Every organization and every business require financial services to operate effectively. Some people will also require financial services for their personal lives, and this means that ordinary people, whether doing business or not, will need financial management products in their day-to-day lives. If you are an upcoming graduate in financial studies, there is a light at the end of the tunnel because your skills are in high demand. However, like any other career field, competition for a job as a finance graduate is one of the things you will have to overcome.
Since there are several financial career options that you can choose based on your studies, identify the field you want to concentrate on. You could be an accountant or finance manager, an auditor, a financial analyst, a banker, investment manager, credit analyst or risk manager among many others. You can concentrate on two or more and still shine on your way to success. Once you choose your career path, apply the best strategies to get a finance job and be prepared to succeed when you land that job. Here are some tips on how to succeed in your finance career.
How to Land a Finance Job Fresh out of School
Landing a job as a finance graduate can be overwhelming due to the competition, but this does not mean that it is impossible. Use these tips to increases your chances of getting your dream job and if you are lucky enough you may find employment even before you graduate.
• Get updates on financial news: Look for business journals and periodicals that you can be reading every day to know what is happening in the world of finance. According to Wasif Vimawala, the information you gather here will expand and sharpen your knowledge that you need to stand-out when called for a job interview.
• Garner other relative credentials: While your degree in finance studies is a great qualification to help you get a finance job, other credentials such as CFA or SIE will increase your chances of being considered. The good thing is that you can complete the first few levels of the courses and still stand out. Sometimes even indicating that you’re currently looking into a program may be a benefit.
• Look for internships: You can look for intern opportunities while still in college or after graduation, and once you complete the program, you will have gained some of the required experience and be exposed to greater opportunities for a fulltime job.
• Make your job hunt a full-time job: You may have all the necessary qualifications, but no job will find you where you are, and therefore you must go looking for it. Use every possible tool not only to sell your skills but also to identify job vacancies when and where they get posted. Take advantage of referrals from people you know as well as the internet to expose your expertise. Once you find these openings, apply to as many as you can until you get your dream job.
How to Succeed at Your First Financial Services Job
Once you get your first job, avoid getting comfortable and aim to climb the ladder. Here are some tips that can help you in building your finance career.
• Take advantage and learn: When you are still early on in your new job, ask questions from the experienced colleagues and learn from them. Wasif Vimawala says that anytime you get a chance to do a new task, embrace it and do a good job while at it. You will impress your boss with your willingness to take chances, and by getting involved in different projects, you will grow in your career.
• Work on jobs that you can deliver: Never blindly sign up for all tasks simply because they are available or promise to complete a job that you know very well you cannot deliver within the stipulated time. Such letdowns will drag the whole team behind and will not create a good reputation for you in the office.
• Be creative and innovative: You need to go out of your way to present new ideas whenever you can. It can be a new fund management software you have been looking into or a new finance product among other things. Never feel shy or fear to present your new ideas to the management. This is how people get to know that you are an innovative thinker and it helps you grow in your career.
• Be a people-person: You will need other people to grow your career and therefore should never segregate yourself. Have a social life after work because you may never know when you will meet someone who will be the source of a breakthrough in your finance career. Again, do not needlessly limit the people you mingle with since people in the entry levels have valuable advice as well.