Commercial awareness
Making decisions regarding the provision of financial support requires crucial business awareness. Commercial awareness affects everything an actuary does. Factors such as market trends, product prices, shareholder dividends, even future legislation, make a huge difference to an actuary’s work. We don’t operate in a vacuum. Understanding the theory behind your calculations is important, but equally important is being able to apply that theory to the reality of the business.’
Client relationship skills are crucial to a successful and profitable relationship with clients and include negotiation and presentation skills as well as skills to influence, close deals, manage clients and plan and think strategically.
Team building programmes help you to develop effective teamwork, setting objectives and working together to achieve them
Leadership development programmes can be tailored for all levels of an organization
Personal effectiveness skills allow you to manage yourself and others inside and outside your organization
Profiling, using established profiling tools and new tools developed specifically to meet the needs of professional bankers, we can help you become more effective by understanding your own and others’ behavioral preferences and dynamics.
Broad Business Understanding and People Skills Needed
To be good in banking you need a broad understanding of business because your job will most likely involve interacting with businesses. People skills are essential because you will be helping people get the loans and investments that they want.
Accounting and Writing Skills are Crucial
The most common jobs in commercial banking are as a credit analyst and as a lending officer. These jobs require a strong understanding of accounting. Because banking often requires that you document loans and justify credit analyses you've written communication skills are extremely important.
Enthusiasm and motivation
A career in finance is hard work, but very rewarding – both financially and in terms of job satisfaction.
Anyone wanting to become a chartered accountant needs to study for a professional qualification, and they are certainly not easy! Chartered accountant students are often surprised at the volume of work they have to get through.
’Many have worked hard at university, often combining their studies with part-time work, but the reality of doing a long working week and then studying on top is a bit different. Chartered accountant students need to juggle heavy demands on their time and recognize that their social life will suffer. Such sacrifices require a high level of motivation and enthusiasm.