Empire Life Investments

Lead portfolio manager for Empire Life Investments US funds

Senior Portfolio Manager

Mackenzie Investments

Vice President

Invesco Canada

Portfolio Manager 2012 - Present
Investment Analyst 2008 - 2012

Portfolio Manager

National Bank Financial

Associate Analyst - Merchandising and Consumer Products

BMO Nesbitt Burns

Equity Research Associate

By day I'm an equity portfolio manager and am obsessed with all things investing. 

In my spare time, my (small and mighty) team and I help students get their dream job.

So that means, I write, make YouTube videos and recently launched a podcast aimed at doing just that.

Here you'll find content on job search skills, interview skills, building a job search plan, public speaking, productivity, getting higher grades with less work and so much more.

If you're a student frustrated with the job search or want to elevate your game, reach out and say hello.  I think you'll be happy you did.

We're hiring a summer intern for the US team!

It's a great opportunity for someone who's curious, self motivated and passionate about investing.

Check out the link below and apply using the Google Form.

Please share this with your network so more students hear about it!

https://lnkd.in/gCeZfdei

Ashley Misquitta

Work: Equity PM | Hobby: Helping students get their dream job

This past weekend I was honored to be invited to keynote the Appleby College Leadership Conference. We had a really enjoyable and, I hope, valuable fireside chat that was expertly hosted by Jackson Bigler. (keep an eye on this guy BTW...he's going places)

Thank you to Jackson, Kristy Marasco and all involved for the invitation and for hosting a solid event.

Imagine being unbelievably rich - like, $400 billion rich in today's money. 

That was John D. Rockefeller back in the 1800s.

He was the wealthiest person in the world. 

But here’s the crazy truth: I bet almost no one alive today would trade places with him.

Why? Because even that extreme wealth couldn't buy the basics we rely on:

• He still had to worry about scary diseases like polio and smallpox.
• There were no antibiotics to fight infections.
• For most of his life, he didn't have things like electricity or even indoor plumbing.
• The personal rights and freedoms we have today largely didn't exist.

This realization is huge: We have won the lottery!

For so many of us, we are living in the best time to be alive 

🔥 In The Entire History Of Our Species 🔥

For sure – we’ve got challenges. And yes, AI, economic cycles and who knows what are going to throw you curveballs.

But the opportunities that are in front of you are abundant. 

Don't let hesitation or fear stop you. 

You are operating in the most amazing time in human history. Go make the most of it!

🎉 PS If you liked this, you should check out my weekly newsletter

Each week you'll get 1 actionable idea about job search, interview skills, public speaking, productivity, getting higher grades etc. and it's usually less than a 5 minute read

The link to sign up is in my bio or you can message me directly

⚡Don't Do This In Interviews!!!⚡

I was on a coaching call recently with a B-School student

We were going over his resume and I saw that he'd listed something about speaking French

Now I'm not completely bilingual, but I'm pretty competent, so I started speaking to him in French

Unfortunately, he had no idea what I was saying 😲

It was true that he'd done some certification but was not in any way functional in French

As you might expect, this would be pretty bad in an interview but no harm done in this case and maybe a disaster avoided 👍

🎯 Bigger Lesson - Don't Exaggerate On Your Resume

The bigger point is that you should go through your resume and make sure that if someone asks you about anything on there, you can answer effectively

I will always ask follow ups about something on the resume that is interesting or unusual or I'm unsure about

The last thing you want is to be asked about something on your resume that's only there to make it sound interesting, but you can't back up

🎯 It Happens More Than You'd Think

You'd be amazed by the number of people who put reading as an interest and then, when I ask what they like to read, they tell me they've been too busy to read recently and can't tell me what was the last book they read

🎯 Bye Bye Credibility

This is a credibility killer

You pick what's on your resume - you should put things on tactically to make yourself look good, not things that will erode your credibility if you're asked detailed questions about them

🎉 PS If you liked this, you should check out my weekly newsletter

Each week you'll get 1 actionable idea about job search, interview skills, public speaking, productivity, getting higher grades etc. and it's usually less than a 5 minute read

The link to sign up is in my bio or you can message me directly

No alternative text description for this image

Everyone says to build resilience 

Great, but how do you do that

That’s the topic of this week’s #TuesdayTips

Building resilience is simple but not easy 

One of the most effective ways to do it is to purposely do hard things

So try this today

Finish your shower by turning the water to cold and stand in it for 2 minutes

It almost certainly won’t hurt you, there are some potential health benefits (you can look them up if you’re interested) and it has one other big upside

Your brain will not want you to do it 

But you’re proving to yourself that you’re someone who can overcome their reluctance to do hard things

This is the same reluctance you have to overcome to 

✅ Start work on something you’re struggling with
✅ Getting down to studying or 
✅ Going to the gym

If two minutes is too much to imagine at first, then use the reliable approach of progressions. 

