phase of your career, we share our journeys, mistakes and successes to help you shape your career #legalcareers #bethebestyou https://lnkd.in/eNCCESTs

Another day, thinking about what might be next? Is this it? Is there more to this career than you are feeling right now? All of these questions and more are answered in this 90-minute investment in YOU. Get the tools to succeed in the next phase of your career, we share our journeys, mistakes and successes to help you shape your career #legalcareers #bethebestyou https://lnkd.in/eJjbGvKX

Last call! Join us tomorrow at 2:00 PM CT / 3:00 PM ET to explore how tech solutions and best practices can enhance advisor growth and retention at every career stage. If you can’t make it? Don’t worry - register anyway, and we’ll ensure the recording gets to your inbox. Sign up here: https://hubs.ly/Q02Wp2PT0 #FinancialAdvisors #WealthManagement #AdvisorDevelopment #TerrapinWebinar

Another day, thinking about what might be next? Is this it? Is there more to this career than you are feeling right now? All of these questions and more are answered in this 90-minute investment in YOU. Get the tools to succeed in the next phase of your career, we share our journeys, mistakes and successes to help you shape your career #legalcareers #bethebestyou https://lnkd.in/eJjbGvKX