BMO jobs in Toronto

T

tarasishe

New member
Joined
Jun 18, 2026
Messages
0
Reaction score
0
Hello everyone.
I am here to ask for your advice and expertise. I am 25 and this summer graduated from University of Toronto with BA(Hon) in Economics.

From similar posts I know that I might end up facing a lot of criticism for �wasting my 20s� and that now I am doomed for spending my life as a BOM etc etc. Anyways, I hope to hear some constructive suggestions and maybe leads how to become one of those monkeys in the back-office.

While a student, I also worked two part time jobs on campus- one as a Help Desk Analyst and one administrative for a computing department. I know Excel, can write macros and simple scripts in VBA. I don�t have much experience in financial modeling in Excel, but there is nothing that can not be learned from the books.

I am currently preparing for CSC and also Conducts and Practices, but can not afford the fees for the courses to register officially. A friend of mine mailed me pdf files of the books and Im studying form those.

I did not search for job in the summer, as I was forced to take summer off (and no, I was not in jail :-)

Anyways, now the job-search effort is in full swing, but I am not getting too far. Had 3 interviews, got 2 refusals, and still waiting to hear from the 3 rd. My situation is getting even more complicated given that I am on post-grad work permit in Canada and when employers hear that, they seem to loose all the interest in my persona. My assurances that they DO NOT have to sponsor me, but simply give me a job offer do not seem to work. Its very discouraging and I almost feel like packing my stuff and deserting Canada for good, but realize that would be very stupid after spending the last 5 years here and working my ass off to get the Canadian degree.

So the question is: What does it take to get a bom position in Toronto? Any suggestions or personal experiences? I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

P.S. The reason I am posting this on Analyst forum is because I�ve been visiting this board often and found it very helpful. Also, I do intend to get a CFA charter in the future, after sorting out some of the personal issues.
 
I meant bom in the subject line.
But bom position in bmo would be good enough at this point. :)
 
To answer your question: I don't think it should be that tough to be a BOM in Toronto. Your degree is in the right area. You are doing the CSC and Conducts. A CFA is definitely overkill for BOM positions, but alot of overqualified people in Toronto are jamming these positions and using it as an apparent stepping stone to the front-office, so the competition is greater. In addition to what you're doing, I'll suggest you talk to BOM-friends and get a general understanding of the processes that goes on in the back office. So you might appear more prepared than the avg interview candidates who just wants to get in and get out as soon as possible. Just trick the interviewer into thinking that you WANT to stick around in the back-office.
 
tarasishe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My situation is getting even
> more complicated given that I am on post-grad work
> permit in Canada and when employers hear that,
> they seem to loose all the interest in my persona.

I guess it would be tough since everyone is obviously scared of your immigration status.
 
Level2guy
Im networking with people I know, asking questions and advice. They've been very helpful, but my problem is that Im not really being called up for interviews. I want to give up on sending resumes to HR and just start cold-calling them. I know I can do bom job well, its not the issue. And of course I tell interviewers that Im very interested in rewarding and challenging careers of a monkey :) They dont seem to believe me.

torontosimpleguy
yes, they all seem to be scared, and I dont know why. Its not like Im asking for a cash job or to break rules. I can work legally. All I am looking for is some understanding and open-mindedness.
 
Hey Level 2 guy, just curious, what was going on at the other board these past few days? Not sure what happened since I don't really follow it, but it looks like there was some angst among some of the readers. The emotions seem misplaced, though I couldn't say for sure...that place seems rather anarchical.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Monday, October 16, 2006 at 04:00PM by numi.
 
Numi, you have to take the bad with the good i guess. Someone appreciated your letter to Chad and posted the link there. Then one of the mods un-appreciated it. It should be moderation by committee rather than moderation by individuals.
 
I didn't realize that the link to my post cause such an issue -- not even sure what happened there. Seemed like there was some discussion about your contributions, though I had no idea what the basis for this was -- looks like someone over there is always trying to start a war with someone. Strange.

Also, isn't it true that one of the moderators there had been banned from AF anyway? If so, I think that speaks volumes about that person's credibility in the first place.
 
First, you need to sort out your immigration status. No FI will give you a job offer if you don't have the right to work in the country, since there are plenty of qualified applicants for these positions. Unless you sort out that first, your chances are very slim.

============================================
Science in a nutshell: Still confused, but on a deeper level ;)
 
tarasishe,
If you are networking, which you have said you are, then you must know someone in a back office role with RBC, CIBC, BMO, TD, or Scotia. Put them on the spot. Try to pressure them a bit to get you a meeting with one of their bosses. I worked for a couple of banks and when I was there I got a few friends in the door. Not great jobs or anything but at least on the inside. Toronto is full of banking ops folks, I'm sure some of them are your fellow UofT alums. If you don't know any personally, which would seem hard to imagine, your alumini society or former profs will for sure.

