Make Career in Finance with non-finance Background
If you are looking for a job in finance they say that it’s mandatory to have a finance degree, but if you really want to work in this field and you don’t have any relevant degree then what do you do? Still there is a hope. Every organization wants motivated, dedicated and smart employees to do their work. Finance degrees train students on skills such as financial modeling and data analysis, but may not do much to provide other skills required for success in almost any job, such as communication, problem-solving and time management. Below are some of the ways to show potential employers that you possess the skills that they desire in an employee, as well as the passion necessary for a successful career in finance. We’ll rate each of these by degree of difficulty to achieve (for example, signing up for a financial course is easier than obtaining an internship) as well as the positive impact it may have on getting you closer to your objective of embarking on a financial career. 1. Learn Jargon: If you are looking to make career in finance, then you must have knowledge about Wall Street lingo, difference between dilution and dividend, or between NPV and DCF. Learn some financial terms and concepts. If you are a non-finance graduate and if you don’t know about financial terms and concepts it
will become very difficult to get pass in preliminary interview stages. Interviewers want knowledgeable applicant for finance position, irrespective of his/her educational background. 2. Round off Your Education Even though you are a non-finance graduate, you can match your level by taking relevant finance courses as per your education level. If you are an undergraduate then courses in economics, accounting or financial analysis will be a great options. And for a graduate students can prefer MBA in finance or CFA/financial modeling program 3. Enroll in Best Financial Courses There are lots of finance institutes who provide Intensive courses which will help you to boost your skills which are essential for career in finance, such as advanced excel techniques and financial modeling. This are short term courses, as they typically conducted over a few days. But due to these short span programs’, you may need to be familiar with basic financial concepts to derive the maximum benefit from them. 4. Improve Your Knowledge Base It’s not necessary that you will get full-fledged knowledge from your college degree. You can get plenty of information from local library or online. You might get some paid resources from course providers. Being self-taught in a difficult field like finance demonstrates a number of desirable attributes to an employer such as initiative, passion and drive. 5. Link up with a Mentor Linking up with a mentor is another way of boosting a financial career. A mentor can be anyone who can influence, who thinks highly of your capabilities and is willing to help you achieve your goals. A mentors can be your favorite professor at college, a family friend or relation with a successful career in finance or someone you know in a professional capacity, such as a supervisor during a previous internship. Don’t hesitate to approach a contact who you think could help you in your job search. 6. Score a Meaningful Internship Scoring a summer internship still remains one of the best ways to lock in a prestigious full-time job in finance, as many Wall Street firms pick their new hires from the ranks of their summer interns. At the best business schools, an estimated one-third to half of MBA students work for their summer employer after graduation. But since obtaining a paid internship in finance is likely to be very difficult for a non-financial graduate, one must consider other options such as an unpaid internship or volunteer work with a broker. The opportunity cost that arises from doing such unpaid internships or volunteer work may be offset in due course by the higher earning potential of a finance career.
7. Do Your Best to Get Your Foot in the Door Grab opportunities! Expand your job search to other locations, and use your network to check for job openings in a financial organization. Try to get an entry-level position with a financial company, even for a non-finance role, may open doors to other career paths in finance down the line. But for the vast majority of non-finance degree holders, getting a job in finance is likely to pose a significant challenge. This is more so because thousands of positions were reduced by banks and financial institutions in the effect of the 2008 global recession. However, using a combination of the tips discussed above should enable a non-financial graduate to substantially improve his or her chances of launching a career in finance. So to become part of one of the fastest growing sectors in India, join Imarticus learning, we offer various finance and investment banking courses across many cities in India.