Accounting and finance students have a range of entry-level options available to help them jump start a career in finance. Finding the right entry-level job that will afford you the kind of experience and connections that can help you to take steps forward in your career can be a challenging task. Familiarizing yourself with different types of entry-level jobs in finance can serve as a solid starting point in your job search.
Accounting
Employees in accounting departments record, track and compile reports on financial transactions, including all income and expenses. Large companies often have entry-level accounting positions available for college students or recent graduates. An entry-level job as an accounting clerk is likely to involve things like processing incoming and outgoing checks, posting transactions to ledger accounts and helping to reconcile cash balances with financial records.
Financial Services
The financial services industry continues to expand in the early 21st century, providing a range of opportunities for people pursuing a career in finance. Financial advisers assist their clients in finding the right mix of investment products that meets the clients' investment objectives and financial needs. Advisers match clients with such products as annuities, life insurance, retirement savings accounts and college savings plans.
Becoming an administrative assistant to a financial planner can help to get your foot in the door of this industry while granting you invaluable field experience. Planners' assistants may be called upon to analyze and report on clients' investment accounts while performing research into new and existing investment options, and gaining experience with the flow of business in a financial services firm.
Banking
Banking is a time-honored option for finance students and graduates. Career-minded finance buffs can choose to enter the retail banking sector, which caters to individuals and families by offering savings and checking accounts, loans and specific investment products. Entry-level jobseekers also can choose to enter the investment banking sector, which caters to corporate clients, assisting them with issues such as stock sales and acquisitions.
Entry-level positions in retail banks are likely to involve work as a customer service representative or bank teller. An entry-level job in an investment bank may be harder to obtain and is likely to involve either internal processing duties or sales.
Journalism
A number of people who are skilled in finance find that they are less skilled in writing, and the opposite holds true as well. For those fortunate few who are skilled in both areas, financial journalism can offer exciting career opportunities. Financial journalists may travel extensively and meet with a wide range of influential leaders in business and government, and can work with newspapers, magazines, television networks and online publications.
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