Money Matters: Entry Level Jobs to Start Your Financial Career

Part of just about every business imaginable, finance is indeed a career worthy industry, and the following are some of the roles you can apply for as a new finance professional

An industry known to often pay handsomely in salaries and bonuses, finance can be a fiercely competitive field to break into. So much so that even the significant compensation it is reputed to offer is mostly reserved for those who have spent significant time in the industry and have toiled their way to the top.

With that said, getting an early start is beneficial when establishing a financial career, and as other businesses and overall industries continue to grow and expand, so too have the finance-related roles in each. There are a number of opportunities which you can explore to get your foot in the door of the finance industry, several of which having earned a degree related to the field will be beneficial.

Certified Public Accountant

Being a certified public accountant is as good a guarantee as having a job in finance, since just about every company needs licensed professionals who can they can rely on to provide accounting services such as financial auditing and income tax preparation.While some CPA build their careers as part of accounting firms which offer services to different companies, many others often start their careers as exclusive or in-house CPAs of a singular company.

While often involving long hours (particularly during income tax season), CPAs are a prominent part of most major businesses, with some even employing teams of CPAs, which of course, include junior or entry-level members. The only drawback to a CPA job is it is only one which can be applied to by an accounting graduate who has passed the board exam and is duly licensed.

Remittance Assistant

Opportunities for accountancy graduates are not limited to CPA positions. If you are a fresh accountancy graduate who has yet to take the bar exam but would like to get started on their finance career while working on getting your CPA license, you can apply for related positions, one of which is a Remittance Assistant.

This particular job is one to consider given it mostly exists in financial institutions more than other types of businesses, helping take you deeper in the financial industry as opposed to when working for non-financial companies. Similar to being a CPA, and just about all other finance professions, being a remittance assistant involves long hours keeping record and analyzing remittance information coordinating with other branches and financial institutions.

Audit Specialist

It’s no secret that auditing is an integral part of most financial processes, making auditors or auditing professionals an always-needed part of almost any serious business. As an Audit Specialist, you can find yourself working in a number of industries, identifying and understanding the process of clients, and providing them risk and controls assessments which will help them improve their business.

If you are a fresh finance graduate who majored in auditing, you can find a number of opportunities to focus on the practice at various companies, mostly accounting firms who offer specialized services to other businesses. While often modest in salary at the beginning, being an audit specialist can be considered a long and expansive career.

Treasury Operations Assistant

Financial operations almost always involves a treasury of some sort, and most companies require professionals to manage their treasury operations. As a Treasury Operations Assistant, you will learn to coordinate with a number of parties,making sure transactions are carried out by banks and financial counterparts, as well as resolve issues with traders.

Responsible for the logistic requirements of a treasury, and the supervision of messengers, work in treasury operations requires being skilled in organizing and planning, and in time management which, on top of the finance know-how you acquire in school, are abilities which will prove useful in a career in the industry.

Finance Analyst

Analyst roles in finance are considered by some as an opportunity to get in the industry without a finance or business degree or an accounting license. However, by having an educational background in finance, you are able to position yourself as slightly ahead of other applicants vying to become a Financial Analyst.

Analyst roles are exactly as their name implies, with analysis being the key responsibility, gathering and preparing data on financial spreadsheets to support billing, invoicing, and investment decisions. With the continued expansion of online financial platforms, and the associated changes being made in banking and payment systems, your role as a Financial Analyst will succeedingly evolve and expand as well.

Kalibrr is a technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, the company continues to attract the best talent from all over, with more than 2 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients, and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

Need help finding that dream job? Sign up at Kalibrr and be connected to thousands of employers! For application help and additional professional advice, follow on Kalibrr Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.