CAREER IN FINANCE AFTER GRADUATION

If you're a finance student or recent graduate, your finance skills will help you get hired for these professions. Current market has huge career opportunities in finance specially for the students who are (ACCA, CMA, CA, IFRS, Banking, etc.,) certified.

Finance majors develop analytical skills to dissect financial statements and appraise the financial standing of companies, municipalities, and other entities. A career in finance challenges you to assess the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of business problems and evaluate the financial implications of corporate and individual actions.

Career after graduation in finance helps you acquire the ability to deal with spreadsheets and with other software used to process and represent financial data. They learn to present financial information to clients and colleagues with varying levels of financial sophistication.

Careers in Finance:

An academic background in finance can be applied to a broad range of careers in virtually every industry. Before arriving at a final career direction, consider your unique combination of skills, interests, values, and personality traits.

1. Financial Planner:

Finance majors learn about a variety of investment vehicles, and this knowledge can help financial planners to advise clients about how to manage their finances. Finance majors can decipher trends in the securities markets and apply this perspective to their planning sessions.

Financial planners must crunch numbers and apply principles of accounting to devise plans suitable for individual investors. They also need to inspire trust in people and promote their services. Therefore, finance majors with strong interpersonal skills and persuasive abilities will be most likely to succeed in this profession.

2. Financial Analyst

Financial analysts do market research on stocks, bonds, businesses, and industries in order to help bankers, investors, and corporate finance officers with mergers, acquisitions, stock/bond offerings, as well as corporate growth and restructuring. They can benefit from their training in finance as they analyze financial statements and other financial data.

Financial analysts build financial models and conduct complex quantitative analyses. Financial analysts also produce reports detailing their findings and present their analyses to other members of the banking or finance team.

3. Investor Relations Associate

Finance majors with strong writing, organizational, and communication skills can thrive in this role. Investor relations professionals prepare and present financial information about their company or corporate clients to investors, analysts, and business media.

Investor relations professionals must digest, interpret, highlight, and present information from financial statements.

The analytical and software tools developed through their finance major training facilitate this process.

4. Budget Analyst

Job of a budget analysts is to apply principles of finance to projects and proposals in the business, educational, governmental, and not-for-profit sectors. They analyze budgets and evaluate the financial impact of continuing ventures and new ventures.

Budget analysts must have refined communication skills because they interview managers to gather information for proposals. They also train staff regarding the budget development processes for their organization. Finance majors develop the essential analytical and communication skills needed to become a successful budget analyst.

5. Actuary

Actuaries play a leadership role in financially oriented businesses such as insurance, banking, rating agencies, and accounting firms. The finance graduate with strong mathematical skills is ideally positioned to calculate the likelihood of various events and to assess the financial consequences for those outcomes.

Actuaries use computer programs to carry out computations and display their results, just like finance majors do. They persuade people of the wisdom of their choices by presenting their suggestions to the company's managers.

6. Accountant

Finance majors learn to construct, interpret, and critique financial statements while completing the accounting component of their studies. Thus, they become capable of carrying out complex accounting work in financially oriented industries.

Students of finance develop several accountancy skills as they learn to analyze business problems with precision and attention to detail, which prepares them for the world of accounting. Just like accountants, finance majors learn to present financial information to clients and colleagues by using charts, graphs, and other visual aids.

Entry-level accounting jobs can be gateway jobs leading to corporate financial management positions, or leadership positions with non-profits and government agencies.

7. Credit Analyst

Credit analysts evaluate the financial standing of loan prospects and assess the risks involved with offering them financing. Finance majors learn to appraise the financial viability of entities and interpret their financial records and data. The investigative mindset of a finance major would enable the credit analyst to scrutinize the legitimacy of financial information furnished by clients.

Finance majors analyze trends in industries that can impact the ability of organizations to generate the income necessary to repay loans.

They have the communication skills necessary for credit analysts to extract information from prospective clients and convey their analyses to colleagues.

8. Commercial Real Estate Agent

Finance majors with strong verbal skills and a sales orientation should consider a career as a commercial real estate agent. Commercial real estate agents analyze the business plans and financial status of clients in order to recommend appropriate spaces for their enterprises.

When listing a property, brokers must estimate the value of the property based on its financial potential for prospective buyers. Agents advise clients about options for financing property acquisitions and launching new businesses.

9. Business Teacher

Finance majors hone the communication and presentation skills that are essential to the teaching profession. Business teachers tap a broad knowledge of business as they instruct high school students about the fundamentals of accounting, management, marketing, and investments.

10. Public Accounting

Accounting is an extensive field of study and practice, comprising a variety of financial services. Broadly, it is concerned with recording and maintaining the flow of money for a public entity or private company. Public accountants also give suggestions and deliver reports to cut down expenses, boost revenue, and improve financial health.

