Must Have Finance Skills to Get a Job [entry-level, medium, senior]

Financial services industry is an extremely popular field to enter nowadays. Whether you are a financial analyst, planner or advisor, financial skills are best developed right at the workplace. 

It is not enough to work hard - one must write an efficient resume to enter the industry. This article will tell you which job skills you need to develop to acquire finance qualifications and apply for job positions in the finance industry. 

What is Finance?

Specialists in finances are professionals who manage the company’s finances and make all financial decisions. Analytical ability is a must skill for all financial professionals because of the need to forecast the company’s financial future yet make effective decisions. 

Other finance job requirements you will meet in a job description of a financial specialist are:

• Keeping responsibility for the allocation and the management of the company’s resources;
• Evaluating the cash flow trends;
• Analyzing the financial data;
• Predicting the company’s profit and expenses.

Finance Technical Skills

Hard skills like the strong knowledge of computer software and applications are the core ones for a financial specialist and their future of work in finances.

Knowing how to insert and present the financial data in Microsoft Excel is not enough. The whole list of finance technical skills is long, but the main hard skills are as follows:

• The knowledge of statistical and financial modeling software along with business intelligence software;
• The knowledge of financial management systems and automation software tools; 
• Analytical skills; 
• Superb knowledge of advanced mathematics; 
• Presentation skills;
• Problem-solving skills.

If you want to make it professionally, turn it to professional resume services that will highlight it on your resume.

Finance Non-Technical Skills

Nowadays, efficient soft skills in finances are necessary for a professional to build a career. Among the most demanded soft skills needed for finance are:

• Interpersonal skills. Financial specialists often work in teams;
• Communication skills. You may work alone. But you need communication skills to persuade other specialists in the effectiveness of your financial plans and decisions; 
• Organizational skills. You should know how to organize financial information like figures and numbers in databases and spreadsheets. 

And if you want to put finance skills on a resume, thinks about this: Can I hire someone to write my resume? Is what many people in search of a job ask. And for a good reason! The ATS nowadays can be very hard to pass, which means not every resume gets noticed. But with the help of professional resume writing services, you'll do. Luckily, you can get your resume written by a professional resume writers.

Core Finance Skills To Get the Job

Your future success in the field can be easily predetermined by the skills you mention in your resume. If your skills are well-organized and match the job description, the chances that the recruiter will like your job application are high. 

The main top skills for finance to have as an expert in managing one’s money are: 

• Problem-solving skills; 
• Communication skills;
• Analytical skills;
• Accounting skills; 
• Project management skills. 

Problem Solving Skill

Solving problems comes both in literal and metaphorical meanings in the skills for finance. A financial specialist solves math equations and searches for the most effective solution for the company’s debts. As a financial professional, you will have to solve problems under the pressure of deadlines and the company’s top management. Yet, be ready that for your financial plans and predictions to be effective, your problem-solving skills must be superb.

Communication Skill

If you always thought that financial specialists sit in dusty rooms and solve math equations, you have been wrong all this time. Not only do specialists in finances know advanced mathematics, but they also have amazing communication skills. Having great communication skills in your finance skill set means that you are capable of presenting your ideas in oral, verbal, and written communication. This also means you are able to persuade the audience respectfully.

Analytical Skill

The main skill to acquire if you want to impress the recruiter with your breathtaking finance qualifications. A specialist in finances must recognize, prioritize, and forecast the company’s financial trends. Having analytical skills implies that a person can effectively utilize data analysis or financial analysis in order to solve specific problems. Mix this skill with your communication skills, and you can easily give the most intelligent response to your team’s supervisor.

Accounting Skill

The most basic skill in the set of skills required for finance. As a financial specialist, you need to possess the knowledge of maths formulae. You will use the latter in to calculate budgets and manage the ledger. You also must know how to apply the 

accounting principles and standards, as well as how to work with financial statements in the accounting programs.

Project Management

Some finance job requirements will include project management skills. Usually, such a job description targets senior finance specialists with vast management experience. Being good at project management means being able to plan and control the work of teams or the entire finance department. 

As a financial manager, you will set up the schedule for the team members and plan budget deadlines. Yet your leadership and interpersonal communication skills will also contribute to your development as a project manager.

