Workplace Reflection

Name of major that you have selected:  Finance  

List five (5) industries that employ graduates from this major:

1.Risk management - Stock Broker 

2.Securities – Investment firms 

3.Corporate finance – International firms 

4.Financial consultancy firms – Regulatory authorities  

5.Retail & merchant banks - Insurance 

List five (5) organisations that employ graduates from this major.

1.Commonwealth Bank 

2.DeloitteToucheTohmatsu 

3.Beaulieu Australia 

4.Citibank 

5.Goldman Sachs 

Vacancywebsite: 

1.Careerjet  

three (3) job titles for graduates from this major:

1.Financial Analyst 

2.Credit Risk Analyst 

3.PremiumAnalyst

List five (5) duties that a graduate from this major may perform in his/her day-to-day work:

1.Preparing client reviews and reports and maintaining client portfolio information 

2.Supporting the investment implementation and administration process 

3.Liaising with Brokers, Share registries,fundmanagersandaccountants 

4.Preparing correspondence for and liaising with clients 

5.Filing and general administration 

List five (5) skills or attributes that employers might be seeking (apart from a degree) in graduates from this major:

Skills or attributes required of a graduate in this major.

1.Strong MSWord & Excel skills 

2.Strong communication and interpersonal skills 

3.The ability to work collaboratively in a team environment 

4.Those that adopt a unique approachtoproblem solvingandunderstand the bigger picture 

5.Possess a good understanding of the financial markets, in particular, direct equities, managed funds and superannuation, or may have undertaken relevant study 

Workplace Reflection: 

  Through conducting field research and an interview with a working professional in the finance and banking sector, I have gained a better insight into finance and banking. As a finance major, these topics are fascinating to me, and the ability to obtain further knowledge on the industry and how to get access to it has been a great experience. The insight into the industry I have achieved has been; what the day to day activities are of an employee within the finance and banking sector such as “ gathering relevant data, updating comparison spreadsheets and financial models, reading the relevant news, industry publications and using data to develop an investment opinion. The goal of these activities is to develop a solid fundamental understanding of a particular business, sector or industry.” (Shelton, 2013). The kinds of jobs available within the industry like brokers, dealers, retail banking and much more. Some of the perks and downfalls of the industry, some of the perks are that you get the opportunity to help people achieve their goals/dreams, you never stop learning different aspects of the industry, it is a very diverse industry with many jobs and a high chance of advancement within your chosen career path.(Parker, 2012) A few of the downside of the finance industry are it is a very high-stress industry, long working hours spent within your working cubical and a low tolerance for errors. This research activity has allowed me to gain larger insight on the finance industry and what actions I can take to improve my chances of having access to it once I have graduated. The measures I must take are applying and securing an enter level job within the industry,  apply for an internship, volunteer to do community work with necessary finance skills and focus on maintaining good grades. Reflecting on the research I have done has allowed me to explore different ways of learning, different pathways to enter the industry and what competencies to study to increase my employability. This has allowed me to understand what career aspects and skills I will need to look for in my future studies and what skills employers will be expecting from a finance major. This research has given me great clarity of what employees of the finance and banking sector are expected to do, and what these professionals do in their day to day activities. I Feel that this activity has been a great learning experience and will improve my ability to succeed within the banking industry.  

Reference 

• Parker, A. (2012). Business banking officer, Commercial banking department, suncorp.. Banking and Finance resources. Retrieved 12 October 2016, from https://bblearn.griffith.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_53586_1&content_id=_2482130_1

• Shelton, M. (2013). A Day In The Life Of A Financial Analyst. Investopedia. Retrieved 4 October 2016, from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0213/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-financial-analyst.aspx