Full Careers
financial services career change?
I have worked as a residential realtor for almost two years since graduating college with a B.A. I am looking to get into the financial services industry but really don't know where to start. Most of the bigger companies recruit in colleges and at that time i choose not to go corporate. However, without direct experience in the industry it seems hard to find entry level analyst jobs. Anyone with advice on the subject?
Public Comments
- first go to the companies website you want to work for and submit your resume to them directly. then go back to your schools career counseling office and they should be able to help you. then search monster, carreerbuilder...and of course hotjobs (gotta support yahoo!) and look on there for leads. 2 years out of college is no big deal. good luck
- google 'the american college' and take some courses with them. Get some initials after your name (CFP, CLU, ChFC) and you can get a job easy.
- Even though you're out of school, ask for an internship in the financial services industry. Although most internships are for current undergraduates, there are plenty that are for graduates. Send a cover letter and a resume. In your cover letter, explain your situation and your sincere interest in the field. If you can, try to find a company that will let you intern for a year. Even though you'll only officially be an intern, many companies hire straight out of their intern pool. I asume you're living on your own now, so you may need to find a paid internship. (some of them pay their interns very well). I'll also provide a link to a career resources handout that may have a very useful sites in it. Hope this helps!
- Try Primerica. It's in Financial Services and there are entry level positions with unlimited amount of ladders you can climb -- one being your own business manager!
- Financial Services usually includes 2 major components. Investments and Insurance. You need a different license for each. To sell investments, you will need a Series 6 or 7, plus 63 license. To sell insurance, you will need a resident Life Agent license for the state in which you reside and/or do business. When I started my career in FS 10 years ago, I joined a firm who assisted me in obtaining both licenses. It took me 3 or 4 months and they even reimbursed me for my expenses. But most importantly, you want to associate yourself with a firm who will train you how to market yourself. Neither the company you represent, nor the products you sell are as important as how you market yourself. If you don't have a good marketing plan, you will never meet anyone to sell to anyway. I recommend finding a niche. Something that you can specialize in, like estate planning, then market aggressively through seminars or articles. Since you have a real estate background, you could use your contacts to sell FS to other realtors and their clients.
