Careers in finance are known to be extremely lucrative in terms of pay. While senior roles get attractive annual packages, entry-level finance roles are also remunerated handsomely compared to entry-level jobs in other domains.
On average, entry-level finance managers with less than one year of experience earn Rs. 5,22,823 annually in India. This is a massive amount for new joiners in any domain. Even entry-level financial analysts earn an average of Rs. 3,48,050 per annum.
It is not just the high salaries, though, that is great. Jobs in finance are also known to be extremely secure. You can also expect a lot of growth in this rapidly-expanding sector as the career prospects are limitless in finance. If you are a fresher, with the help of an online certificate course in finance or by gaining in-demand skills for domains such as financial analysis, investment banking, or risk management, you can enhance your prospects and range of pay in the sector.
The global market for financial services is growing at a rapid rate with just the financial analysis and analytics sector estimated to reach a market value of $11.4 billion by next year (2025). Other job roles in finance are also experiencing similar growth, with hundreds of FinTech companies launched every year and more medium-level companies adopting analytics for finance.
According to Forbes, financial analyst and other similar entry-level finance job roles are among the most promising careers in terms of prospects and growth.
Top Entry-Level Finance Roles That are Available
The finance industry offers multiple job roles that one can choose from. With more financial technologies being introduced, completely new job roles that did not exist before are also getting created with every passing year. The backbone of every industry is the freshers and the juniors, while the senior professionals are responsible for managing the personnel.
Thus, the demand for freshers in the finance sector is ever-growing. Let us check out the main entry-level job roles in the finance sector.
Overview of the Finance Industry in India
The industry has undergone major transformations, including deregulation and liberalisation. As a result of these changes, there have been significant improvements in the financial market and an increase in innovation and efficiency.
Recent Developments in the Finance Sector
As the finance sector continues to evolve, so do the jobs inside it. Here are a few recent developments in the field:
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Tax Associate
Tax associates assist accountants and other tax professionals in preparing tax returns for businesses and individuals.
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Credit Analyst
A credit analyst evaluates financial statements and other information about potential borrowers. The goal is to help companies make informed decisions about whether they should extend credit to certain individuals or businesses based on their ability to repay it over time.
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Data Analyst
Data analysts are responsible for collecting and analysing data, which they can then use to predict trends and make business decisions.
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Budget Analyst
A budget analyst helps an organisation determine how much money it needs for spending, saving, or investing over a given period of time.
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Economist
Economists study the economy and its statistics in order to determine trends and predict future outcomes.
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Personal Financial Advisor
A personal financial advisor helps clients manage their money so that they can reach specific goals, such as saving for retirement or buying a house.
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Financial Analyst
Financial analysts are tasked with analyzing the financial performance of companies, assets, projects, and investments. As an analyst in this domain, you will be tasked with identifying the prospects of an investment or finding out how to improve the financial performance of a process.
Skills Needed: Financial analysts need foundational accounting skills and must have strong foundations in finance. Financial analysts must also be able to use tools such as Excel and Visual Basic for Applications that they can use for analytics or financial analysis.
Salary: Freshers and entry-level financial analysts with less than a year of work experience earn an annual salary of ₹3,48,050 on average. Financial analysts with 1 to 4 years of experience earn ₹3,97,945 on average per annum.
Career Prospects: After gaining enough experience, you can become a senior financial analyst or become an investment consultant or a partner in a large corporation.
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Accountant
Accountants are in charge of maintaining the balance sheet, journals, and cash books of their companies. Many accountants are also involved in cost accounting and management accounting as well. Accountants also deal with reconciliations, bills, and taxes of their employers.
Skills Needed: Accountants need advanced skills and must be aware of accounting principles, techniques, and regulations. Accountants must also be great at handling balance sheets, profit & loss, GST, cash books, audits, tax, cost accounting, and management accounting.
Salary: Entry-level accountants with less than a year of work experience earn an annual salary of ₹1,99,590 on average. Accountants with 1 to 4 years of experience earn ₹2,30,335 on average per annum.
Career Prospects: After a few years, you can become a senior accountant or the manager of the accounts department. You can also go into other domains such as auditing or compliance. If you do not have a solid background in finance, you can explore the option of enrolling in any of the reputable online finance courses in India.
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Investment Banker
Investment bankers deal with mergers & acquisitions, asset valuation, investments, and capital raising. Sometimes, you will also be required to help a company go public (by launching its initial public offering (IPO). Investment bankers also help guide startups or help investors make good decisions to make the most amount of profit.
Skills Needed: Investment bankers must know corporate banking but must also have the skills of a personal banker. This is because investment bankers must be able to handle the assets of customers. They should also have great interpersonal skills to communicate with investors and clients. Investment bankers must also have foundational analysis skills with strong foundations in valuation, capital raising, and markets.
Salary: Freshers and junior investment bankers with less than a year of work experience earn an annual salary of ₹6,10,419 on average. Investment bankers with 1 to 4 years of experience earn ₹8,00,000 on average per annum.