To increase your chances of getting a job as a financial manager, add an example of a cover letter to your resume. Both in the Experience section and your cover letter, you can tell a story of your achievements and how your skills allowed you to do your job right.

How to Improve Finance Skills

To acquire stunning skills of finance, one should enter the finance field. The best way to learn how to manage funds and communicate with clients is right at the workplace. However, one must enter the industry first. Which is not easy because ATS bots make the whole resume-writing process a challenge. Especially for entry-level specialists with zero experience. In this case, our experts will gladly help you write an ATS-beating resume with professionally crafted Skills and Experience sections. Contact us!

Benefits of Online Education

Most career changers and entry-level specialists are people who have considered a degree in finances as their second education. If you are one of these people, you have bills to pay or a family to care about. Yet the perks of getting a finance education online are below:

• You can combine your job and studying;
• You invest in your career without the need to leave the comfort of your room;
• Online education is cheaper than traditional in-class studies;
• No need to ride to the college and back. 

Meanwhile, the things you’ll learn on the online courses are as follows:

• Advanced mathematics with all formulae and an ability to solve complex equations;
• Managing the financial documentation; 
• Using the software for calculation; 
• Using and managing the ERP system.

Follow Influencers in the Field

Blogs for financial specialists to upgrade finance skills:

• The Reformed Broker. Check commentary on politics, media, economics, and finance.
• Nerd’s Eye View. Get the best advice on financial planning from industry professionals. 
• Above the Market. The best tips on managing one’s investments. 
• Abnormal returns. Check more information on private investments.
• FPPad. The best news on financial planning technology.

Twitter experts to follow for more financial advice:

• Ashley Jacobs. Tips on everyday financial management;
• Catey Hill. Learn how to save time and money;
• Farnoosh Torabi. The supporter of female empowerment;
• Charlie Lee. Learn more about cryptocurrency;
• Charlie Bilello. Check more market statistics in charts and diagrams.

Finance Skills in the Workplace

The typical work environment of a financial specialist includes office settings in a company. Being a financial specialist means having a full-time job with overtime hours. Especially if one is involved in project management.

However, more financial professionals nowadays become freelancers or work for a company in a distant mode. In both options, the functions or responsibilities of a financial specialist are similar. 

The annual salary of a specialist with a finance skill set is around $67 thousand. 

How to Showcase Your Skills

Your Skills section is a part that contains direct evidence on why a recruiter should consider you as the best candidate for the job. To let your Finance skills stand out, consider the following tips:

• Choose the Functional format if you are an entry-level specialist to list your skills for resume along with the secondary information;
• Add your skills to the work experience section to show your recruiter how your skills contributed to your professional achievements;
• Mention the Hard and Soft skills in separate sections;
• Keep your skills professionally relevant.

Do you need help writing a captivating resume showing off your finance skills? Ask for help and guidance from our experts by requesting a finance resume writing service today. Or, do it yourself using resume examples on Skillhub.

How To Put the Financial Specialist Skills in the Skills Section [Sample]

Check an example of a resume Skills section which contains Finance skills below.

Skills

Hard Skills

• Risk assessment skills;
• Superb knowledge of advanced mathematics;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Problem-solving skills;
• Superb knowledge of financial management systems and ERP databases;
• Efficient accounting skills.

Soft Skills

Excellent presentation skills;

• Efficient leadership and communication skills;
• Negotiating skills;
• Time management;
• Strong interpersonal skills.

How To Put the Financial Specialist Skills in the Work Experience Section [Sample]

Your finance education will provide you with skills to add to the Experience section of your job portfolio. Mention the core skills to get the desired occupation. 

Check an example of an Experience section below.

Experience

Financial Analyst

Beyond Bookkeeping

June 2015 - August 2020

• Used the financial modeling software to predict the financial trends yet the company’s future;
• Managed the collected data in the ERP database;
• Created financial reports which led to the 25% cost reduction;
• Managed three company’s projects which increased its profitability by 12%. 

To Sum Up

We hope our experts gave you good advice on how to get a job in finances and build a career. Certainly, acquiring skills of finance is a long process. But a rewarding one. Because in the end, you get your dream job. But to impress the company’s management and persuade them to give you a job, you must write a stunning resume or use our resume writer service. If you don’t know how to make your financial specialist resume shine, our professional writers will easily compose one for you. 

Contact us and get your ATS-beating resume right now!