Finance Careers

By: EconomyWatch   Date: 25 September 2009

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Finance careers require strong analytical, quantitative, communication and IT skills. Other skills that are preferred by companies across industries are:

  • Strong work ethics

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

  • Ability to work in a team 

An individual opting for a finance career can choose from the following basic career paths:

  • Managerial finance

  • Financial services: This path offers four routes:

    • Banking

    • Securities

    • Insurance

    • Real Estate 

Finance Careers: Banking

The employment outlook in the banking industry seems favorable. Banks prefer:

  • Graduates with degrees in finance or accounting with a marketing emphasis

  • Finance graduates with a technical background in management information systems and computers

Credit Analyst: This common entry level job would require you to evaluate business and consumer loan applications made to the bank. You would be:

  • Projecting a company’s future cash flows

  • Evaluating the company’s current financial soundness

  • Visiting and interacting with financial people at businesses

  • Dealing with lenders

Loan Officer: As a loan officer, you might need to specialize in commercial, consumer or real estate loans. The commercial loan officer:

  • Develops and monitors credit relationship between the business customer and the bank

  • Monitors the firm’s financial condition

  • Evaluates the creditworthiness of an individual or a business

  • Negotiates credit terms

  • Cross-sells the bank’s corporate services

  • Acts as a financial adviser to individuals and small firms

Branch Manager: In this position, you would beresponsible for:

  • Overseeing all the activities at your branch office, such as the opening of new accounts, loan originations, resolving customer issues and exchange of foreign currency

  • Supervising programs on installment loans, mortgages and checking, savings and retirement accounts, as well as other financial products offered by the bank to its customers

  • Establishing relations with customers

Many bank managers start as tellers or customer service representatives. Key skills to have for this position are:

  • Customer service skills

  • Empathy

  • Quantitative ability

  • Strong work ethics

  • Solid understanding of banking 

Finance Careers: Securities

Some of the careers in the securities segment are:

Financial Planner: A planner advises his clients on budgeting, securities, insurance, real estate, taxes, retirement and estate planning. He also devises a comprehensive financial plan to meet the client’s objectives.

Stockbroker: Stockbrokers or account executives act as agents for people wishing to buy and sell securities. They provide:

  • Advice to customers on financial matters

  • Supply the latest stock and bond quotations and latest analyst reports

  • Respond to customer inquiries


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