A career in the finance industry can open a lot of doors in terms of career paths. Jobs in this sector include corporate finance, investment banking, insurance, financial analyst, accounting, actuary, and many more. Don’t worry if you’re not yet sure which route you should pursue – these jobs will include many of the same essential skills so you’re not limited to following one path exclusively.
This article will take a brief look at how you can take your first steps in pursuing a career in the finance sector.
Make the Right Contacts
The best way to get your foot in the door is to make contacts, and that means plenty of networking. Join professional organisations that can help you meet people already working in the finance sector. If you make a good impression, they may introduce you to their own contacts, or even recommend any job vacancies that they think you might be suitable for.
Take a closer look at what jobs are available as there may be a path that you didn’t initially consider. If you want to pursue a job in Forex Trading, for example, take a look at the FxPro site to research what they do and how your skills could be tailored to meet their jobs.
Update Your CV
If you’re looking for an entry-level position, it would be beneficial for you to get some finance experience on your CV. Look for an internship programme or recruitment workshop where you can get some practical work experience under your belt.
Draw on any relevant experience you have within finance, or even maths in general – this could be from your education, work experience or any other projects. Even having a little experience shows that you possess the required skills that can be transferable to a job in finance.
Skills Required
Some of the skills that you’ll need to demonstrate when you’re working in the finance industry may not be specific to that sector alone. These include:
- Excellent communication, both written and verbal, as you could be required to communicate with people with varying levels of financial knowledge
- Strong IT skills
- The ability to analyse data and draw your own conclusions, before reporting it to others
- Excellent numerical abilities
By providing relevant examples of the above skills, employers may look at your job application in a more favourable light as you’ll have the groundwork to progress your career further.
If you want to pursue a career in finance but you’re not sure where to start, then consider following our advice. For an entry-level job in finance, you may already have a lot of the transferable skills that employers are looking for – just be sure to make the most out of selling yourself on your CV and in your interview.