Finance Definition: Finance Industry, Skills & Jobs (2024)

Finance Definition: Finance Industry, Skills & Jobs (1)

As long as currency is exchanged, the financial industry will continue to flourish. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts overall employment for business and financial occupations will grow by roughly 7 percent between 2021 and 2031, resulting in an estimated 715,100 new jobs. The financial research organization Opimas discovered that around 35 percent of new job postings are for tech professionals and data scientists.

Competition for finding and keeping the best talent in finance has been heating up. Among hiring managers working to fill accounting and financial positions, more than 80 percent at public companies and roughly 69 percent at private companies said they’ll have to work hard to attract and retain employees. They identified the top three drivers of this urgency to be increasing workloads, the need for technological skills and attrition as a result of the Great Resignation.

The exponential growth in tech-related finance positions can be attributed to the growth of global capital as a whole. It has been estimated that there are over 3 million e-commerce companies headquartered across the globe, but that number doesn't begin to represent the innumerable ways that businesses, organizations and individuals exchange money digitally. As more players in the global economy move online, financial institutions need to be able to manage and transfer massive amounts of money both online and in person.

Noteworthy Fintech Companies

  • Chime
  • Riskified
  • Paxful
  • ADP
  • Verifi
  • SpotOn
  • Supernova Technology

Tech professionals, especially those skilled in computer programming and data science, enjoy a desirable status among finance world recruiters. It’s become second nature for banks to turn to automated technology for help processing vast data sets, and leaders in finance are constantly looking for new ways to employ AI and machine learning for maintaining security and forecasting market shifts.

Best Finance Jobs NationwideView Top Finance Jobs Hiring Now

Having a bachelor’s degree in finance is among the top 15 college majors with the highest median earnings for degree-holders from 22 to 27 years old. Salary information collected by Built In shows the average yearly earnings for people working in the finance sector hover around $122,000. Common entry-level finance positions include junior accountant, budget analyst, financial analyst, personal financial advisor, financial auditor and credit analyst.

Take a job like financial analyst, for example, and you’ll see the median annual wages sit at $95,570, while the median for all U.S. occupations is $45,760, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Earnings for financial and investment analysts can range from less than $60,000 to more than $166,000.

A big factor in determining the average salary for a finance professional can be demand. For instance, in a city as bustling and competitive as New York, a higher-level job such as senior financial analyst can enjoy an average base salary of $108,313, compared to an overall national base salary average of $102,570.

Skills Needed for a Job in Finance

Great Skills for Jobs in Fintech

  • Accounting skills
  • Understanding of forecasting and reporting
  • Knowledge of finance software like QuickBooks
  • Data science programming languages like Python
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Ability to perform under pressure

Like any other profession, a successful career in finance requires a combination of both soft and hard skills. Any aspiring finance professional must begin with a strong set of basic accounting skills. Since finance is primarily a numbers game, those looking to succeed in the industry have to have strong mathematics skills in order to understand cash flow, budgeting, and cost analysis. The need for market trend and spend forecasting makes a well-developed understanding of data science another essential hard skill. Additionally, today’s aspiring financial analysts are expected to have a level of comfort with programming and software, as more and more organizations employ platforms like QuickBooks and Python to conduct prediction models and develop future strategies.

As for soft skills, strong communication and stress management capabilities are key to building a good reputation in the finance world. Any top finance professional needs to be able to convey pertinent financial information to clients or managers through financial reports or presentations, and as such must be able to effectively articulate big trends or potential directions as succinctly and accurately as possible. Like any other job, finance professionals need to be able to perform under pressure and feel comfortable working with certain amounts of risk. In addition to this, due to the nature of finance and working with money, it's also important to maintain strong attention to detail and demonstrate high organizational skills.

Finance Definition: Finance Industry, Skills & Jobs (2024)

FAQs

How to answer why finance question? ›

Express your genuine enthusiasm for the finance industry and how it aligns with your personal and professional interests. Share specific experiences or moments that ignited your passion for finance.

