Just 50 years ago, there were only a few clear professional paths available for financial specialists. Whether stepping on the stockbroker’s, insurance agent’s, or auditor’s path, young professionals faced relatively straightforward expectations and requirements. And the competition in the industry was quite manageable.
A lot has changed today. Now, the financial industry offers a wealth of career paths. The competition is getting fierce everywhere. Respectively, the expectations for new professionals are growing quickly, and entering the industry now seems harder than ever before, especially for young students. If you are looking to get into this field while in college, you have to work hard and undertake the right steps. Read on, and we will give you six handy tips for getting started!
Take Care of Your Academics First
Whether you are planning to land a job in finance right now while still in college or prepare for after-graduation employment, in both cases, you will have one central stumbling point. Your studies are important and take up nearly 100% of your free time. This can really get in the way when making the first professional steps. Before you take any actual steps, find a reliable academic to write my research papers that will cover your back academically. This is always a good place to start from.
To get into the industry with ease, find the best paper writing services to delegate your academic matters to. The more time you’ll have to prepare for and build your career, the better in the long run. They will ensure that your performance won’t go down even if you have no time for dealing with homework.
Take Stock of Your Knowledge and Skills
To survive in a fiercely competitive environment, new professionals are now expected to know and do much more than ever before. This is the primary reason why preparing for a career in finance requires a great deal of training across many different areas, even those not related to your major directly.
In terms of knowledge, the basic set for financial specialists consists of math, accounting, economics, business, and finance. But it goes much deeper than that. In order to start building a career while in college, you have to show potential employers that your knowledge goes far beyond the standard academic program. You should research taxes, banks, interest rates, stock markets, innovations, etc. You might even want to learn a bit of psychology too.
As for the skills, employers look at them a lot too. According to Edoxi, the most sought-out skills for this industry in 2023 include:
- Analytical thinking;
- Problem-solving;
- Communication;
- Leadership and team management;
- Time management and organization;
- Financial management.
Use this as a checklist of the skills that you want to acquire/hone before getting out there.
Build a Killer Resume
If you want to get noticed and land a job, there is no better way to present yourself to potential employers than through a well-organized and effective resume.
When you are in college and don’t have any hands-on experience yet, you will want to use these resume-building tricks:
- Make an emphasis on skills. Showcase how your abilities relate to the industry and employers’ needs.
- Specify any relevant volunteering, charity work, academic accomplishments, and extracurriculars that highlight your experience, knowledge, and skills.
- If you have work experience in other industries, emphasize transferable skills. These can include management, customer service, communication, etc.
- Demonstrate your personality. These days, employers are looking not just for professionals but personalities that match their companies’ missions, vision, culture, and values.
An extra tip is to study other specialists’ resumes. This will give you a sense of what you should write in yours and what to avoid.
Visit Your College Career Center
Every school has a plethora of handy resources. Unfortunately, not all students know about them and leverage them to their benefit.
To jump-start your career in finance, we recommend attending your school’s career center. This center can help you learn about relevant entry-level positions, internships, and other interesting opportunities in your field.
Get Active Online
The recruitment process now is much different than just a decade ago. With the growth of different digital resources and social media, in particular, more and more employers are looking for digitally active candidates. And you can use this to your benefit.
To get started, hop on LinkedIn – this professional network is one of the best places to jump-start a career in any field. The 2023 statistics from this platform are mind-blowing. Studies show that 122 million people landed a job interview using LinkedIn, and 35.5 million of them have been hired. So what you need to do is get out there, start building your network, and welcome the opportunities that come your way.
Gain Experience
If you don’t receive an actual job offer just like that, don’t worry. Today, there are many ways students can gain hands-on experience in their sector.
For future finance professionals, you can consider starting an internship. This is probably the most straightforward way to launch your career. Alternatively, you can also try freelancing. By doing freelance jobs in your field, you will gain tons of practical experience and also something to add to your resume.
The Bottom Line
Due to the growing competition and employers’ demands, entering the financial sector is now harder than ever. Especially if you are still in college and have no prior experience. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.
Use the tips from this article as your guide to a brilliant career in finance. Start working today to expand your knowledge, build skills, and gain industry-specific experience that will boost your career!
