This blog post introduces how to convey a talent profile suited for financial sales roles in your self-introduction letter, based on a responsible attitude that quietly builds results and a trust-centered personality.
Growth Process
“Quietly, yet with inner resolve!”
During my school years, I was a quiet student who possessed inner resolve. I barely spoke all day at school, to the point my homeroom teacher worried and called my parents. While I was naturally introverted, I also held the belief that ‘speaking a lot isn’t necessarily good.’ This perspective formed naturally from reading many books since childhood.
The books I primarily read were those that explained the ideas of ancient Chinese thinkers or Western philosophers in ways children could easily understand. For me, who loved books, the chance to glimpse the profound thoughts and life wisdom of great people was a great joy. And these reading experiences had a significant influence on my personality and principles of conduct. An important value that took root within me was ‘to be sparing with words and exercise restraint in actions’. I guarded against the attitude of acting first and thinking later, striving instead to deliberate thoroughly and move cautiously before any small action. I worked to minimize mistakes, maintain restraint and composure when acting, and above all, avoid causing harm to others.
This approach to life was also something I learned from books. The countless successful figures and thinkers I read about were never impulsive people. They were individuals who deeply reflected on themselves and constantly pondered social issues. I too strove to become like them. While becoming a perfect person is difficult, I believed the effort itself, the striving for that process, held meaning.
To me, “acting with conviction” means moving with firm belief and taking full responsibility for the consequences. Therefore, to become a responsible person, I have always examined my actions and strived to maintain an attitude befitting that responsibility. This is precisely the process that has shaped me and the driving force behind who I am today.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Character – “The Power of Trusting Others”
These days, trust in others seems to be fading, as if it’s becoming a value no longer accepted in society. However, I don’t want to be swept up in that current and become someone untrustworthy or selfish. Instead, I strive to be the one who first shows trust and conveys belief in others. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m easily swayed by others’ words and actions or blindly trust without any doubt. I don’t believe a naive attitude equates to being kind or wise. The reason I choose to show trust and faith first is simply because I hope that, by doing so, communication based on mutual trust becomes possible.
Of course, in reality, things sometimes unfold differently than I hope. Yet, even in those situations, I don’t regret having shown faith first. I believe that is what shapes my character. I believe living courageously based on trust is far more meaningful than constantly worrying about harming others. And I think a courageous person is someone who actively expresses their opinions while fully recognizing their moral implications and taking responsibility for them.
For example, if I accidentally cause harm to someone while walking down the street, I apologize honestly without hesitation. Even if my intent was entirely innocent, if the person feels harmed, I believe respecting that feeling and apologizing is the right thing to do. It means trusting their words and emotions, while simultaneously upholding the value of trust I hold. Ultimately, I believe being honest with myself and conveying that honesty to others is the truly courageous stance.
Economic volunteer work I’ve consistently pursued since my school days
I have been steadily engaged in volunteer work since high school. It began with a somewhat unique form of ‘economic volunteer work’. While economic volunteer work often conjures images of profit-generating activities, what I practiced was an entirely different form of educational volunteerism.
My high school was located in a remote area, not downtown, and nearby was a small elementary school, little more than a branch campus. With few students, it had only a handful of classes and was even facing closure. Yet, witnessing those students launch campaigns and engage in various activities to save their school deeply moved me. From that moment, I formed a connection with those students and stepped forward as a volunteer educator, delivering economic lessons.
As a high school student, I prepared roughly one hour of economics lessons each month and visited that elementary school. I first built rapport with the children and conducted the lessons in a relaxed atmosphere. While the topics varied, I particularly believed it was crucial to instill sound financial concepts from a young age. So, I explained the importance of personal credit, how to open a bank account, and tips for managing credit cards in an easy-to-understand manner.
As time passed and those students entered middle school, I had become a university student and returned to teach them again as an external instructor. The school accommodated me by allowing small group sessions to continue, enabling me to sustain the education. Later, when the students entered high school, finding weekday time was difficult, so I conducted weekend group tutoring sessions focused on college entrance exam preparation. Thanks to the long-established relationship, the class atmosphere was even more vibrant. Seeing the students achieve good grades in economics subjects gave me great satisfaction.
I charged minimal tuition fees, instead focusing on preparing more specialized content to enhance the students’ skills. Continuing this economics education over such a long period fostered my pride as an educator and gradually gave me confidence to teach other subjects as well. Looking back now, I realize all these experiences became a valuable asset in my life, far beyond simple volunteer work.
Career Experience
“Growing Through Two Internships”
After graduating from university, I considered various paths to build a career leveraging my statistics major. On one hand, I was drawn to working at a credit card company or in the financial sector; on the other, I was confident I could fully utilize my skills at an insurance company. However, realistically, I couldn’t experience both fields simultaneously. Therefore, I decided to challenge myself with two internships to compare and analyze them. In truth, securing even one internship in the financial sector is no easy feat. Undertaking two internships, especially at low pay, required considerable determination and perseverance. Guided by that spirit of challenge, I gained diverse experience working as an intern at both a card company affiliated with a general bank and a life insurance company.
During my internship at the card company, I handled tasks like product analysis and compiling performance data related to product sales. While my tasks were primarily administrative, I closely observed senior colleagues handling specialized work like risk analysis. This motivated me to go beyond merely completing assigned tasks; I actively engaged in discussions to deepen my understanding and sought advice from seniors. I meticulously handled tasks to minimize errors while also striving not to miss opportunities to indirectly experience diverse roles.
My internship at the life insurance company followed a similar pattern. I handled tasks like gathering information on insurance products, conducting market research, and performing profitability analysis. I also researched foundational data for insurance marketing meetings. Simultaneously, I closely observed how colleagues handling actuarial work processed tasks, focusing on gaining an understanding of the insurance company’s overall operations. This process allowed me to gain a broader perspective beyond simply performing tasks and to deeply grasp the characteristics and pros and cons of each field within the financial sector.
Ultimately, through these two internships, I experienced both the operational structures and work environments of a card company and an insurance company. Comparing them allowed me to identify the path that best suited me. As a result, I made the firm decision to pursue my career at a bank specializing in cards. These two internships provided me with more than just experience; they became invaluable milestones that clearly defined my future direction.
Motivation and Vision
“The Correlation Between Statistics and Finance”
I have prior experience working at Shinhan Card. I’ve been deeply interested in the financial sector since my university days. After completing a total of one year of internships post-graduation, I formally joined Shinhan Card and worked there for approximately three years. Although my experience was at a card company rather than a bank, card operations were closely intertwined with banking functions. In fact, while working at the card company, I frequently collaborated with the affiliated bank within the same group or visited the bank directly to handle related tasks. Through this process, I deeply realized the mutual interdependence and potential synergy between card companies and banks.
There was a clear reason why I set my sights on working at a bank through my two internship experiences. Having majored in statistics in college, I possessed strengths in data analysis, research, and management. These competencies were core skills essential for both banks and card companies. Particularly in the financial industry, data analysis goes beyond simple numerical calculations; it forms a crucial foundation for decision-making and strategy development. I chose banking as the stage where I could apply this expertise more broadly, and based on my past experience at Shinhan Card, I applied to Shinhan Bank.
Currently, I am simultaneously preparing for the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) certifications. This allows me to further strengthen my financial knowledge and investment analysis capabilities while continuously pursuing self-development. Moving forward, I will grow into a professional with expertise in financial data analysis. I will contribute to creating value for the organization through analysis that combines statistical thinking with financial insight. Furthermore, I will establish myself as an analytical expert who drives data-driven innovation within the evolving financial landscape.
