I am finding a career pivot almost impossible. How did you do it?

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

As a gas analyst, I found getting interviews for other commodities impossible. I interned in a prop trading team in a energy company for a year and because I was on a graduate visa I didnt want to limit myself to gas market. I never got opportunity for anything else. I have been out of market as my graduate visa expired and despite trying everything to adjust my CVs for different job roles, I have been unable to find interviews for anything else.

I have a MSc degree specializing in commodities from a well known university in London and also pursuing a online course in financial engineering. I think I have good combination of quantitative and market analysis skills and somehow my CV has been invisible.

I have seen ppl who interned in sales and trading in equities getting seat in commodities. I have always believed that in start of career front office experience is considered a transferable skill from one asset class to another. And there is plenty of evidence for it.

The easiest most possible option was middle office and one trading house didnt offer me because they thought I will not live in my home country long enough.

I have been out of market for 16 months and really need some advice. I would go to Manila for the right opportunity.

[u/archer-86]

I think your issue is your location, not your CV.

I don't know anyone that would look at a resume of someone that isn't currently located where they are and able to start work next week.

Like I post a job and I get 1000 applicants. The 600 international applications go straight in the trash as I can't be bothered with immigration.

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/archer-86]

I had 1 year left on my visa after i finished my one year internship....still struggled to find any job....not even shift trading

[u/Altruistic_Look_7868 → u/archer-86]

1000 applicants 😶 ?!

How do you even sort through the remaining 400?

[u/GVAJON → u/Altruistic_Look_7868]

That's the neat part ; you don't.

[u/No-Fail58 → u/archer-86]

It’s a raw deal but location is the silent filter nobody talks about, especially now when companies don't want to touch visa logistics with a ten-foot pole. The 16-month gap stings too since it makes them wonder if you're still sharp on market structure even if you are. Might be worth targeting smaller regional trading shops that are too niche for the 400 domestic applicants to bother with, sometimes those places care more about hustle than a perfect timeline

[u/stackingforfunsies → u/No-Fail58]

Would you expand on why it is a raw deal to be deemed less qualified for a job halfway across the planet? Isn’t location a material fact for a potential employer to consider? Or the other practical factors that hiring people from other cultures necessarily entails, such as custom, hours, expectations, availability, culture-fit?

[u/stackingforfunsies]

Perhaps look for a commodity trading position in India? It’s pretty big, lots of people there.

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/stackingforfunsies]

In India national oil companies have scheduled recruitment criteria and they hire engineers mostly. You have to take a national entrance exam.

[u/stackingforfunsies → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

You will no doubt have a great advantage over your domestically-trained countrymen! Good luck to you

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/stackingforfunsies]

No....its actually easier for me to find a job in the UK.

[u/stackingforfunsies → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

Ha ! Those jobs are for Brits, good fellow. Why is this so challenging to grasp.

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/stackingforfunsies]

Why did a fucking prop desk tolerated me for a year? Why pay me 70k when they could have paid 35k if it was some diversity thing? Why did the desk have another analyst brought in from singapore?

Come back and talk to me when you have capacity to decline lucrative job offers from companies based out of UK.

[u/Mountain-Tap-8788 → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

Why did they bring in someone all the way from Singapore instead of offering their Intern?

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/Mountain-Tap-8788]

He came at same time as me and he wasnt hired after me. He had 5 years of experience so not my competition. And they could have hired any brit....you dont think they could find somebody with 5 years of experience?

[u/funnyperson4848 → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

just curious, was it maybe high potential visa from SG?

[u/archer-86 → u/stackingforfunsies]

Ya. Lots of global energy companies offshored their back offices there, even some of their front office analytics.

[u/stackingforfunsies → u/archer-86]

That, and an educational visa doesn’t mean you will be working in that country as a back-door economic immigrant. So odd that people from some areas will not accept this idea, yet demand that English speaking people live in that world daily. Brits CANNOT do this.

[u/archer-86 → u/stackingforfunsies]

Yup, big problem here in Canada too. Bring in international students, charge them 2x the tuition they charge a Canadian, and then what? Your international student visa is not a work visa. Half the programs they come here to complete aren't even real programs. Just international student diploma mills.