Start with one week of just turning the water to cold at the end of your shower

There’s no chance you can’t get yourself to do this, right?

Then, for the next seven days, just put your hand in the cold water for 5 seconds 

Then the following week put your whole body in for 10 seconds

Build up from there

And voila, you are building mental resilience and toughness

Follow for more tips like this and if you like this then check out my weekly newsletter which you can find in my bio

One of the most under appreciated ideas in job search is 

Making sure your resume and LinkedIn page provoke the interviewer to ask you questions that are most favourable to you. 

As you go through your interview prep, think about the stories and experiences you really want to make sure they remember about you 

Then ask yourself

Looking at your resume and LinkedIn page, would they prompt you to ask those questions?

Writing on LinkedIn can help you generate those questions. 

And of course thank you again to Rotman Asset Management Association (RAMA) for the invitation and to the awesome Julie Misquitta for sharing this clip!

Partner with Ashley Misquitta, B-School Hub, Career Starter Podcast

Ashley Misquitta presents at the Rotman Asset Management Association (RAMA) in September 2025.

In this clip, he discusses why LinkedIn could be the key that unlocks the barriers to getting your dream job.

Does anyone have a LinkedIn success story?

“I’ve applied to so many jobs and got practically no interviews” 

Does this sentiment feel familiar to you?

I see a version of this frustration from students all the time 

You're putting in real time and effort

But it feels like you’re shouting into a void

I promise there’s a better way

But you'll need to direct your effort differently

Instead of using a low effort, high volume approach

Which everyone else can do

Take these 3 simple steps
1) Find alumni from your university doing what you want to do
2) Message or email them
3) Ask if they’ll be willing to spend 15-20 minutes speaking with you

Learn about 
• Their jobs
• What skills you need (and build them if you don’t have them)
• What are the biggest challenges they face

If the conversation is going well, ask about opportunities within their firm

Make notes on the conversation, what you did well and what to improve

There’s more to it than this but if you start here and keep going 

You’ll start to make progress that will compound 

And you can build on on that progress

Yeah, I know it sounds pretty simple, but here’s the thing

A Simple & Effective Strategy x Persistence = BIG PROGRESS

Challenge yourself to reach out to two of these potential contacts each day for two weeks

🎉 PS If you liked this, you should check out my weekly newsletter

Each week you'll get 1 actionable idea about job search, interview skills, public speaking, productivity, getting higher grades etc. and it's usually less than a 5 minute read

The link to sign up is in my bio or you can message me directly

Give me 3 minutes and I'll show you how to level up your resume

You know the drill - you hit "apply". Then… crickets.

No email.
No call.
No feedback.
Just silence. 😤

It’s one of the most frustrating parts of the job search - and it leaves you wondering:

“Did anyone even see my resume?”

On an episode of her Career Cravings podcast, Irina Posan shared why your resume still matters more than most people think - and how it quietly decides your fate at every stage of hiring

✅ Why your resume really matters

• Before the phone screen

Recruiters scan your resume to decide what to ask

Every line should do work for you - guiding the questions you want them to ask

• During the phone screen

Your resume becomes the roadmap

It keeps the conversation focused on your strengths

• After the call

When recruiters compare notes, they’ll pull up your resume again to remember who stood out

• Next stage of interviews

You'll be talking to interviewers who’ve never met you

And your resume is all they have to get to know you before the interview

So put it all together and you'll realize, your resume isn’t a list of tasks — it’s your sales sheet

It’s what keeps you moving forward

✅ The rest of the equation (5 quick hits)

1️⃣ ATS 101

99% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems

They filter hundreds of resumes so recruiters only see qualified candidates

Make sure yours is ATS-friendly — clear formatting, real keywords, measurable results

2️⃣ Confidence counts

The best candidate isn’t always the most qualified on paper

It’s the one who shows they can do the job — and thrive in it

You need to believe that you're the best candidate for the job.

3️⃣ Use numbers

Quantify what you’ve achieved

Recruiters love impact, not duties

4️⃣ Keep it simple

7 seconds — that’s how long a recruiter spends on a resume

If your key points don’t pop off the page, they’re gone

5️⃣ Every line should earn its place

Make your resume guide the conversation, spark curiosity, and remind them why you’re worth meeting

For more of Irina Posan’s insights, check out the full episode of her Career Cravings show - link is below.