Career Prospects: Investment bankers can get promoted to become client managers or portfolio managers and they can shift to commercial banking as branch managers. You can also become a senior investment consultant with the experience you have garnered.
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Junior Risk Manager
Risk managers identify and manage various risks that are confronted in an organization. This involves avoiding, containing, distributing, or relaying the risk to reduce the negative effects of the risks, such as direct financial loss or the devaluation of assets. Risk managers are essential for analyzing various sources of risk and preparing contingency plans to handle it most effectively.
Skills Needed: Risk managers need skills in risk analysis, threat identification, operations management, and process optimization. Professionals in this domain need to be able to handle risks with a calm mind and must be experts in strategic planning. Threats must also be classified based on the types of risk they are and then investigated as well by risk managers.
Salary: Entry-level risk managers with less than a year of work experience earn an annual salary of ₹6,34,015 on average. Risk managers with 1 to 4 years of experience earn ₹8,01,764 on average per annum.
Career Prospects: Risk managers go on to become risk managers with more responsibilities and extremely lucrative salaries. Eventually, you can become a Risk owner or a domestic partner in a huge corporation.
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Bank Teller or Junior Banker
Bank telling is the most entry-level role freshers are offered when they join as bankers. This job role involves assisting customers with their accounts, creating new accounts, selling banking services (insurance, fixed deposits, loans, etc.), and handling banking requests. Even though this is a very simple job, bank tellers are essential in the daily operations of a bank.
Skills Needed: Bank tellers and junior bankers must have foundational banking skills and must also know a bit of accounting. Even though they are not required to know as much accounting as accountants, basic knowledge of current accounts and bank statements is essential. Personal banking skills such as interpersonal skills, business communication, and even sales skills (for other banking products) are required.
Salary: Bank tellers and junior bankers (similar job roles) with less than a year of work experience earn an annual salary of ₹2,11,117 on average. Bank tellers with 1 to 4 years of experience earn ₹2,65,690 on average per annum.
Career Prospects: After a few years in banking, you can become a portfolio manager, senior banker, or relationship manager. With even more experience, you can also become a branch manager within some more years.
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Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping is essential for all kinds of companies and especially in companies that deal with retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and transport. Bookkeepers also help in maintaining the accounts of a company by accounting for raw materials, invoices, transport costs, and labour. Dedicated bookkeeping is essential for an essential function for large factories and retail chains.
Skills Needed: Bookkeepers need foundational accounting skills and must know how to maintain records. Inventory management skills, as well as invoice management, are also necessary for bookkeeping. As a bookkeeper, you will also need to use technologies such as Tally, Microsoft Excel, and various ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software.
Salary: Bookkeepers with less than a year of work experience earn an annual salary of ₹2,10,000 on average. Bookkeepers with 1 to 4 years of experience earn ₹2,43,979 on average per annum.
Career Prospects: If you have a strong finance background, you can get promoted to the position of senior accountant or accounts manager. If you decide to stick to the same sector, such as manufacturing or retail, you might even become an operations manager or senior enterprise resource planner. There are many certifications for finance professionals that can help you reach the next step in your career.
When you need to choose an entry-level role in finance, you must first identify what your strong points are. If you are good with analytics and using technologies, you should get into risk management or financial analytics. However, if you are great at core accounting and not that adept at using software, you can choose to get into accounting or banking.
Now, if you are looking for a larger-than-life job with exposure to startups, investors, and valuable clients, you can get into corporate banking or investment banking as well. There are entry-level jobs for all of these specialized domains, so you do not need to worry about vacancies. The only thing you should focus on is the kind of job role you would enjoy.
You can choose a solid full-time online finance program or a part-time online finance program such as Hero Vired’s Integrated Program in Finance and Financial Technologies to become a well-rounded professional in the field of finance. However, if you are looking to become a financial analyst or a risk manager, the Certificate Program in Financial Analysis, Valuation & Risk Management would be the right fit for you. Finance certification courses such as this help get you placed in the exact jobs you aspire for.
Skills and qualifications that finance employers look for in entry-level candidates
Entry level finance jobs require candidates with a strong background in accounting, Finance Management, business, economics, and other important Concepts You Must Know As a Finance Professional. Entry level finance jobs also seek candidates with a solid grasp of critical and analytical thinking and good communication skills.
Networking and Internship Opportunities
Networking and internships are key parts of the job search process, especially for entry-level finance jobs. One way to start is by attending local events, job fairs, or joining a professional networking group or club.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a career in finance, there’s no better time to enter the field than right now. It’s never too early to start thinking about your future, and an entry level finance job can be a great opportunity. The ability to communicate well, analyse data effectively, and work on complicated problems will serve you well in any entry level finance job, regardless of the type of business or industry. So you must explore your Career Options in finance, and here’s our certification course on Finance and Financial Technologies to help you advance.
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