You’re considering a career in financial services. What are the most important things to keep in mind?

1. Understand the various sectors within financial services, such as banking, investment management, insurance, and fintech, and identify which aligns best with your skills and interests. 2. Gain relevant education and certifications, such as a degree in finance, accounting, economics, or business administration, and pursue industry-specific certifications like CFA, CPA, or CFP. 3. Develop strong analytical, quantitative, and communication skills, as these are highly valued in the financial services industry. 4. Network extensively to build connections with professionals already working in the field and learn about potential career paths and opportunities.

Have a positive attitude and find room to merge your discipline with that of the intended financial institution value so that your characters and actions can start aligning with the culture of the institution. Know your company and culture, find a mentor or influencer and connect with.

Financial services is such a wide ranging sector that a whole bunch of skills can be applied at various levels. It’s not just about numbers.

The best careers I have seen advance in Financial Services are where there has been clear commitment and patience from firm and employee. Apprenticeships are a great way to enter the sector and can help advance careers with the perfect combination of experience and qualifications.

I would have four pieces of advice for anyone starting out as a financial advisor: 1) leverage your use as an advantage. Be the tech savvy, Advisor. Older clients will especially appreciate that. 2) Pursue the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER or Certified Investment Management Analyst designation right away. 3) Teach financial literacy classes at community centers, libraries and places of worship. 4) Leverage social media. Get on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Provide real, usable, personal finance tips. Use LinkedIn to connect with people who you think would be ideal clients. Post every day.

Patience, persistence and humility. Oh and a really good mentor, with the same qualities. Couple that with the right opportunities and it could be a wonderful career.

A good supportive mentor. Good on the role training including shadowing existing successful advisors. Self studying for your exams in your own time. This shows commitment and allows you to focus on learning the actual role in work time. Time and patience by yourself but also your employer/the firm you represent. That extra bit of time can make all the difference. Avoid cliff edge short term roles.

I think a good mentor would be really helpful. They can provide valuable guidance, share knowledge and experience, offer encouragement, and help navigate challenges in one's career. They can be instrumental in professional growth and development. But ofcourse, one’s also need to do self studies and willing to learn/putting extra effort to understand things.

Gain a breadth of practical experience across business functions and aim to get exposure to the widest variety of subject matter. This will stand you in great stead for your future development. Sometimes the best experience can come from smaller firms, with a great mentor who is side by side with you. In my experience, that means you often get exposed to to a broader range of challenges, which doesn't necessarily happen in large corporate businesses.

For me yes having mentors who are passionate about teaching others what they have learned is important. Also understanding that no one is born a financial professional it takes time and patience. Ask questions, shadow and take every opportunity to learn, attend meetings and be present.

Bringing the needed deciplin to the business to achieve the desired objectives, mean maximizing the value of the stakeholders.