As an accountant, you can work in-house to help organizations get their finances in order to understand the soundness of their investments and make projections to achieve long-term goals. Employment opportunities may arise in the commercial or private sector as well as in select accounting firms.

The Big Four firms for finance, namely Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC, collectively offer the largest share of professional services in public accounting. They aid in auditing and attestation, tax consulting, business advisory, internal control, and governance to their corporate and government partners globally.

11. Corporate Finance

Corporate finance career is a sub-division of finance that provides funds for business activities. It deals with funding sources, investment decisions, and capital restructuring. The critical job functions in this profession include:

• Balancing risk and profitability
• Analyzing and forecasting economic trends
• Reviewing company reports and suggesting improvement measures
• Maximizes value of stock
• Managing funds and selecting investment portfolios
• Performing tasks related to financial risk management

Corporate finance professionals are hired in junior and senior capacities depending on their educational qualifications, acquired skills, and interests. You would be expected to have a knack for numbers and apply the same for managing money, maximizing return on investment, introducing smart solutions for budgeting, etc.

12. Investment Banking

Investment banking finds a place among the most prestigious career options in finance. It is also a lucrative path in terms of professional growth and salary package. Investment bankers are responsible for tasks related to financial remodeling. Their work involves working with data and numbers and introducing decisions that improve business operations. These practitioners must have an interest and insightful knowledge of financial markets and economic trends.

Other job profiles can range from trading and stock broking to asset management to equity research. Stockbrokers are professional traders or registered representatives who buy and sell shares on behalf of their clients. Asset managers determine what investments should be made with the view of growing their clients’ portfolios over time and mitigating risk. Careers in equity research involve ascertaining certain investments’ value to help individuals and institutional investors make investment decisions.

13. Portfolio Management

Portfolio management is a fusion of commerce and science as it requires knowledge of business, mathematics, and analytics. As a portfolio manager, you do not pore over individual investments but look at the overall investment mix of your clients, who may be institutions or individuals.

Also, it would be your job to guide organizational policies on investments and decisions regarding asset allocation. It is crucial in portfolio management that employed professionals work to maximize profits at a negotiated risk. This would require conducting a SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) in the domestic and international markets across areas like growth vs. safety, debt vs. security, and so on.

14. Risk Management

Finance risk management professionals are competent in identifying market risks and recognizing poor investment outcomes. Their primary duty is to maximize returns and minimize risks strategically. For this purpose, they apply their mathematical prowess and analytical reasoning skills and advise their clients on various business matters. The job roles can be divided into:

• Financial Risk Manager
• Enterprise Risk Manager
• Supply Chain Risk Manager
• Operational Risk Manager
• Digital Risk Manager

Risk management is an in-demand profession in India with companies like SBI Life Insurance, LIC, Bajaj Allianz, and PolicyBazaar recruiting for various positions, including analysts, managers, consultants, and financial advisors.

15. Management Consultant

Management consultants help organizations solve problems, improve business performance, create value, and maximize growth. They identify solutions for business troubles and make suggestions for changes to implement. Management consulting can be an extremely rewarding career for job satisfaction and remuneration. Consultancy suits people who thrive off variety, as days can be exciting and unpredictable – for example, you might be needed at client sites at the last minute, there’s a lot of travel, and you will meet a huge range of interesting people. Competition is fierce, and applicants with MBAs or business master’s degrees will find it considerably easier to get into the field.

16. Trader/Stockbroker

A stock trader either works for themselves or for a firm, buying and selling stocks. Traders may also buy and sell bonds, metals, and other financial instruments. Trading is a fast-paced and high-pressure career, best suited to those with bold, dynamic personalities. Hours are very long, usually starting early for the opening of international markets. Traders have very little supervision so this career will suit you if you’re individualistic and self-disciplined. Traders who perform poorly will find themselves out of a job very quickly – it’s a cut-throat environment, but with the potential for very high rewards.

17. Financial Manager/CFO

Financial manager role or CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is responsible for providing financial guidance and support to clients and colleagues. Employers come from a wide range of industries in both the public and private sectors. In larger companies the role may be more concerned with strategic analysis, while in smaller businesses you might be responsible for the collection and preparation of accounts. Other responsibilities can include managing budgets, arranging new sources of finance, and liaising with auditors to ensure annual monitoring is carried out. Financial manager/CFO are senior roles so will require progression within a company.

18. External Auditor

External auditing professional examines financial records and other data to provide businesses, investors, and regulators with a clear idea of how they’re performing, plus recommendations for improvement. Their work can be split into two distinct areas – a financial audit, examining a company’s financial statements and records, or a corporate/non-financial audit to help companies solve specific business problems. There are many companies who employ external auditors, most famously the ‘big four’ accounting firms: Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC; however, there are many other mid-tier and smaller firms also providing rewarding employment.

Not able to find your career path in finance sector after graduation? Ask us, as the finance and accounting training providers for businesses, schools, and government organizations help you find the suitable profession.

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