By Emily Scott
Emma Kurtz (MSF’21) was first introduced to the world of finance during an internship in asset management her junior year of undergrad at Vanderbilt. She soon realized there was a lot she didn’t know about the finance industry, and there were many skills she would need to develop in order to excel in this field. While taking classes in the business minor at Vanderbilt, she discovered the MSF program and decided to apply in early May 2020. “It aligned with my career goals and provided the career guidance that I knew I needed in order to figure out my career trajectory,” she said.
Emma Kurtz
Before the MSF program officially started in the fall, Kurtz completed the Pre-3 online program in July, an intensive course offered by the Owen Career Management Center that allows MSF students to refine their networking and interview skills, resume, and personal brand. She also spent that time networking with Owen alumni in order to learn more about specific career pathways.
When Kurtz entered the MSF program, she continued to network and secure first-round interviews for many of the jobs she was applying for. She also took advantage of resources at Owen to prepare herself for these interviews. “The Career Management Center helped mock interview me in order to prepare me for certain job interviews,” she said. “I also joined the Owen Consulting Club, which organized case interview prep for MSF students.”
In October, Kurtz’ hard work paid off, as she accepted a job as a Strategic Financial Analyst with Riverside Insights. The company specializes in education and sells assessments to school districts across the United States. “I am looking forward to making an impact and truly adding value,” she said.
Kurtz also shared some advice for students currently going through the job search process. “I would say that it is completely normal to not know what you want to do, but the best advice I can give is to put yourself out there and talk to as many people as you can, because one day they were in the same position as you — trying to decide what they wanted to do,” she said.
Click through Kurtz’ timeline to find out how she landed the job.