🎉 PS If you liked this, you should check out my weekly newsletter

Each week you'll get 1 actionable idea about job search, interview skills, public speaking, productivity, getting higher grades etc. and it's usually less than a 5 minute read

The link to sign up is in my bio or you can message me directly

How to get more interviews from your resume

Have you ever experienced this?

You walk into a big meeting - heart racing, palms sweaty, mind overanalyzing everything from your tone to your slides

You’ve done the work, but that little voice keeps whispering:

“Don’t mess this up.”

But the truth is this isn't about you

Or at least it shouldn't be

It’s about your audience

🎯 1️⃣ Focus on serving, not performing

When you stop worrying about how you look or sound and focus on the value you’re bringing, the pressure lifts

Your job is to help them make better decisions — not deliver a perfect performance

Shift your focus from “Do they like me?” to “Am I helping them?”

🧠 2️⃣ Know your material cold

Confidence grows from preparation

• Double-check your numbers
• Know your key facts
•Be ready to explain your reasoning

The more prepared you are, the more your brain relaxes — because it knows it’s safe

🥊 3️⃣ Use AI as a sparring partner

Upload your deck and ask:

“What are the hardest questions or weakest assumptions in this presentation?”

AI can help you see blind spots, pressure-test your ideas, and sharpen your message before you ever walk into the room

❤️ 4️⃣ Be forgiving — especially to yourself

Even the leaders you admire have bombed presentations

The difference? They learned, forgave themselves, and kept going

Beating yourself up doesn’t make you better — it just keeps you stuck

Forgive fast, learn faster, and move on

✨ Confidence isn’t the absence of fear

It’s the decision to keep serving your audience — even when you feel it

🎉 PS If you liked this, you should check out my weekly newsletter

Each week you'll get 1 actionable idea about job search, interview skills, public speaking, productivity, getting higher grades etc. and it's usually less than a 5 minute read

The link to sign up is in my bio or you can message me directly

Building Confidence Presenting

This is super worthwhile.  Please check out his video and help give this more visibility.  He is doing what we all want young people to be doing.

Hustle, motivation, hard work and thinking about solving big problems.  Great stuff Ishaan Grotra.  Please join me in supporting him.

I NEED YOUR VOTE: Breakthrough Junior Challenge 

After months of hard work, researching, scripting, animating, filming, and re-editing… I’m incredibly honoured to share that my video is one of the Top 30 globally in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge Popular Vote! 

This is one of the most prestigious global competitions for young scientists, organized by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation (also known as the “Oscars of Science”). Out of thousands of applicants from around the world, only one Canadian has ever won, and I’m hoping to change that!

The winning entry will receive: 
1. A $250,000 scholarship for post-secondary education
2. A $50,000 scholarship for my teacher
3. A $100,000 breakthrough lab for Appleby College

I’m asking for YOUR help. To move into the Finals, I need as many likes as possible on BOTH Facebook and YouTube (yes, both count separately!).

YouTube Link: https://lnkd.in/eHWQsZyZ

Facebook: https://lnkd.in/euPNfsGV

This has been a dream for three years, and I’m so grateful for everyone who helped me along the way, especially Anjuli (Tandon) Ahooja, PhD Physics, my teacher who believed in me, Jessica Whited and Julia Paoli and the team at Harvard, whose mentorship gave me the tools to tell this story, and Bryce Petersen, OCT, MCT for guiding me with the filming and editing process!

This isn’t just about me, it’s about putting youth science talent on the global stage, inspiring students across the country, and proving that ideas rooted in compassion, curiosity, and courage can change the world.
Thank you. Let’s do this. 
 
Special thanks to Yiyi Dong and Wells Auto for helping with the filming of the DeLorean!

#BreakthroughJuniorChallenge #ScienceCommunication #STEM #VoteNow #SupportYouthScience #ToTheFinals

Tagging some of my network so they can repost and share the news!

Sriram S.Stephanie van DamLori AngelowNicola St GeorgeEllen PalmerCheryl ChenCal ArmstrongKolina KakanDivya KulkarniSamir KulkarniFareen SamjiDavid VandenbergRebecca Swirsky-FosterKaterina Warren MSc.,B.A.,OCTSara Joy, Ph.D.Sarah Morrison, Ph.D.Genevieve (Genny) MisquittaDavid HarrisViggy VenkatKenton Low ICD.DKelly EarleSophia BahadoorSian HuangAnson ShapterJosh Vander ViesGayle PetersOdianosen (Didi) IYAMABOJoe DeSarioMittal BagulFraser GrantInnes van NostrandNicole BrophyAshley MisquittaMichelle FrigoSteven Murphy, PhD,

Open article: Breakthrough by facebook.com

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Ashley Misquitta

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