hi rtmchd,
31 too old?? course not. But you need to approach in different way than a 23 yo.
(I’m 48 - run my own very small PE, VC, trading fund + charity foundation)
you’ve got things that most applicants don’t have:
1. experience
2. in-depth knowledge of the workings of the industry
3. demostrated commitment to get your PhD.
4. people skills, communication, teamwork, leading staff, etc
5. R&D is project-based which is much better than regular calendar-based job approach - eg ideal for consulting, M&A, etc
PhD, MBA, good at finance + half a dozen years of in -depth experience - you probably know more about your industry than almost all research analysts and consulting firms which claim to specialise in the sector.
Most people I talk to in your situation have most of the pieces of the puzzle, but haven’t put the puzzle together yet. Eg. have you turned your mind to looking at the stocks in your sector? Which stocks are going to be winners, losers - and why. You probably have all the knowledge and skills, just haven’t had the time to spend on it.
One plan might be to spend the next 6 months (while you finish the MBA) doing a review of the sector and picking stocks - build a story on each one and rank them. Get hold of all the research reports from the brokers (somebody’s got to read them after all, nobody else does!). Get hold of info on the funds which specialize in the sector. what are they buying, why, what are they avoiding, what is their outlook , etc
If you don’t have the capital to trade that’s a good thing at this stage. Don’t invest, just build a plan.
Then when you have a plan for the sector, take it to the boutique funds, or major fund mangers and take them through it. It’s not a resume, it’s a business plan.
(I can’t remember ever doing a resume, apart from first job out of college - do a business plan instead and they’ll treat it like a business investment)
You’ve got plenty of options…
1) If you are conservative and want a regular salary, dress it up as a new department you will set up for them. Or if they already have a department covering the sector, go in as a research manager or senior.
2) If you are more aggressive, dress it up as a joint venture - retainer for you + share of profits on the upside
3) If you really want to go all out, dress it up as an equity investment - they put in the cash (firm money or client money or both) and you get free equity for running it + share the upside. Personally I would ask you to borrow and chip in for some of the equity - maybe 5% or 10% but that’s just me! You probably could only do this option if you have some general mangement experience (maybe after your MBA at your firm)
I’ve done the latter 2 structures in various situations and it can work great. I’m in Australia, but I would back the right person with the right background and the right plan.
Anyway, that’s just a thought-starter.
cheers…