![](/img/o/b/obsriyww.png)
• FINANCE-FOCUSED CAREERS
Ideally suited to Finance professionals who possess (or have the aptitude to
acquire) and are passionate about high levels of proficiency in certain core skill sets
required for selected areas of Finance (such skills will be described in more detail
in Section 3A of the Guide). Career progression is based on in-depth knowledge
and experiences in these skills and strong problem-solving ability. Some examples
of these relevant functional areas include: Equity Research, Asset and Wealth
Management, Credit Analysis and Adjudication, Credit Portfolio Management,
Market Risk Management, Derivatives Analysis, Actuarial Science and Compliance.
• FINANCE-VERSATILE CAREER
Ideally suited to Finance professionals who have interest in and solid knowledge
of Finance, but also of multiple non-finance skill sets such as marketing, sales,
people management, operation management or negotiation. They develop flexible
sets of skills from business education and from working experience, and enjoy
using these diverse skills in job performance (such skills will be discussed in detail
in Section 3B of the Guide). Career progression is based more on the ability to
acquire and apply multiple skills on the job rather than in-depth expertise in any
particular one. Versatility also offers the possibility of transitioning from one
function to another during their careers. Some examples of these job areas include:
Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, Private Banking, Sell-Side Investment
Banking, Financial Advisory, Banking Operations, Banking Product Management
and Strategy Management.
While the Alumni recommend that job-seeking students keep options open,
understanding their interests, inherent skills and personality traits could lead to a
better appreciation of which broad career type would offer them the best chance
to develop a successful and enjoyable career and how to tailor their job searches
accordingly. Based on our experiences as interviewers in the hiring process or in
discussions with students and recent graduates, it becomes clear that those who lack
self-awareness are more likely to struggle, experience higher levels of frustration
and rejection and may end up making sub-optimal career changes as a result of
disappointment in earlier choices.
As the job market remains challenging, graduates may not be able to land the
ideal job that launches their intended career on their first try. If you do not have the
majority of skills required for your intended career path, you might want to search
for and start with a different job that allows you to develop the skills you need.
It is important to get your foot in the door. On the other hand, if you determine that
a certain job or career path is suitable and ideal for you, start laying the ground
work and work toward acquiring the necessary skill sets. Don’t be discouraged that
you are not qualified right now because, if you stay focused and work hard, you will
become qualified.
A long career that spans 25 years or more could be all the more satisfying, both
monetarily and in terms of self-fulfillment, if you approach the important step
of self-awareness seriously and try to find a job that aligns with your core interests
and strengths. After all, we all learn faster and perform better in our eight- to
ten-hour working days if we find what we do rewarding and fun. We wish you all
the best in your journey to self-awareness, an effective job search process and a
rewarding career path.
Chapter 2: Self-Awareness – a First Step toward Career Success
The following two resources
are useful references for the
various roles in the Financial
Services industry:
1
Financial Services
Career Advisor
(developed by the
Toronto Financial Services
Alliance (TFSA))
To view the in-demand
careers in Financial Services
(e.g., Role, Career Path,
Career Impact), visit:
www.explorefinancial
services.com/Careers
You can also create a profile
to view your personalized
career matches at:
www.explorefinancial
services.com/CareerMatches
2
Financial Services
Career Map
(Developed by the Canadian
Securities Institute (CSI))
To learn about diverse
career roles, visit:
www.csi.ca/student/en_ca/
careermap/index.xhtml
Note: The CSI and TSFA
websites are only provided
as resources to explore career
options. Schulich Alumni
and Schulich do not endorse
or recommend any external
courses.
4