Excellent financial and mathematical skills are just the start when it comes to a brilliant finance career. There are other skills you will need to get to the top of the profession. Below you can learn the non-finance abilities that will make your finance career soar. 

And if you seek assistance in paying for your education, there are many finance and accounting scholarships out there that will lend you a hand. 

Relationship-Management Skills

You’ll need to hone your people skills to succeed in the financial world. It’s vital to understand the different personality types, be able to listen, ask the right questions, and be able to resolve conflicts. You also need to know how to educate people and provide expert advice to your clients. 

How important is relationship management? One accomplished financial planner opines that a successful finance career is 15% finance and technical knowledge and 85% psychology! When people come to you with money issues, they probably spend too much, don’t save enough, or even save everything. They need an objective advisor who can help them with tough financial decisions. 

Sales and Marketing Skills

Others in the field say skilled financial professionals need to market their skills and knowledge to prospects in their niche. This means you must possess a full understanding of your personal strengths and your company’s professional assets. 

As you market yourself to clients, you should communicate your knowledge level and your caring nature. Remember, most clients’ most precious assets are not their money but their loved ones. Clients want to be reassured that you can help them to manage money to protect their families. 

Project Management

Any job task that takes more than five minutes is usually a project. You need to have the project management chops to turn a profit. This means knowing how to budget your time, manage financial budgets, meet multiple deadlines, and get essentials from other people to finish your projects on time. 

One corporate finance professional notes that most analytical projects have people questioning assumptions and inputs. Delivering on-time backup data is vital, so people don’t question your project results. 

It’s vital to have hard copies and electronic files meticulously organized so you can flip to necessary information fast. You could be asked a complicated question months later by a CFO who needs this critical info in 15 minutes for an overseas conference call. Sloppiness and disorganization can be lethal to your career path. 

Problem-Solving

You face problems in any job, and knowing to untangle them quickly rather than wilting under pressure is critical. 

It can also help if you gaze beyond your job roles and responsibilities to climb the corporate ladder. Help coworkers solve their issues rather than just reporting them to managers. When you help others out of sticky situations, your career will blossom as the word gets out that you are a team player. 

Technical Skills

Anywhere you work in finance, you need a high computer and technical proficiency to use new software that helps you in your job. The more programs, functions, shortcuts, and keys you master in Excel, the better off your finance career will be. Spend a few days getting slick and knowledgeable in Excel, and you’ll be the office darling. 

Ethics

Go-getters get ahead in finance. But you cannot be so cutthroat and competitive that you make unethical choices that torpedo a promising career. It’s vital to adhere to ethical standards in finance, such as those laid out for Certified Financial Planners. 

There you have it: six essential non-finance skills that will turbocharge your finance career. Focus on honing these skills, and you could find yourself in the executive suite sooner than you dreamed!