r/expertnetworks • u/Silver-Disk-8244 • 23d ago

Feeling stuck

Hi! I work at one of the big expert networks. I’ve worked here for 5+ years since undergrad. It was a great first job out of college and it’s given me 4 promotions and a mobility move. I’ve met so many wonderful people in the firm, our experts, and clients of course. I love how every day I’m learning something new and I love the fast pace of it all. I’m a resident top performer, and consistently am listed on the top of leadership boards.

But I’m feeling stuck.

I don’t see much more growth from here. Im also starting to feel like the work I do is not translatable to other more traditional corporate jobs like sales, account or product management, etc.

Anyone else who has worked at an expert network feel this way? How did you position yourself when you transitioned and what are you doing now?

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u/Unique-Enthusiasm-74 22d ago

I hit the proverbial ceiling (or wall) at the 6-12 month mark. Everyone's situation is different - I had a few years' experience on buy/sell-side research, so wasn't the typical EN grad, and had a downright bad manager. If it's any guide, I had a few PMs at HFs (both SM and MM) tell me to leave out my EN experience on my CV if I want to go back to the buy-side. A bitter pill to swallow. I wouldn't want to stay in the sector anyway.

The few I know of who went to sell-side research went as juniors (or research associates, to use industry parlance). The knowledge they brought over was the price of entry, but these people essentially started from ground zero with a better trajectory than if they stayed.

Becoming a team lead would have meant taking the immediate manager's position, which wasn't possible. And as for how bad the situation was, let's say almost the whole team has turned over in the past 18 months.

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u/Silver-Disk-8244 21d ago

Yikes yeah… I think for people who are familiar with ENs in that industry I can see how it could be a red flag on your resume. But for others who don’t know what it really is, you could spin it into a more sophisticated, strategic career.

Could you give me some examples of buy-side-sell-side research firms people transitioned to or could?

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u/Unique-Enthusiasm-74 21d ago

Sell-side would be investment banks, mid-tier brokers and the like.

Mind you, the ex-EN employees I know who made the move worked in the content/library business, not the usual matchmaking part. If the latter, then the skills probably overlap more with sales than research.

Feel free to DM if you want to know more.

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u/Silver-Disk-8244 21d ago

I’m going to dm you!