One key thing, if you want a back office gig, make sure this post is the last time you consider it a BOMonkey job. I think some of the Canadian banks do a decent job of promoting internally, from what I hear, perhaps easier to move up than in the US banks. Seems silly to look down upon a step you haven't reached. That said, I'm sure you are just using AF lingo. Just make sure that is all it is. If not, one of two things will happen, your prospective employers will see through you or you will fool them into thinking you want to actually work in the back office and you will be miserable there. If I'm reading too much into this, my appologies. I'm just trying to give you constructive advice.

I don't know what to say about the visa. You have to find a better way of advertising the fact that you are good to go. Uphill battle. Most Canadians don't know the classes and limitations of the entry/working visas.

Good luck.


Four Castles,
Unless you know more about tarasishe's visa status than was shared in the post, he told us he already has the right to work in Canada.
 
maybe you need to have somebody help you with you resume or go to chapters and get a good resume / cover letter book .....if you want a Bom finance job you need to at;east show that your interested in the markets and enrollment/ completion of the CSC indicates that .
Apart from that just keep applying ....look up all the investment firms and see if they have any job postings ...
Ofcourse if your visa does not permit you to work non of the above will be of any help

Good luck ..
 
tarashishe
i would like to e-mail you offline.
may i have your e-mail address.????
thank you
regards
 
FourCastles
I am working on the immigration issue, and it will be sorted out soon. Having said that, I still need a job and I can work legally, I am on work visa.

Easy
Thanks for your suggestions. Indeed, I have a few friends UofT alumn, who worked in back office roles. However, they all moved up the ladder to the middle, or front offices. Nevertheless, they've been rather helpful. And about the monkey business: I admit that I was simply trying to relate to the AF audience. No disrespect intended. I'll make sure to watch my lingvo for future.

Rudeboi
I do have a few books for resumes/cover letters, but I just dont have any experience in securities industry, apart from the university coursework. And I guess HR screens for that specific experiece and my resume ends up at the bottom of a pile. I guess I'll just have to keep trying.

SuperCop
You can email me at [email protected]
 
tarashishe,
I figured that was it. I've probably used BOM on here myself. Sorry if I sounded condescending. The BO is looked down upon on here and in practice. It has always seemed a little strange to me. Some of the folks in our back office here make more than some of the front office folks, but they don't work as many hours and don't seem as stressed.

Good luck in the search. Hopefully things will work out - I can't see why they won't. Don't be afraid to get your friends who have moved on from the back office to see what they can do. Odds are their former managers are still working where they were as a lot of operations folks stay in ops forever.

As a Canadian, I hate hearing of qualified workers being forced to leave due to Canada not recognizing qualifications. However, I don't see you falling into this category since you have a strong degree from one of the top schools in the country. If you can find someway to get the cash together for the SCS, it will probably be a good investment if you see yourself staying.

Another thing to consider is an actuarial exam. When I was trying to break in, a senior HR person told me that if I could have passed either exam 1 or 2, she could have gotten me in the door very easily. I borrowed books, started studying but something else came up so I never actually had to register. I was upfront about the fact that I wanted to work in finance and that I didn't want to be an actuary. They weren't too concerned. I would have been able to switch sides once I got in. Try calling an insurance company and see what they say.

More than I planned on writing.
 
CFAMontreal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sorry, what is a "bmo"?


I believe that is a typo Monsieur Montreal, CFA


>I meant bom in the subject line.
>But bom position in bmo would be good enough at this point. :)
 
Eazy,
Thanks for encouraging words. I really think that there is a lot to learn in the back office and, regardless what other people say, it is a respectful position. I am not afraid to bug my friends, and actually just got an interview with Citco Group. I�m trying to research as much as I can at this point, as I really don�t want to mess it up. So if you have any info, or know anyone who has, I�ll be more than happy to listen ;-)
As for the qualified foreign-trained workers leaving Canada, yes, it is a very unfortunate reality. I was on the verge of giving up myself so many times, even though I do have a Canadian degree and some �Canadian work experience�. Now, I am strongly determined to settle in Canada, get a job and look forward to the stable future, as opposed to returning defeated to the third world shithole.
Paying 800$ for CSC is out of the question at this time. Basically, it boils down either to be able to pay the rent, or CSI fees.
As for the SoA exams, well, I took a course in Actuarial Sci., but did not really enjoy it. The only good thing I�ve learned there was how to use TIBA II Plus calculator. I don�t think I�ll be interested in soa exams.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top