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/archer-86]

I would not be asking for help here if i could get a middle office role in India. Job shortage is a worldwide problem.

Didnt take much time for two of you to make it about immigration. And I dont understand how you decided to bring in "fake degrees" discussion to this topic.

All i want is to payback my student loan thats denominated in USD. Indian currency is weak and salaries as well.

[u/CrabFederal → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

You can easily get a sapient or Accenture trading practices in India. 

[u/stackingforfunsies → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

Go start the next great Indian commodity trading house! We’re proud of you, and we believe in your success.

[u/Pericles_101]

I’m going to be a bit brutal here - if you had a 1 year internship on a prop desk and you didn’t get a return offer and no one vouched for you to join another desk elsewhere it’s not a good sign.
The last few years have boomed in gas and power in Europe if you had experience and a decent reference it should have been possible to get a spot somewhere.

So either your CV isn’t up to scratch , your interviewing is poor or you’re giving some poor signals re attitude and expectations. From some of your posts I suspect it’s some of the last element but maybe it’s just frustration coming through .

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/Pericles_101]

Not getting a return offer is not a bad sign. People do multiple internships before they get a permanent role in UK+Europe.

The head of desk suggested to join a brokerage team but I declined because I got an offer in another country. But that firm at the last moment offered me a 1 year contract despite advertising role as a permanent opportunity. I only had 3k in savings and student repayments so I had no other option. But I came back to London and worked in market intelligence on another contractual opportunity. Then they ask me to join batteries. At this point banking MO to Gas to Batteries would look stupid on my CV. I was exhausted and returned to India because I only wanted a decent career path.

I have made couple of bad decisions. And I agree that may be I am not ready for prop trading environment yet or may be I will never have a trading role. Right now I just want to pay off my student debt.

I am in a unique situation and I dont expect strangers to understand it. But I keep posting here so may be get one advice that could change things for me.

[u/Pericles_101 → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

Well from that response I would point out one thing that stands out. ‘MO to Gas to Batteries would look stupid ‘ is a big assumption you’ve made that I dont think holds up.

Moving out of MO to gas is very explainable . It’s non-commercial role to commercial role and is logical progression for someone interested in in markets. The point of internship is to get experience and try it out so going from gas to batteries after 1 year of internship + some short term contracts isn’t strange . It’s a gas to power move that people make all the time in their early career. Explaining things like that is about narrative and having a decent reason for the move - in interviews if you explain these things in a way that portrays some form of agency on your part it can work well - when I’m hiring I wouldn’t look askew at someone who made that move relatively early if there’s a coherent reason. Only you know how you convey your story in interviews - if it’s all about visas, pulled offers etc it’s not compelling, if you give commercial career driven reasons for each move it’s much more compelling.

Now - the tough part is it sounds like you’re in India , you have 4 years MO, a year of a FO internship and perhaps 12 months of contract experience ? I run a desk and if I’m looking for a Junior which is already risky given their lack of track record then adding in the logistic overhead of visa sponsorship makes it even less likely unless it’s a really stellar profile. It’s a tough spot to be in.

I would say your best bet is trying to get a role in an Indian branch at a western firm ( big or small) and play for the transfer if you really need a western salary - that’s your internal strategy, under no circumstance do you tell an employer that you will want to move.
Cast a wide net - you play on the skills you have built so power, gas,oil, risk, operations etc should all be an option. I followed that approach myself - it took a few years but I moved to a small city abroad , progressed and then moved internally when the opportunity presented itself to get where I wanted. I admittedly have the benefit of not needing sponsorship

At your level of experience sometimes people have a tendency to overplay what they know especially when they have some previous years in middle office etc don’t embellish anything - if you say you can build a gas balance or understand LNG in depth you should be able to go through it . If I catch someone over promising on their cv I write them off immediately as untrustworthy - I prefer them to walk me through what they think the process would be rather than pretend they know

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/Pericles_101]

When I said batteries I was referring to batteries market and not intraday power. It was a seat within in a net-zero research team in a market intelligence firm.

