Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, has called on placement cells and educational institutions to broaden students' understanding of career opportunities in finance, arguing that campuses continue to overemphasise a small set of traditional roles.
In an open letter shared on LinkedIn, Gupta said the vast majority of resumes received by her organisation are for equity research and investing positions. She noted that around 85 per cent of applicants seek these roles, despite the fact that an asset management company offers a much wider range of career paths.
Finance careers extend beyond traditional roles
Gupta argued that campuses have long glamorised careers such as equity research, investment banking and private equity while overlooking other areas of finance. According to her, this mindset no longer reflects the realities of the industry.
She highlighted several fields that she believes will offer significant opportunities over the coming decade, including risk management, investment products, derivatives trading, private debt and infrastructure investing. Gupta said these segments are evolving rapidly, face lower competitive intensity and continue to experience talent shortages.
Talent shortage despite strong student interest
The Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO pointed to sales as one of the most misunderstood careers in finance. She said the company rarely receives resumes for sales roles despite the skills they help develop, including resilience, networking, business understanding and leadership. Gupta added that many chief executives have previously worked in sales positions.
She said she has seen professionals in less celebrated areas progress quickly, build rewarding careers and achieve financial success, while others have struggled because they focused only on a limited set of highly sought-after roles.
Rethinking career decisions
Gupta advised students to consider three factors when making career choices: what skills will be in greater demand in the future, where competition is lower and what aligns with their strengths.
Drawing a comparison with entrepreneurship, she encouraged students to identify emerging opportunities rather than pursuing only the most crowded career paths.
Gap lies in guidance and fitment
Addressing concerns about employment opportunities, Gupta noted what she described as a contradiction between campuses claiming there are not enough jobs and companies saying there is not enough talent.
According to her, the issue is not solely a lack of opportunities but a mismatch involving signalling, guidance and fitment. She said many students continue to pursue the same visible careers while several high-growth segments remain short of skilled professionals.
Concluding her message, Gupta urged students to move away from the idea of a universally ideal "Day 0" placement. She said careers should be viewed as long-term journeys that evolve over decades rather than being defined by a single placement season.
