Skills Needed to be a Finance Professional

Ready to take your love for crunching numbers to new heights? We can help. Find out what skills are needed to be a finance professional. But that’s not all! Look at what finance courses are available to you with or without your matric certificate.

Types of Financial Skills Employers Value

You will need both technical and soft skills to impress employers. The great thing about these skills is that they can be used in a variety of careers. This gives you the opportunity to work in any industry.

Accounting

To work in finance you don’t have to be a master accountant, but you will need to know the basics. This includes knowing how to create budgets, record transactions and prepare financial statements. Below are just a few of the accounting skills you will need:

Budgeting
Calculations
Cash Flow Management
Computer
Concentration
Cost Analysis
Cost Reduction
Data Processing

Analytical

This skill is used to figure out how to respond to a situation. It allows you to think logically and come up with practical solutions. This can also be applied to data and financial analysis. Here are a some analytical skills you will need:

Financial Analysis
Financial Planning
Forecasting
Logic
Planning
Prioritization
Problem-Solving

Technological

Technological advancements have made daily operations easier. That’s why you will need to be up to speed with the different applications used in your field. You won’t need to be an expert, but a basic level of knowledge is a must.

IT Software
Microsoft Office
Securities
Software
Financial Engineering

Communication Skills: Written and Verbal

With good verbal communication skills you are able to gain the trust and respect of your clients and fellow team members. It also allows you to compile professional emails, budget reports and communicate with clients. Here are a few communication skills you need as a finance professional:

Presenting
Relationship management
Persuading
Translating data
Financial reporting

Career Opportunities in Finance

Remember how we said that with finance skills you have endless career opportunities? Well you do. Now don’t get us wrong, there are a few skills that are needed in certain accounting careers. But with basic knowledge, you’ll have your foot in the door. Ready to explore?

Financial Planning

Looking to work in the private or public sector? As a financial planner, the choice is yours. In this position you will help clients plan their finances. This basically means you will be responsible for creating budgets and setting your clients finance goals.

Corporate Finance

Corporate finance is a blanket term used to describe people who work within the finance sector of a business. In this position you will work alongside accountants, debtors and creditors to handle the daily, monthly and yearly financial decisions of the business.

Commercial Banking

FNB, Standard Bank and Capitec are all commercial banks. If you choose to work for one of those institutions you will technically be working in commercial banking. With this career there are a variety of positions that you can go into. For example you can become a bank teller.

Hedge Funds

Hedge funders work with big and we mean BIG sums of money. In this career you will be in charge of the financial future of an individual or company. Clients will trust you to make investments with their stock or capital.

Courses to get Started in Finance

Before you can start bringing in the big bucks, you’ll need to get your foot in the door. But how can you do this? With a qualification or certification under your belt. We offer top class distance learning finance courses. Take a look at what we have to offer.

With a Matric Certificate

Having a matric certificate definitely gives you more study options. You can choose to do our accredited CIMA, ICB or Nated courses. Regardless of what you choose, once completed, you will receive a certificate of completion and you have the skills needed to enter the field of finance.

Without a Matric Certificate

Just because you don’t have a matric certificate doesn’t mean you can’t gain the skills you need. We offer open entry finance courses that will give you basic workplace skills. But that’s not all. Our provider programmes give you the knowledge to bag an internship or even an interview.

Finance Study Tips

Burying your head in your books doesn’t work for everyone. So we have a few general study tips that you can use when studying for your finance course. Remember study tips are only as good as you make them. This means you should alter them to work for you and the way you learn.