Top tips for finance sector hopefuls

Dunya Simões Published October 9 2026 Jump to comments section Print this page Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. So, you have set your sights on a career in finance. With fierce competition and recruitment processes often feeling opaque, getting a foot in the door can be daunting. Finance remained the most popular career choice this year in the Graduate Outlook Survey of the CFA Institute, an association for investment management professionals. While there is no foolproof formula, there are practical steps that can make the process feel more manageable and help demystify assumptions around breaking into the industry. Often, young people rush to secure prestigious internships. These schemes, however, are highly competitive and rejection might come as a significant blow. Applicants should instead “open their lens” and remember that missing out on a big-name programme does not mean they have run out of valuable alternatives, says Laura Brammar, associate director at the University of London careers service. “Do not overlook the less glamorous, less sexy experience,” she says. Asking to spend a week at your local accountancy firm, regional building society or “whatever is available on your high street that operates within the finance industry” can serve as valuable experience, she adds.

More stories from this FT Schools report Competition for best entry-level finance jobs intensifies Working in insurance guarantees a wide range of careers Cash in or branch out: how to get started as a banker Asset management hirers seek personality and skills Degrees remain essential for best-paid financial roles To build a well-rounded profile that demonstrates a genuine interest in the sector, Brammar also highlights free online courses and work simulations that can help students develop skills, such as data analysis and financial modelling, rather than waiting until they are in a role. Jennifer Davey, early careers recruitment manager at Deutsche Bank, says “intellectual curiosity” is one of the qualities it values most. One applicant, instead of mentioning a headline transaction, raised a smaller and less widely discussed deal the bank had advised on. The candidate elaborated on why the transaction interested them as well as the strategic rationale behind it and what they thought it reflected about Deutsche Bank’s broader capabilities. In this way, they showed “genuine intellectual curiosity rather than research done purely to impress”, says Davey. “The candidates who leave a lasting impression are often the ones who have taken the time to explore beyond the obvious,” she adds. Learn as much as possible about what potential jobs entail via recruitment events and speaking to staff while keeping up to speed with financial news, she advises. Free access to the FT for schools Secondary schools and high schools around the world have free access to the FTFor those without established connections, building a network is especially important. Shelly O’Gilvie, head of professional membership of the 93% Club, a UK charity championing social mobility, highlights that those from less privileged backgrounds can be at a disadvantage because they may lack the same access to professional contacts as more advantaged peers. But “it does not mean you should give up”.All students should, she says, be asking themselves: “Who is that first connection that [I] can find?” Even identifying one person and asking for 10 minutes of their time can provide access to the advice and insights that are otherwise difficult to gather from online research alone. Later down the line, those relationships may open doors. Mentoring schemes can take this a step further. O’Gilvie says one-to-one relationships translate to more tailored support, helping students “go behind the curtain” of the industry. Anyone who remembers the viral Tik Tok video Man in finance will know about social media’s obsess...

Dunya Simões 发布于 2026 年 10 月 9 日 跳至评论区 打印本页 免费解锁《编辑文摘》 《金融时报》编辑 Roula Khalaf 在这份每周通讯中精选她最喜爱的报道。

所以，你已经把目标定在了金融职业上。竞争激烈，招聘流程往往不透明，想要踏入这一行可能令人望而生畏。在 CFA Institute（一家面向投资管理专业人士的协会）的毕业生展望调查中，金融仍是今年最受欢迎的职业选择。虽然没有万无一失的公式，但有一些切实可行的步骤，可以让求职过程变得更易掌控，并帮助人们消除对进入这一行业的种种误解。

年轻人往往急于争取声望很高的实习机会。然而，这类项目竞争激烈，遭到拒绝可能是重大打击。伦敦大学职业服务中心副主任 Laura Brammar 表示，申请者应当“拓宽视野”，错过一个知名项目并不意味着没有其他有价值的选择。“不要忽视那些不那么光鲜、不那么亮眼的经历，”她说。她补充道，申请去当地会计师事务所、地区建房互助协会，或者“你所在街区上任何从事金融业务的机构”工作一周，都可以成为宝贵的经验。

来自本期 FT 院校报告的更多报道：入门级金融职位竞争加剧；保险行业提供广泛的职业选择；选择留在原地还是转向：如何开启银行业职业生涯；资产管理招聘方看重个性与技能；学位仍是高薪金融职位的必备条件。

Brammar 还强调，为了打造全面且能体现对该行业真正兴趣的个人履历，学生可以利用免费的在线课程和工作模拟来培养数据分析和财务建模等技能，而不是等到入职后再学习。

德意志银行早期职业招聘经理 Jennifer Davey 表示，“智识上的好奇心”是该行最看重的素质之一。有一位申请者没有提及某笔备受瞩目的交易，而是谈到了该行曾提供咨询服务的一笔规模较小、讨论较少的交易。这位候选人阐述了自己对该交易感兴趣的原因、背后的战略考量，以及他们认为这反映了德意志银行更广泛能力的哪些方面。通过这种方式，他们展现了“真正的智识好奇心，而非纯粹为了给人留下印象而做的功课”，Davey 说。“真正给人留下深刻印象的候选人，往往是那些愿意花时间探索表面之外内容的人，”她补充道。她建议，通过招聘活动和与在职员工交谈，尽可能多地了解潜在工作的内容，同时保持对金融新闻的关注。

没有现成人脉的人，建立人际网络尤为重要。英国致力于推动社会流动的慈善机构 93% Club 的专业会员事务负责人 Shelly O’Gilvie 指出，出身较不优越的人可能处于劣势，因为他们获取职业人脉的机会可能不如条件较好的同龄人。但她说，“这并不意味着你应该放弃”。她表示，所有学生都应当问自己：“我能找到的第一个人脉是谁？”即使只找到一个人，并请对方抽出十分钟时间，也可能获得仅靠网络调研难以得到的建议和见解。日后，这些关系或许会为你打开大门。

导师计划可以更进一步。O’Gilvie 表示，一对一的关系能够带来更有针对性的支持，帮助学生“走进”这一行业的幕后。谈到社交媒体的影响，不妨提一下那段广为流传的抖音视频《金融界的男人》……