How to get work in the finance sector
Finance is an attractive employment sector because it is associated with high-flying jobs with big salaries and even bigger clients. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that so many people are interested in working in the sector. That means the competition is high, so you really need to think about how best to go about securing a position in the world of finance.
Choose your career path
Finance has job opportunities of all kinds that require a variety of different experiences and skills. You will need to choose what discipline you would like to go into. Accountancy is one that is more reliant on mathematics, whereas sales are more about your people skills and persuasion ability. You should also think about your income. Sales will have lower salaries but will pay commissions on your sales, so your potential earnings have no ceiling. Sales jobs also give you the freedom of time and an opportunity to travel. Getting into sales is not that hard either. All you need is an online training course from Sandler or another training platform, and you would have a very good chance of getting a job. Finance careers can start slow but grow exponentially, so while choosing any career path, you should learn to foster patience.
Take a high-quality course
This is going to be your next step. Choose courses based on the skills you will need and the experiences you are promised you’ll have. A course, while theory-heavy, also needs to be able to prepare you for the realities of working life in the finance sector. Watch LSBF videos to see how a course with the London School of Business and Finance could be an ideal way to start. Talk to your lecturers while you are on your chosen course about potential career moves because they will be in a position to identify your strengths and will point you in the right direction.
Get networking
Networking is a great way of getting your name known in the industry. However, it is never too early to start networking, even if you’re still engaged in education/training. There will be student groups to join and careers fairs where you can talk to potential employers and try and make a good impression by asking intelligent questions. Your lecturers will probably have connections to the industry that you can exploit through work experience or even internships.
Don’t just consider job titles
With finance work it is important to think about companies, not just job titles. Take a look at the companies that are offering jobs and see if they are growing and innovating. It’s all well and good to join a huge financial services company but if it isn’t growing then there might not be many opportunities for you to progress. Consider smaller but growing companies because you might be able to get in on the ground floor before the company becomes well-known and job competition becomes fiercer.
Put your back into the job search
Finding a job is not an easy task, especially when it’s your first in an industry. You are going to need to put a lot of effort into the job search in order to have the best possible chance. When applying for jobs you may not have a huge amount of work experience, so you need to draw on the aspects of your course where you had to make decisions and complete projects – just like you will in working life.