by Interstride
Carrie Li, Talent Acquisition Manager at AlphaSights, talks about exciting opportunities for new grads at the firm and career pathways for international students. From this interview, you will learn about:
- AlphaSights’ culture and opportunities for new grads
- Career pathways for international students in the US and their home countries
- How CPT, OPT, STEM OPT, and H-1B sponsorship is handled
Who is AlphaSights?
AlphaSights is a global information services firm that provides clients with knowledge on-demand. Our mission is to unlock human knowledge and power success for our clients, our people, and our company.
Our clients are top decision-makers in investment management firms, private equity firms, strategy consultancies, and corporations – we connect them with industry experts who have the knowledge they need to make more informed and competitive business decisions.
The premise of our service is that most of humanity’s important knowledge remains uncodified and cannot be unlocked through digital means; through our service, AlphaSights provides investors and business leaders with seamless access to this knowledge.
What do you do as a Talent Acquisition Manager?
I am responsible for hiring international talent in the US and focused on driving impact across talent attraction strategy, campus events cadence, and candidate selection. I also ensure that candidates – with or without US work authorization – can find their best fit in one of our global offices.
How would you describe AlphaSights’ culture?
AlphaSights has a high-performance culture based around driving client success. We hire ambitious, values-aligned, early-stage professionals and offer them an environment where they can own their results, build a track record of achievement, and accelerate their career advancement.
You’ll work closely with your team, which is made up of bright and driven peers selected based on our five core values: results-orientation, drive, adaptability, humility, and empathy. We serve a highly demanding client base, and our employees are excited to go the extra mile to deliver success for our clients. You can expect to work hard, celebrate success, collaborate intensely, and form lasting friendships with many of your coworkers.
What are the entry-level opportunities for international students at AlphaSights’ US offices?
All entry-level members at AlphaSights join as Client Service Associates. We have two offices in the US – New York City and San Francisco.
The Client Service Associate position is open to mainly undergrad students or candidates with less than two years of full-time working experience.
For those who are fluent in English as well as Hindi, Chinese, or Korean, I would highly recommend applying to the Asia International Team, as we are always looking for strong, bilingual candidates. We’ve established a global team based in our New York office, which specializes in servicing Asia clients on US-facing work.
What are the entry-level opportunities at AlphaSights’ non-US offices?
We have offices in nine cities worldwide and are expanding our global teams – for candidates who are interested in international roles, they may review our career page for opportunities in the APAC & EMEA region.
Our Client Service teams benefit greatly from having team members who speak multiple languages, as this helps us work seamlessly with our client base, who often work on projects with international scope and thus need to connect with experts in other regions and from other cultural backgrounds.
Does AlphaSight take international student interns on CPT and full-time entry-level roles on OPT?
The summer internship program in the US is open to international students who will be eligible for STEM OPT. Students with the right to work in China and Hong Kong can join the internship locally.
For our New York and San Francisco offices, AlphaSights accepts international candidates for full-time, entry-level roles if they have a STEM OPT extension, which grants them up to three years of work.
What about students with only one year of OPT?
These candidates can join one of our global offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, London, Hamburg, or Dubai – wherever they have the right to work.
Strong performers are eligible to apply to become a Manager after two years, or apply to the Global Mobility Program, which allows them to transfer to one of AlphaSights’ global offices and work for 18 months before returning to their home office.
Does AlphaSight sponsor H-1B for entry-level roles?
AlphaSights sponsors H-1B visas for strong performers in their final year of STEM OPT. If the visa doesn’t work out, AlphaSights will offer strong performers the opportunity to work in another one of AlphaSights’ offices, permitting that it is either their home country or work authorization can be arranged.
What could an international student’s journey look like as an employee at AlphaSights?
International students with three years of OPT can join one of our Associate Client Service roles. Strong performers are eligible to apply to be a Manager after 2 years, after which AlphaSights will sponsor an H-1B visa. If the visa is not granted, the individual will have the opportunity to relocate as a Manager to one of our other international offices – typically Hong Kong or Dubai.
Are there opportunities for international and American students alike who want to experience working in different countries through AlphaSights?
The Global Mobility Program is a great opportunity for those who want to work internationally and experience AlphaSights at a different office. Employees are eligible to apply after two years at the company to transfer to one of our global offices for an 18-month rotation program.
What advice do you have for international students who want to work at AlphaSights?
My recommendation would be to first review all of the opportunities we have available by visiting our career page, and to consider which location you would like to work in.
We have offices in nine global cities, so chances are that even if you do not have STEM OPT, for example, you might still be able to pursue the Client Service Associate journey in one of our other offices.
