9 expert tips to land your dream finance job
First, we’ll look at real-world career paths for two commonly sought-after roles in the world of finance: Portfolio Manager and Investment Banker. From the critical skills to the day-to-day thrills of the job, we have a breakdown for each role that can help you understand how to put your career on track to achieve these titles.
Then, we talk to financial professionals to hear their first-hand insights and top tips on how to land your dream job in finance.
The biggest takeaway? Find your edge. Whether that’s an evolving AI skillset, an epic story, or being able to make a real connection in person (not just in text messages!) — these unique qualities are what can set you apart from the competition.
Career paths
These are typical career paths for 2 of the most popular roles in the finance.
Portfolio Manager
What does a portfolio manager do?
Portfolio managers devise and implement investment strategies and processes to meet client goals — making short and long-term decisions on what investments to buy and sell. Day-to-day, you will analyze market trends, select investments, monitor portfolio performance, and make strategic adjustments in real time. You may work with individuals, institutional clients, or mutual fund investors.
Skills to build
To build the right skills for a career path in portfolio management, you can first work on honing your analytical skills — financial, quantitative, research, and risk analysis are building blocks that can help you prepare for generating investment ideas and making pivotal decisions in financial markets that can help your clients achieve their goals. Additionally, you will need to be proficient in Excel and other financial market software and tools.
Sample career path: Portfolio Manager
Is this the right role for you?
If you like generating investment ideas, developing and implementing investment strategy, can manage risk, and can remain resilient and decisive when faced with potential underperformance and poorly performing financial markets, this role could be right for you.
Learn more about becoming a portfolio manager.
Investment Banker
What does an investment banker do?
Investment bankers support institutional clients in activities like capital raising and mergers and acquisitions — largely handling the structuring and execution of financial deals for growth and development of an organization. Day-to-day, you will create financial models, conduct due diligence research, prepare pitch books, and meet with clients. You may work with corporate clients, startup companies, governments, or large institutions — making strong connections that require intensive client interaction and deal negotiations.
Skills to build
To build the right skills for a career in investment banking you can work on developing compelling presentations and communicating with clarity and emotional intelligence to make connections with clients and raise funds. Additionally, you will need technical skills — like Excel and other financial market software and tools, and analytical skills — like financial and quantitative analysis, to inform investment activity and decision-making.
Sample career path: Investment Banker
Is this the right role for you?
If you are a data-driven thinker who likes math and analytics, while also being an excellent communicator, adept at sales and pitches, this role could be right for you. But know that investment banking is typically demanding, fast-paced, and may be considered stressful by those who enjoy a more relaxed work-life balance.
Learn more about becoming an investment banker.
Expert tips
Now that we have explored two sought-after roles, let’s talk about how you get there.
9 Expert Tips to Land Your Dream Finance Job
Whether you want to pursue a path to portfolio manager, investment banker, or any other professional role in finance, there are many skills beyond the technical and analytical — like critical thinking, collaboration, and clear communication, and practical abilities — that are necessary to succeed. We spoke with a group of financial professionals to hear about their experiences and what advice they would give to those starting their careers.
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Look at a variety of job titles
From the experts: “Be creative and open minded in terms of what opportunities are available because it's not always going to be perfect.” — Investment Banker
Everyone needs to get their foot in the door somewhere, so it’s important to be open minded and flexible when you’re first starting out. Wherever your first entry point, there will be learnings you can take to your next role and you might be surprised by what you end up liking.
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Build flexible skills that evolve with the market
From the experts: ”Focus on building transferable skills, things that are fungible across job roles, job titles, and industries. It’ll give you flexibility and add value to your career.” — Corporate Wealth Manager
The job market within the investment space has changed over the past few years and will continue to change. As you look at your career long term, you need to be adaptable and be able to evolve with the market.
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Know your story and strategy
From the experts: “Having a story and a strategy—wow, that person is prepared!" — Wealth Manager
Be strategic and thoughtful in how you approach recruiting. Coming prepared with a strategy and well thought out personal story will not only allow you to work smarter, but make it easier for potential employers to remember you.
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Be a team player
From the experts: “If there's anything that's very highly valued in this profession, I would say it's a diversity of skills. “ — Investment Manager
Finance sits at the intersection of global events, economics, politics, and social trends—everything is interconnected and constantly moving. In this line of work, it’s helpful to not just have a diverse skill set but be able to work with people across disciplines.
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Listen to everyone in the room
From the experts: “I have two ears and one mouth—listen twice as much as you speak, especially early on. “ — Investment Banker
Listening is a crucial professional skill, especially early on in your career. You might think you learned a lot from your finance classes, but you’re working with people who have years of real-life experience—listen, absorb information, process it, and give thoughtful responses.
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Network in all directions — up, down, across
From the experts: “I think a lot of people tend to network wrong where they’re only trying to network up, but you really need to be able to network in all directions.” — Corporate Wealth Manager
Networking is not just about fueling your growth trajectory up, but about building connections that can support you along the way. It’s important to not only network up, but with direct peers, adjacent groups, and down.
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Think long-term
From the experts: “If you look through a career lens, you make much better decisions than if you’re solely focused on what your next job is going to be.” — Wealth Manager
Careers are long. Don’t just blindly chase the next title, paycheck, or trend, but make decisions based on what makes sense for you to build a sustainable, long-term professional career.
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Consider what’s important
From the experts: “What size firm? What kind of personality are you? Do you want to work with peers your age?”— Investment Banker
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Find your edge
From the experts: “I guess the advice I would give is pursue your soft skills just as aggressively as you would hard skills.” — Investment Manager
At the beginning of your career, companies are looking for people who are smart, passionate, and willing to put in the work and learn. It’s not necessarily about being the smartest candidate, but being able to demonstrate you have fundamental proficiency, can communicate effectively, and can provide value to a team.
Entry level positions in finance
There are many opportunities to kickstart your career in finance, and being open to a variety of titles might be the best way to ultimately land the job you want. Did you know that you can start out in insurance and end up as a Chief Investment Officer? Here are twenty entry-level finance jobs that can put you on track to a top-tier finance role.
- Accountant
- Actuary
- Auditor
- Budget analyst
- Compensation and benefits specialist
- Cost analyst
- Credit analyst
- Data Analyst
- Financial and investment banking analyst
- Financial planner/ advisor (FP&A)
- Insurance claims adjuster
- Insurance underwriter
- Junior tax associate
- Loan officer
- Market analyst
- Marketing analyst
- Portfolio analyst
- Product analyst
- Research analyst
- Tax associate
Explore our library of finance job descriptions and see which roles might be the right path for you.
Remember: when starting your career, apply to a wide variety of positions, build a diverse set of skills, and think about your long-term plan. If you’re considering a track to become a portfolio manager or investment banker, your career path may be different from what we discussed above. Success comes from knowing the skills and abilities to make yourself an invaluable member of the team. When you’re first starting your career, companies look for passionate and talented individuals, more so than the “smartest” person in the room.
Finding the right fit for your needs and skills is what leads to a long and successful career. It’s about connecting with people that deliver value in a way that’s important to you.
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