10 Essential Skills of Financial Planners

AboutIt’s no secret that carving out a high-flying finance career hinges on more than just good grades. In today’s fast-evolving workplace, accounting and finance professionals must demonstrate everything from razor-sharp analytical ability and stellar interpersonal skills to a sharp understanding of industry-standard software.

Formal Accounting Qualification

In some industries, sparkling talent combined with real-world experience is enough to land your dream job. But in finance – a sector ruled by rigorous processes and standards as well as commercial best practices

Interpersonal Skills

There once was a time when finance professionals were bound to cubicles, but that era is long gone. These days, any perception that the finance sector involves simply crunching numbers has been replaced by the reality that positions require workers to deal with clients every day.

Ability To Communicate

For aspiring accounting and finance workers, strong written and oral communication skills are important, but it’s just as imperative to be able to explain financial jargon in simple terms.

Financial Reporting

There’s no denying that financial-reporting skills are key to a competitive edge. Survey results indicated that 47 per cent of public- and private-sector businesses make recruiting decisions based on a candidate’s ability to produce detailed and accurate financial reports.

Analytical ability

Most companies know that lateral thinking and the ability to analyse scenarios and draw suitable conclusions are central to a finance professional’s role.

Problem Solving Skills

These days, it isn’t enough to have watertight knowledge of systems and processes – it’s also essential to be able to tackle complex problems as they arise.

Knowledge Of IT Software

Clearly, technology has overturned the way financial systems work – 29 per cent of respondents would recruit a prospective candidate based on IT skills and knowledge of standard accounting programs.

Management Experience

Although it’s not essential, management experience is often highly desirable for employers looking to hire a financial professional for a new role.

Commercial Acumen

It’s important for financial professionals to understand the relationship between a company’s fiscal behaviour and marketplace demands.

Capacity For Innovation

Finance and accounting may be associated with routines and systems, but that doesn’t mean that innovation doesn’t have its place. Whether you’ve invented a data-collection method that streamlines productivity or a recording process that drives accuracy, candidates who are innovative are likely to stand out. From brushing up on your financial-reporting skills to cultivating the ability to think outside the box, broadening your skill set is paramount to establishing a finance career that lasts. Indeed, if you can tick most of these boxes