Case studies: Investment consultant: Jo

Jo has a BSc in Economics from Nottingham University and is now an investment analyst with Mercer.

I joined Mercer's investment consulting business in 2004 having gained an economics degree from The University of Nottingham. I was drawn to investment consulting because of its relevance to my degree, the job variety and the opportunities for progression. I had a keen desire to learn more about the investment industry whilst having the opportunity to build client relationships and develop consulting skills, all of which I knew I could achieve in investment consulting.

I applied to a range of investment consulting firms. I found having studied economics helped me stand out against the competition, as investment consulting firms were keen to take on applicants with a financial related degree. Having completed modules in macro economics as part of my degree also helped me in interviews as I was able to demonstrate my knowledge of wider economic issues and how these related to investment consulting. After receiving a few offers, I made the decision to join Mercer based on the credibility the firm had within its industry. Mercer offered the opportunity to work for a global organisation that offered excellent resources and training opportunities whilst also having a friendly culture. I joined Mercer on its Graduate Development Programme, which provided a range of training courses for the first year of my career and offered an excellent introduction into both Mercer and my role as an investment analyst.

I began at Mercer by getting to know my clients, writing quarterly monitoring reports about their portfolios, manager selection reports and keeping my clients abreast of issues within the financial industry. As with any job there are less enjoyable aspects and after two years spending a lot of time doing quarterly reports I was losing interest in this area. However, as I have progressed as an analyst I have been given more responsibility with my clients, conducting detailed strategy reviews for my clients, organising asset transfers and attending client meetings to develop my consulting skills, areas that provide greater interest alongside writing quarterly reports. Even after my initial year at Mercer, there continued to be a wide range of training opportunities.

I joined Mercer's specialist property research team in my second year. As a property researcher I attend manager research meetings, analysing the range of property funds available to our clients and writing research papers on the asset class. The ability to drive my career in the direction I want and be involved in specialist areas outside my everyday line of work is something that Mercer wholly supports and one of the key reasons I have enjoyed my career so far with Mercer.

In my time at Mercer I have also completed postgraduate qualifications including the Investment Management certificate (IMC) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), both of which provide detailed education on investment areas and portfolio management. Mercer offer strong support for completing these qualifications, providing a study package that enabled me to study alongside my everyday job.