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Finance careers span a wide range of careers, from financial planners to hedge fund managers to accountants and loan officers, just to name a few. While many of these professionals have worked for years and may even have degrees in finance, every finance expert had to start somewhere.
While it’s never a bad idea to start from the ground up in an industry you hope to maintain a career in, some first jobs can offer skills that parlay themselves into finance jobs down the road.
Here are some first jobs that offer an entry-level leg up in the world of finance, even if they are not directly finance jobs.
Breaking Down the Skills
The skills necessary to enter finance jobs vary beyond just being good with numbers. They include:
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Accounting skills
- Analytical skills
- Project management skills
- Utilization of digital tools
When you look at finance as a series of acquired skills, you can see how those skills apply to a variety of other jobs which, while they may not be in finance, can prepare or connect you for finance jobs.
Sales
Whether you’re hawking perfume at a local mall, selling ads for a newspaper or any other career in between, sales jobs can set you up for a career in finance, according to Joe Camberato, CEO at NationalBusinessCapital.com.
He pointed out that finance has a ton of different career paths, and “where you start should depend on where you ultimately want to end up.”
For people interested in being on “the deal-making side of things,” he suggested starting in sales — whether it’s finance-related or not.
“Selling anything teaches you the three core skills you need to close deals: communication, negotiation and handling rejection. Those are the great pillars of success for closing deals, so master them.”
Retail Clerk
Anyone who has ever worked retail knows that these jobs require a variety of skills, from problem-solving to communication, and often doing so under pressure. You might have to deal with inventory, point-of-sale machines, and most likely numbers. Many retail jobs require a lot more than just scanning items at the cash register. Retail sales clerks can learn many of the skills that will end up being useful in a finance career.
Bank Teller
What better way to dip a toe into the world of finance than training to become a bank teller. These jobs typically don’t require more than a high school diploma and will offer on-the-job training. Bank tellers learn such skills as how to balance cash drawers, utilize financial software, and explain or interact with a variety of customer services, as well as communication skills. You’re also likely to be in contact with financial professionals, and it will be a great resume builder for a future finance job.
Receptionist
In almost every brick and mortar place of employment, particularly public-facing ones, you’ll find the need for a receptionist. These jobs can include tasks such as answering phones, scheduling appointments, greeting customers and showing them to a particular destination. It can include copying, filing, email and other daily tasks that lay a foundation for more complicated tasks of a similar nature that finance jobs may require. In fact, a savvy young employee might seek out such jobs at places like financial planning or accounting offices to get access to finance professionals while working their way up.
Information Clerks
Information clerks are people who help answer questions for others in a number of different settings. Their tasks can include such things as preparing reports or claims, collecting and recording data, answering questions from customers or the general public, filing and maintaining records and a bunch of other tasks. You can find these jobs in a variety of areas, such as businesses, courts, human resources departments, doctor’s offices, hotels and resorts, and even airports and libraries. These jobs teach you to be resourceful, dig up data, draw conclusions and analyze information, as well as often interact with people.
Internships
Sometimes the best way into finance is to look for internships — some of which may be paid, while others just give you experience or important connections, according to Forrest Webber, an analyst for Plastic Fusion, a sustainable environmental containment company.
Webber interned at JPMorgan while in college and was offered a job through the Global Finance and Business Management Analyst program.
“This program is an excellent way to break into finance and with paths to work your way up to a hedge fund manager,” he explained. The two-year program is designed to provide broad business and cross-functional exposure.