Career Planner: Financial Industry

The Basics
Self-Reflection
Job Profiles – Management
Job Profiles – Sales Department
Job Profiles – Research Department
Job Profiles – Trading Department
Job Profiles – Underwriting Department
Selection
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SELF-REFLECTION

The most important step in deciding upon a career path is self-reflection. Understanding both who you are and what you want when it comes to work, to life, it can seem trivial—but, for most, these can be the toughest questions to answer. Statistics show that most individuals in this current market place will likely switch jobs, and even whole careers, between four to ten times over the course of their lives. So take comfort, at least, in the knowledge that you’re not alone in your uncertainty about what you want to do with the rest of your life.

But even if you are one of the lucky few who know exactly what career they want to strive for right at this very moment, there are a few things to consider: (1) you may start your favoured job and soon after find that you hate it, (2) an amazing job opportunity might arise that may pull you into a different field, (3) life may kick you in the butt and you may never reach that favoured career, (4) life may kick you in the butt really hard and yank you out of your favoured job, i.e. recession, downsizing, etc, and (5) you may work in your favoured job for a few years and then find that life has introduced you to completely new interests that you would like to pursue. These possibilities, and many more, are what career advisors call life.

No matter what you plan for your future, your life will always take you in directions that you would never have imagined. Thus, while choosing a career may be difficult, or maybe even unrealistic in this day-and-age, you can at least gauge what underlying needs drive you and plan from there. Below are a number of categories we at the Arbitrage put together to help you in this self-reflectionary process. Ask yourself the questions below and compare them to the job descriptions that will follow. By doing this, we hope the fog in front of your career path might just clear up a bit.

Categories for Career Interests:

*Skills (What kind of technical and/or occupational skills are you enthusiastic in utilizing on a daily basis? What kind of skills are you passionate about to attaining?)

*Knowledge and Expertise (What kind of knowledge do you most look forward to gain? What kind of knowledge and/or expertise are you most passionate about to working toward that will support career ambitions?)

*Experience (What are the types of challenges and on-the-job intrinsic rewards that will make your future career satisfying and fulfilling?)

*Abilities (What abilities do you have to contribute and which ones do you want to improve on?)

*Opportunities for growth (What future opportunities are you hoping to achieve? How high up the corporate ladder do you hope to climb over the course of your career?)

*Prestige and Recognition (How much respect and popularity does your ego need [i.e. if a lot, then chose an occupation that commands a great deal of respect and popularity from your peers, co-workers and the general public]? What level of authority do you envision your ideal position possessing in regards to your team, your division and your firm?)

*Work & Team Environment (What kind of surroundings are you most comfortable working within?)

*Characteristics of Personalities (Do you feel that the qualities of your personality allow you to meet and exceed the demands of your ideal job?)

*The objective of the job (Does the purpose of your desired career align with the core organizational goals of your ideal company, as well as your own career expectations and objectives? Will your desired career allow you to achieve a sense of accomplishment when reflecting on your job on a daily basis?)

*Responsibilities & Duties (Do you believe that you will be passionate and enthusiastic about the responsibilities and tasks you will likely carry out on a daily basis)

*Salary Levels (What is your target salary range that you hope to aspire to over the course of your career?)