How do you describe your financial skills? ›

Essential finance skills include budgeting, financial analysis, problem-solving, risk assessment, financial planning, and more. These skills lead to improved financial decision-making and a better understanding of the economic landscape.

What is the definition of financial skills? ›

Finance skills are a set of hard and soft skills required by individuals who work in the financial industry. It is the ability to use relevant skills and knowledge to understand and manage unpredictable financial situations and transform them into successful ventures.

What is the finance industry? ›

The financial sector covers many different types of transactions in such areas as real estate, consumer finance, banking, and insurance. It also covers a broad spectrum of investment funding, including securities (see box).

How do you explain finance in an interview? ›

Mention capital expenditures, asset sales, purchase of intangible assets, and purchase/sale of investment securities to arrive at cash flow from investing activities. Mention repurchase/issuance of debt and equity and paying out dividends to arrive at cash flow from financing activities.

Why work in the finance industry? ›

Transferable skills Roles within the finance industry will enable you to gain transferable skills – such as teamwork, project management, problem solving and oral/written communication – which are highly valued by employers and make you more marketable for your future career.

How do you put financial skills on a resume? ›

Finance skills to include on your resume
  1. General ledger skills.
  2. Computer skills.
  3. Accounting skills.
  4. Accounting techniques.
  5. Calculations.
  6. Budgeting skills.
  7. Cash flow management.
  8. Tax planning.
Mar 10, 2023

Why are financial skills important? ›

Strong financial knowledge and decision-making skills help people weigh options and make informed choices for their financial situations, such as deciding how and when to save and spend, comparing costs before a big purchase, and planning for retirement or other long-term savings.

How do you say good with finance on your resume? ›

Customize your finance resume

Here's how you can do this: Show the finance systems you're good at using, like QuickBooks or SAP , to manage accounts or money. For jobs that need you to lead, talk about your experience with guiding teams. Say how many people were in your teams or if you gave talks to big bosses.

What are soft skills in finance? ›

Soft skills, on the other hand, aren't job specific. They're more subjective, but equally important skills that make someone a valuable asset in any role they may take on. Some soft skills include: communication, collaboration, leadership, and problem solving. Neither skill set is more or less important than the other.

What skills do you need to be a finance officer? ›

Finance Officers should have excellent computer skills, be accurate and organised, have strong communication skills, creativity and possess the ability to work under pressure. Good mathematical skills are also important because budgeting is a large part of the job.

What does hard skills mean in finance? ›

In the finance world, hard skills can be defined as one's ability to build financial models or financial statements.

What is the description of finance? ›

Finance is defined as the management of money and includes activities such as investing, borrowing, lending, budgeting, saving, and forecasting. There are three main types of finance: (1) personal, (2) corporate, and (3) public/government. This guide will unpack the question: what is finance?

How do you describe financial services? ›

Financial services are a broad range of more specific activities such as banking, investing, and insurance. Financial services are limited to the activity of financial services firms and their professionals, while financial products are the actual goods, accounts, or investments they provide.

What are the 4 areas of finance? ›

The four fundamental pillars of finance are Corporate finance, Investments, Financial institutions and International finance.

Why do you want to choose finance? ›

One of the reasons for choosing finance as a career is the ample opportunities for professional growth and development it offers. A career in finance comes with clear progression routes. This industry has endless growth opportunities and the scope increases with experience.

Why did I choose finance as my major? ›

Lucrative Career Opportunities

With the global economy perpetually evolving, financial experts are in high demand across various industries. A finance major opens doors to an array of lucrative career opportunities, such as financial analysts, investment bankers, financial managers, and personal financial advisors.

Why are you interested in accounting and finance? ›

"I've always been captivated by numbers and the precision that surrounds them. Accounting allows me to work in a realm where every detail matters, and I find that incredibly fulfilling. As an accountant, I can organize complex financial data and aid companies in making well-informed decisions."

Why do you want to work in financial analysis? ›

Financial analysis is a promising career path for anyone with a mind for business, a big-picture outlook, and strong communication skills. Financial analysts can work in various industries, studying economic trends, making predictions, and offering investment recommendations.

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