Jobs in the finance industry are diverse and far reaching. Banking jobs have long been viewed as dull and uninteresting but this could not be further from the truth. With roles in financial planning, investment banking and real estate to name but a few, career paths in the finance industry are plentiful.

Commercial banking jobs are wide ranging, they offer great entry level positions and good career progression. The many large organisations in commercial banking also offer good employment security. Commercial banks provide employ more people than any other sector of the finance industry, they offer good opportunities to understand the world of business and interact with customers.

The world of corporate finance is wholly different as it usually entails working ‘in house’ using your technical knowledge to plan for a businesses future, the work is driven towards the growth of the business. Fundamentally jobs in this sector of the banking industry create value for their company, they are predominantly performance related so subsequently can be high pressure, although this pressure is elongated and based upon long term goals.

Financial planners carry out similar tasks to those in the corporate sphere; these jobs however are focussed upon helping individuals plan for their future. The work requires outstanding interpersonal skills while it can be ultimately rewarding; both financially and personally. For this role understanding of estate planning issues, investments and taxes is a prerequisite.

The field of insurance also offers a variety of finance jobs; insurance is increasingly becoming a lucrative field as more and more people become dependent upon it. Jobs in this sector include calculating risk and anticipating future problems. Job roles include underwriter, customer and sales representative, as well as asset manager. Today the insurance industry is trying to leave its negative image in the past and promote the idea that their industry is there to help people in times of need.

Investment banking has long been seen as the most lucrative sector in the financial industry. The job includes purchasing assets, trade securities and offering financial assistance. As well as large multinational investment banking firms there are smaller companies that operate on a more regional level. These jobs are important to world finance as the work larger companies undertake is often for governments.

Being a money manager is one of the most rewarding jobs in banking. It fundamentally involves the investment side of the stock market. Dealing in stocks and bonds makes up the majority of the work although freedom to work how you like is a large constituent of these jobs.

Unfortunately starting in money management is difficult, top companies only hire experienced individuals, although experience can be gained with local pension fund companies and insurance companies. Understanding portfolio theory, fixed income investments and gaining official qualifications will assist in getting this type of finance job.

Finally there is the financial field of real estate, jobs in this sector are diverse and vary from construction to mortgage brokering and leasing. With over a third of the world’s wealth tied up in real estate this is a financially rewarding sector to enter. The close ties real estate has with society in terms of infrastructure development gives these jobs a sense of social responsibility, while the work offers different challenges on a daily basis. Of all the jobs in banking this is often the most interesting field to enter.

As previously stated, jobs within the banking and financial industries vary greatly; with so many disparate fields there is much to offer prospective financiers. The skills needed in the banking industries are considerably unique to each field. However, if you feel you are shrewd with funds and in most cases great with people, working in the finance industry could be the career path for you.

Rather, they will need to get a job with a great company and then continue their financial education in order to move up to bigger and better positions. While this may seem like an arduous process, Quanta Consultancy Services provides a proven and efficient recruiting and training process that will make any finance professional successful.

With fifteen years of experience in the recruiting industry, Quanta has many connections to great jobs in finance throughout the United Kingdom. As well, Quanta consultants offer decades worth of experience in a variety of fields that will prove invaluable to prospective employees. Finally, a peak into Quanta’s history shows that the original specialty of this agency was in recruiting IT professionals for the financial sector. All of these factors should convince finance professionals to use Quanta to find their next job.

With connections to companies both big and small, Quanta can provide a wide variety of experiences for finance professionals. For those looking for contract work to gain experience in a variety of finance jobs, qualified consultants will be able to the perfect position. As well, those looking for something more lasting or permanent will be able to find their dream job through Quanta’s proven job placement program. From financial analysis to credit management, finance professionals will be able to find the ultimate job with the help of Quanta.

Quanta finds great finance jobs for their employees while providing ongoing professional development programs for the duration of employment. Whether the employee is a recent graduate or a season financial professional, Quanta has training courses that will improve job performance and client marketability. As well, Quanta’s professional development programs are flexible to meet the time constraints placed on finance professionals. For business analysts that can fit in a day’s worth of resource management training, Quanta can fit them into their training schedule. Equity developers that need additional training in organizational skills and resource optimization can take a week’s worth of courses to ensure they have the proper skills in the workplace. In all, Quanta’s proven QuantaSensus training suite will provide any finance employee with the tools they need.

The current rough state of economy doesn’t mean that there will be absolutely no finance jobs. It just means that the finance jobs will be fewer, and the competition for them will be steeper. So if you are a finance professional, and happen to be looking for a finance job in these tough economic times, here are three steps, which if properly taken, can push you ahead of the pack in the competition for the few finance jobs available.

1.     Update Your Skill Set. Unique circumstances call for unique skills, if one is to sail through them successfully. Most professionals looking for the top finance jobs right now are equipped with skill-sets which were adequate for the better times, but which might be considered inadequate for the current circumstances. Simply put, to beat your competitors in the search for top finance jobs, you will need to have skills that they don’t have. Having a unique skill-set gives an employer a reason to consider you for a job in preference to another candidate. And this applies whether you are looking for the top finance jobs in the financial sector, the middle office finance jobs in governments and non-profit organizations or even for the more ordinary commerce and industry accounting jobs.  The unique skills in question need not be anything really fancy. Having, for example, a certificate in project management (which you can earn in a couple of weeks) puts you ahead of another candidate without such a certificate, even if you have the same basic qualification. Similarly if you are looking for commerce and industry accounting jobs, you might be well advised to approach the potential employer armed with at least some basic understanding of the workings of the business or industry you are considering working in. Armed with such a basic understanding of the underlying industry or business puts you at least one step ahead of another equally qualified finance expert who lacks such understanding.

2.     Work on Your Resume. The presentation of your resume can make a great difference in your search for top finance jobs, and is likely to have an influence on the employer, even before they get to look at its contents.  You might consider enlisting the help of a professional resume service, to help with the presentation of your resume. Remember the number of otherwise qualified candidates who get otherwise shoved out of the recruitment process simply because of poor resume presentation is huge – ensure you don’t fall for the same trap.

3.     Consider enlisting the help of a finance recruitment agency. In a bid to reduce the workload involved in the recruitment process, many employers are increasingly turning to recruitment agencies for their staffing needs. This is especially true for executive jobs, like the top finance jobs, whose recruitment process might involve some level of head-hunting, and which employers might feel uneasy doing themselves, preferring to delegate it to recruitment agencies instead. Many employers are also increasingly turning to these finance recruitment agencies even for jobs which don’t necessarily involve head-hunting, like commerce and industry accounting jobs and other middle office finance jobs. This means that anyone looking for any sort of finance job is best advised to at least deposit their resume with the one of the major finance recruitment agencies. These finance recruitment agencies usually charge very nominal fees for their services, and the services they provide are very often worth what they charge.