Edelweiss Mutual Fund Managing Director and CEO Radhika Gupta has urged placement cells and students to rethink their approach to careers in finance, arguing that campuses continue to glorify a handful of roles while overlooking some of the sector’s fastest-growing opportunities.
In an open letter addressed to placement cells and campuses, Gupta said that a large majority of applicants seeking jobs at her firm are interested in equity research and investing. “We get thousands of CVs to join us. 85% of them come for one role: equity research/investing,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post, adding that many applicants may neither secure those roles nor be best suited for them.
Gupta said that campuses have traditionally celebrated careers such as equity research, investment banking and private equity, while treating other finance roles as second-tier options. She argued that this mindset is now “outdated”.
“Some of the largest opportunities in finance over the next decade will come from spaces that are less crowded, evolving rapidly and severely talent-starved,” she said.
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Highlighting areas with strong future demand, Gupta pointed to risk management, investment products, derivatives trading, private debt and infrastructure investing. She said that these segments are witnessing growing complexity and expanding opportunities, but continue to face a shortage of skilled professionals.
Gupta also drew attention to sales, which she described as one of the most “misunderstood” careers in finance. ”It’s not a surprise many CEOs are formal sales leaders. And in reality, everyone in leadership does sales at some point,” she said.
“I have seen talented people in all of these areas rise very quickly at young ages, build meaningful careers, be genuinely happy, and make a lot of money. And I have also seen people remain stuck because they refused to look beyond the glamour shortlist campuses celebrate,” she added.
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Radhka Gupta’s advice for students
The Edelweiss MF chief advised that students should approach career decisions by focusing on 3 questions: what the world will need more of in the future, where competition is lower, and what they are naturally good at.
“Think about your career the way founders think about startups. Don’t only chase crowded markets. Find growing ones with unmet demand,” she wrote.
Gupta also highlighted what she called a contradiction in India’s job market.
“Every campus says there are not enough jobs. Every company says there is not enough talent. Both cannot be true at the same time,” she said, arguing that the real challenge lies in signalling, guidance and matching talent with opportunities.
She concluded by urging students to move away from the idea of a “best Day 0 job” during campus placements. “There is no universal Day 0 job. Day 0 differs for everyone. And 0 shouldn’t even matter that much. After all, a career is not a 6-month placement outcome. It is a 40-year compounding journey,” she said.
