Top tips to get you started in the finance sector

As the finance sector in Greater Manchester continues to grow, it's only natural to ask the question- could I work in Finance?

If you’re looking to make a start in the financial and professional sectors, it’s never too early to hear some expert advice from people currently working in the sector. Firstly, we spoke to Joanne Barlow, a Senior Loan Manager with over 40 years of experience.

Joanne, what advice would you give someone who was looking for a job like yours?

“I have received a lot of training over the years whilst with NatWest, and I have completed a number of exams to give me the technical foundations to do this role.  I think it is important to be confident and competent with numbers, and to have an understanding of business Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet reports.

That said, I think a lot of my role is relationship management, being able to speak with different people and having the ability to gather the right information to allow for a decision to be made.”

Next, we spoke with Ranvir Singh, an Investment Manager. Ranvir, what advice would you give someone who was looking for a job like yours?

“To become a Venture Capitalist (VC), you can take a formal route by getting qualifications such as ACA and by training at firms such as KPMG or one of the larger VCs based in London - but its very competitive. Or you can take online VC courses from a number of universities - they normally last for between 8-16 weeks - and then take an interest in the industry as a whole - from how VC works to what is going on in the industry. There are so many free resources that you can access - from YouTube to websites such as Sifted and TechCrunch.

If you educate yourself and do a LOT of networking - you may get lucky with an entry-level role as a VC analyst!”

So, there you have it- there are resources out there for you to use that can help you get started in Finance. If you’d like some more information on the sector, you can check out our sector guide by clicking here.

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