Finding and maintaining employment in today’s competitive work place is challenging to say the least. Employers expect the people they hire to bring a tremendous amount of skills and knowledge to the position for which they are employed. In the interest of not wasting your time, or the time and attention of the Human Resources staff at the institution for which you would like to gain employment, it is imperative to know what skills a qualified person in finance should possess.
A Strong IT Background is a Must:
There is no way around it, you will have to know your way around many varied software programmes and systems in order to effectively compete in today’s marketplace. Stockbrokers, accountants, financial analysts, etc all must be able to work with innovative technology. Bacs payments software and the streamlined SEPA payments portal are just a couple of the systems being utilised currently in finance, and it is growing by leaps and bounds.
You should possess in depth knowledge of these systems in order to put your best foot forward to gain the position. As you look into the various specialities within the arena, more diversified IT skills will dominate and must be mastered.
An Overall Winning Attitude:
We cannot underestimate the role of money in our world today. In order to be effective in convincing someone that you are a capable financial analyst you will have to exude confidence. After all, they are trusting you with their hard-earned money. The skill is to focus on the goal of the task at hand and not to focus on residual issues that have no bearing. Financial sectors are generally very conservative in nature. There is no room for doubt, failure, or uneasiness depressive thoughts. Your confidence and attitude bent on success will go a long way in this field.
Great Communication Skills:
From the loan processor to the credit analyst, a successful employee will be able to articulate the financial matters at hand to all interested parties. In the business world, the interested parties could be anyone from various educational backgrounds. You may have the job of relating some very complicated items in simple terms. If you have the chore to explain the denial of one’s mortgage loan application, you want to present it in such a way that they will understand what has transpired.
On the other hand, if you are presenting a new strategy to the CFO you want to effectively communicate on his/her level so they will understand the benefits as well as the drawbacks.
Skilled at Taking in Information and Analysing it Effectively:
Whether you are a financial sales representative or an accountant, you will have to possess superior analytical thinking skills. In order to accurately assess data, trends, facts, figures, what is on the way out or the next big thing your analytical processing abilities must be at a high level. Coming in to the work place with this skill set is critical. On day one you may have to be able to look at a given set of information, analyse what the data will mean for your department or section and develop a strategy to capitalise on it or gird against what you have forecasted.
Being a Detail Oriented Individual:
This does not have to be a skill set you are born with. You can learn how to be more astute in paying strict attention to detail. If you have a degree in finance, business, accounting or any other program geared for this industry you probably have the skill set necessary in terms of being detailed in your processing. If you do not possess the degree getting entry level experiences in the field will move you toward being more detailed oriented. Money matters require this skill because one slight oversight can be significant to the point of nullification of an entire project or campaign.
Now, it is time to consider if you have these skills. Preparing ahead of the interview process gives you the opportunity to hone the existing skills you possess to a razor sharpness. Beginning the process of acquiring your dream job in the finance field starts with the knowledge of which skill sets are being sought after. Understanding, processing and integrating these skill sets will lead to you becoming a valued asset in the world of finance.