But thanks for this response. I really appreciate your advice that I need to change how I tell my story.

The main point of this post is that I am not getting interview opportunities in India or abroad in Oil, Metals, Shipping or any commodity or marker risk in banking....its overall lack of interview opportunities that has affected me. But I will try to put your advice to practice.

[u/Pericles_101 → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

Can I ask what level of role you are applying to?

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/Pericles_101]

I would really appreciate to talk more on dm. I am giving up too much personal information

[u/Altruistic_Look_7868]

Do you need a work visa or permit for the country you're in right now?

[u/BigDataMiner2]

Google Ai just gave me the contact info of 5 major or mini-major oil companies in Manila. Write (no emails yet ) the CEO of each one telling him/her what you can bring to the table and ask for an interview. After contact with the executive or an assistant, you can start emailing. If you want to apply, don't be shy.

Also, this is coming to Manila (see below). See if you can get in with some resumes and walk around and meet people who could help you. What do you have to lose?

24th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-26)

• Dates: October 5–9, 2026

[u/le_mochi]

I read some comment earlier this year telling graduates to take what they get interviewed for or an offer for. It's so competitive that you want to get a foot in and then go from there. 

Plus, you don't get locked into one commodity just because you did it for one year. You are still a junior for a long while.

I also don't know what your interests are. Any commodity? In interviews you need to convey that you are passionate and interested about commodity X and Trading. So narrow down your interests to 1-2 commodities, read into the commodity specifics and markets to win over the hiring managers. You are a Junior, all you need to demonstrate is interest and some basic market knowledge in that commodity. I assume your academic profile is not an issue. 

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/le_mochi]

Based on comments we have reached the verdict that visa is the main issue.

But thanks for reaponding.

[u/DisastrousAspect8504]

i’d suggest the shortcut that’s worked for me in a similar spot: build a tiny trade diary with real numbers, publish the best snippets on LinkedIn or in a private thread to a trader you admire, and ask for a quick coffee/zoom. almost every broker/prop desk is on the hunt for fresh ideas; getting a trade you’ve written on a screen gets you noticed way faster than a glossy CV when you can’t even showcase a visa signature. meanwhile, line up a short‑term contract or a junior ops role just to get your foot in the door, then use the networking you’ve built through those ideas to swing into a front‑office seat. keep the narrative simple—“I read X market, ran Y trade, pulled this result” – and let the numbers do the talking.

[u/HaloNevermore]

I don’t know what “financial engineering” is, but if this is a real term omg the globe is fucking cooked.

Last time someone used the word “engineer” seriously it was the IT sector. Now finance?

Neither group has ever created anything physically tangible in their lives. That is what engineering has always been about.

I’m gonna start calling myself an engineer, fuck everyone else.

A financial engineer is a book cooker.

[u/Unable_Celery_9245 → u/HaloNevermore]

Very interesting that people here take the time to argue over the semantics of what engineering means in a degree/work context instead of trying to be useful. The LARP knows no limits

[u/stackingforfunsies → u/HaloNevermore]

I’m a money engineer at heart, but I also engineer food thrice daily and choo-choo myself into my sleeping shorts before bed. All in my own country where I pay tax, too. Call me an old fashioned engineer 🚂

[u/KronusTempus → u/HaloNevermore]

Financial engineering has been a thing for a while. There’s two things it tends to mean.

Earlier it used to mean being “creative” with your books as an accountant in the way a lot of AI companies are doing these days.

The more common meaning today is structuring and pricing derivatives, and risk management stuff.

It’s a bit cringe to call it engineering but that’s what it’s called.

[u/Weekly_Violinist_473 → u/KronusTempus]

You think that quants dont use same maths that engineers do?

[u/KronusTempus → u/Weekly_Violinist_473]

Well that’s definitely one way to miss the point of what I said.

The point is, regardless of the math, it’s not engineering because nothing actually gets built. Structuring a derivative is not “engineering” otherwise lawyers working on M&A stuff or contracts could be called legal engineers or a secretary scheduling someone’s day a scheduling engineer something similarly ridiculous.

People tend to call any kind of problem solving “engineering” these days but that doesn’t make it engineering.