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Editor’s Note
Both the world of finance and the market trend change quickly. In this season that witnesses the start of youth, by showcasing these young people’s vivid stories in Dishui Lake Advanced Finance Institute (DAFI) located by the Dishui Lake, we hope to record how they lay a solid foundation with their professionalism and forge ahead relentlessly on their journey toward the future with their belief. Some of them overcome obstacles in data modeling, some explore in the field, and others practice in the changing financial market. Although their stories are different, they share the same value: proactivity, perseverance, and the integration of knowledge and action.
Today, let’s turn our attention toSHI Ziqi. As a “finance base builder” who undergone traditional financial training, instead of financial institutions, he turned to a central government-owned enterprise in the nuclear energy industry. From macro-policies to micro-implementation, he has found his own niche in the industry. His story is a calm practice about rhythm, capability transfer, and long-termism.
Profile
SHI Ziqi is a graduate of the first full-time Master of Finance (Financial Analyst Track) program at DAFI. During his studies, he was awarded the First-class Postgraduate Scholarship and the Second Prize of the National Postgraduate Competition on Industrial and Economic Financial Big Data Modeling. He used to do an internship at the Investment Banking Department of CITIC Securities, and currently works as a Business Planning Personnel at the Headquarters of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
From Financial Institutions to a Central Government-owned Enterprise in the Nuclear Energy Industry
I Chose a Different “Front Office” Path
01
I was a student of the first full-time Master of Finance (Financial Analyst Track) program at DAFI. During my first year of postgraduate studies, I did an internship at the Investment Banking Department of CITIC Securities and participated in the project approval process of an IPO. At that time, I spent a lot of time researching materials, disposing industry data, and writing documents, and it’s the first time that I experienced “growing through project”. Through the internship, I quickly mastered business document writing and data disposal skills, yet I realized that this rhythm and model were not what I truly wanted.
Many people have asked me why I didn’t stay in a financial institution. Maybe the reason was that I hope to apply my professional abilities to “creating long-term value in a real industry”, rather than just serving transaction results.
Later, I came across the position in the Business Planning Department at the Headquarters of CNNC. From the keywords like nuclear energy, central government-owned enterprise, industrial chain, and policy-oriented, I realized that it’s an opportunity for me to understand “national strategies” from a financial perspective. So, I decided to give it a try.
Keywords in My Interviews:
Systemic Thinking, Transferable Ability, and Sustainability
02
I passed through two rounds of interview at CNNC - one online assessment and one face-to-face interview on professional ability. What impressed me most was that the interviewers barely asked me about technical details. Instead, they repeatedly asked me: “why do you choose CNNC? How can you make up for your disadvantages in background?”
I replied that although I majored in Finance, I preferred systematic thinking about industries. I talked about my internship experience at the securities firm, where I gained an understanding of an unfamiliar industry, broke down report logic, built analysis frameworks, and collaborated with my team to facilitate the standardization of material writing during the defense process.
I admitted that I was not a student with a nuclear energy background, but I have excellent transferable ability, conclusion ability and execution ability. I even mentioned a course I studied at DAFI where the lecturer used the power industry as a case study and asked us to build a financial model, as well as the discussion about "industrial cycle judgment" in the course.
I was not sure whether my answers were the best, but I sincerely talked about “the abilities that I possess to connect with what the enterprise needs”. Finally, I got the offer from CNNC and also tested my "self-positioning".
Looking at the Present from a Perspective of the Future
- What Kind of Person Do I Prefer to Be?
03
I didn’t plan to work for a central government-owned energy enterprise from the very beginning. When I first enrolled in DAFI, like most classmates, I set investment banking, asset management companies, and research institutes as my goals, and I actually did an internship at a securities firm. However, I realized that I preferred deduction and planning over execution andrunning against time.
Later, I asked myself: If I look back my career after ten years, what kind of “time curve” do I prefer? Is it a project-oriented, fast-paced front-office position or a position that allows me to be deeply engaged in the industry and to understand the system?
Then, I was inspired by the resources at DAFI. For example, during my first year of postgraduate studies, I attended a lecture by a French expert on global nuclear energy development trends, and it was the first time I realized both energy issues and financial issues aimed to balance “efficiency and security” essentially. Since then, I has begun to pay attention to information aboutcentral government-owned enterprises such as CNNC, State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC), and China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN).
If finance was an industry emphasizing liquidity, I wanted to be someone who “found anchors in the flow”.
I Learnt How to Think and Make Choices at DAFI
04
During my two years at DAFI, I was not the most outstanding student, but I always moved forward steadily. I used to win scholarships, participated in data modeling competition, and was recognized during my internship. Most important of all, I learnt the rhythm of thinking and making choices at DAFI.
When setting curriculums, DAFI attached great importance to practical logic and emphasized systematic frameworks. For example, the course of Financial Statement Analysis taught us how to view an enterprise beyond its income statement; the course of Advanced Corporate Finance taught us how to think about investment decision-making by using the value chain logic; and when making decisions, the dual-mentorship system and the Career Development Center acted as the most important “mirrors” for us.
I participated in the workplace competency improvement camp organized by the Career Development Center, and attended that lecture on nuclear energy at DAFI during my first year of postgraduate studies. After all, although I was not a “talented” student, I knew how to leverage the platform to connect small anchors and find my own direction.
Tips:
During interviews, logical expression is more convincing than enthusiasm;
For a student with financial background who chooses the industry concerning real economy, the key is the ability to “translate industry-specific language”;
Crossover choice is not a question, and the real question is that you haven’t figured out how to make the transition.
The most useful resume is not about what you have done, but about how you can transfer your abilities to new scenarios.
Message
When hunting jobs, it is not about “doing the best in an interview", but is about verifying whether you can bear the thinking intensity of that position for a long time, as well as your action mode. Don’t easily deny your “differences”, for in many cases, the truly valuable paths are those less traveled by, but they require more accumulation. Please choose the path that may not be the most glamorous one but will take you far.
