Comment by sztanko | Hacker News Reader

Comment by sztanko | Hacker News Reader

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I think your solicitor and money laundering background might be valuable in the modern world trying to digitize everything.

- Have a look at LegalTech companies: https://www.maddyness.com/uk/2020/10/05/legaltech-12-startup.... I guess there is a small but existing ecosystem and community in those communities and you could get there.

- (Anti) Money laundering is a very hot topic in fintechs, and my experience is suggesting it is the most ML and AI intensive sector (trying to understand if a given transaction is related to money laundering is a non-supervised ML domain), there is a decent amount of graph algos involved and also the regulation is still quite archaic. I would say if positioned well, someone with backgrounds in legal and tech is a very valuable asset for any fintech.

I also believe your conviction could be turned into your strong asset - you already have a unique and genuine story to tell. If you are ok into public speaking, you could get a speaker slot any any AML|Legal + tech related conference.

I also believe going informal networking is more efficient then going through the formal recruitment process - this is where all your unique selling points would turn into disadvantages. Recruitment is designed to be scalable and you are an outlier there.

this is a fantastic answer for several reasons and I’m commenting because an upvote alone just doesn’t do it justice.

> I also believe your conviction could be turned into your strong asset - you already have a unique and genuine story to tell

I so love this. It reminds me of Frank Abagnale, Jr., whose story is told in “Catch me if you can“. He went from convicted felon to savior of the banking industry and implemented a ton of solutions to the very things he exploited.

> you could get a speaker slot any any AML|Legal + tech related conference.

this is also a wonderful suggestion that could help you rapidly reframe your story.

> I also believe going informal networking is more efficient then going through the formal recruitment process

Can confirm this is crucial. I am the son of an executive recruiter who placed a ton of CFOs into midsize startups back in the dot-com days. When Mom was teaching me how to land jobs she suggested only using job boards and the like to get a feel for who is hiring and then networking in.

Would be even more important with special circumstances like yours. People hire people, not resumes for the most part.

I also know at least one company who specifically hires only ex-cons (in construction so this isn’t directly relevant to you) to help them get on their feet and keep them from repeat offending out of desperation.

----- The rest of this post is wonderful too but I don’t have much more to add to it.

The nice thing about jobhunting is you only need one person to say yes.

Reframing your problem into an asset and thinking about how you could uniquely help the industry could set you apart in a positive way.

> It reminds me of Frank Abagnale, Jr.

Possibly not the best comparison; from past discussions here on HN (and wikipedia), I gather that Abagnale was an exaggerator and may have fabricated much of his myth.

That said, I think grandparent comment is right - you have some very unique experience that would be of specific value to somebody. The trick is figuring out who that somebody is and then pitching your experience as an asset, not a liability. It may be very niche and it may require relocating, but it's going to be more fun than trying to hide a big secret.

Ironically, Abagnale's biggest con was fabricating the stories of his previous supposed cons.

Fabricating stories is a crucial skill in the book writing and screenplay writing industries. And Fox News hires professional story fabricators, too!

Thanks :)

Great suggestions & solid advice. Informal networking may work well if intergated with a speaker slots (I'm a decent public speaker) but I'll need to devise a strategy.

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