finance analyst.

Specific roles depend on the industry and company you work for, but typical duties include:

• organising information: your job as a finance analyst begins with gathering information from historical financial reports, macroeconomic data, stock price information and accounting data from ledgers. You organise the information in databases or spreadsheets, clean up the data and arrange it in a format that makes sense. It is important to categorise the data and add formulas to ensure it has consistent formatting that is easy to understand.
• analysing financial results: after cleaning up the data, you analyse the historical information using ratios and metrics to determine patterns. Your job is to identify trends and compare the performance with other companies in the industry. From the analysis, you can evaluate the company's value and find ways to improve income from investments.
• forecasting and making projections: your analysis reveals the company's performance predictions. You develop various financial models to help you make projections and predict the company's future performance. If you are analysing the viability of investment opportunities, the financial models help you make investment decisions.
• developing recommendations: you provide recommendations on ways to improve business operations based on your projections. For instance, you list viable investment opportunities and recommend ways to improve revenue and market share. Aside from writing reports, you make presentations to clients and investors.
• risk analysis: you can specialise in risk analysis and assess potential risks in a company's financial strategy. You help the managers identify sources of loss and minimise the risks involved in financial investments to increase profits.

Finance analysts work in financial institutions like banks, insurance companies and investment firms as insurance consultants. In financial companies, you advise on investment opportunities and help firms grow. Your work is primarily office-based since you spend most of the time analysing data and building financial models. In government institutions, you may help criminal investigation departments to identify fraud.

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include accountants, finance managers and management accountants. You might also be working in close proximity to data analysts and investment consultants, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, financial controllers, financial planners, advisors and finance assistants.

Finance analysts work regular 9 am to 5 pm work hours. Although your work schedule takes 40 hours a week, you occasionally work extra hours to meet deadlines. Sometimes, your clients meet you outside work hours to discuss investment opportunities. Meeting clients also requires travelling to various business premises and attending investment conferences. If you work for a multinational investment firm, overseas travel will be part of your job. Most finance analysts work full-time, but you can find part-time opportunities.

As a finance analyst, you specialise in portfolio management or fund management. Alternatively, become a risk or ratings analyst and focus on helping companies minimise costs. When you are a junior finance analyst, you can work towards becoming a senior finance analyst who oversees larger projects and assists company executives. You can progress to a finance manager position from the senior finance analyst position before becoming the finance director or chief finance officer. A finance analyst job also has self-employment opportunities, but you'll need a high level of expertise. The expected job growth rate is 14.9% in the next five years, making it a promising career opportunity.

Finding your finance analyst job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a finance analyst is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

The finance analyst role has a projected job growth rate of 14.9% in the next five years. The high demand for the role makes it a promising career. The role also has promising remuneration prospects, which improve as you develop your skills. You also have great prospects for career progression in the role. For instance, you could become a finance manager or a consultant.

Finance analysts use their financial knowledge to analyse various investments' financial performance. They review financial data and advise individuals or businesses on investments with promising returns. They are also experts in assessing the performance of bonds and stocks.

A finance analyst takes home an average salary of $100,000 per year. You are likely to earn as low as $90,000 annually when you work in an entry-level position. However, the remuneration increases gradually with experience, and you can take home over $110,000 yearly.

A finance analyst reviews past and future trends or analyses risks to determine the viability of an investment. They also determine the performance of bonds and stocks and advise businesses on the best time to buy or sell. An accountant reviews a company's financial data daily and creates the reports used by finance analysts.

You require a bachelor's degree in a business or finance-related field to become a finance analyst. Consider earning a qualification in CPA or CFA to improve your career prospects.

Applying for a finance analyst job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our finance analyst job offers. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.