Overview
Finance is a broad discipline across both civil and business markets. Finance tends to be fast-paced and embraces new technology early, with organisations needing to stay on top of finance and technological advancements. A finance graduate career, unsurprisingly, attracts graduates from economics, business studies and management but also from other degree programmes due to the diversity of financial roles.
Average Finance Graduate Salary
Finance Graduate Career Path
In terms of global importance, finance is the lifeblood of an economy. The job prospects therefore are excellent in terms of their potential. Finance graduate careers with multinational companies can be very varied and often similar sounding roles can be very different from company to company, dependent on the organisation's structure.
The nature of the work required by a business in terms of finance can vary with the role required. If we are looking at finance roles in their purest sense (leaving out related roles such as Accountancy, Banking and Investment related roles) the roles will tend to be analytical by nature. They can often lead to you being involved in important business decisions and helping to shape the future growth of an organisation. After successfully completing training and gaining relevant experience, a graduate job in finance comes with excellent promotion and career prospects, further qualifications and high-level earning.
Management opportunities within finance tend to arise after gaining relevant industry qualifications and accreditation. Candidates that have gained significant experience within finance-oriented roles will often become senior business leaders across all industries later in their careers.
If, after 5 years, the financial sector is no longer your favoured career path, those who have worked in finance tend to be high on the list of those recruiting for senior business management, executive positions or business set-up itself. Finance remains one of the most versatile career options.
Qualifications and Skills Needed
What proportion of candidates as a percent we place into Finance graduate careers and the typical qualities graduate employers look for.
GRB Placements for Finance by Degree
Typical Candidate Attributes
Qualifications and Skills Needed
Graduate jobs in finance are most likely to require a degree in Mathematics, Economics or Business Management, but are not limited to these subjects.
As entry level roles within finance are always popular, relevant experience through an internship or placement year can be highly advantageous for potential candidates. Entry requirements will vary between businesses, and increasingly, some are not looking for concrete academic requirements. Many will instead focus upon financial acumen or competence from work experience or study. Companies which do have entry requirements tend to desire 320-340 UCAS points or a 2:1 in a relevant degree. Those on unrelated degree programmes will have to show their financial competency through their experience. There is also a need to demonstrate the following intrinsic skills:
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent presentation skills
- Commercial awareness
- Good numeracy skills
- Strong motivation and commitment towards the financial sector
- Strong Excel and financial modelling skills
If these skills correlate with your experience or degree, you can begin applying for Finance Graduate Jobs today.
Sources for Further Information
Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy http://www.cipfa.org
Institute of Financial Services
Institute of International Finance www.iif.com
Institute of Financial Accountants www.ifa.org.uk