Profession financial analyst

Financial analysts conduct economic research and elicit valuable analyses on financial matters such as profitability, liquidity, solvency, and asset management. They provide recommendations on financial matters for decision-making processes. Financial analysts work in both the public and the private sector.

Personality Type

• Conventional / Investigative

Knowledge

• Microeconomics

  The economic field that studies the behaviour and interactions between specific actors of the economy, namely consumers and firms. It is the field that analyses the decision-making process of individuals and the factors that influence purchasing decisions.

• Business processes

  Processes which an organisation applies to improve efficiency, set new objectives and reach goals in a profitable and timely manner.

• Accounting

  The documentation and processing of data regarding financial activities.

• Macroeconomics

  The economic field that studies the performance and behaviour of all the sectors of an economy aggregated. This field evaluates the financial performance of a country and considers indicator such as gross domestic product (GDP), price levels, unemployment rates, and inflation.

• Statistics

  The study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments in order to forecast and plan work-related activities.

• Financial management

  The field of finance that concerns the practical process analysis and tools for designating financial resources. It encompasses the structure of businesses, the investment sources, and the value increase of corporations due to managerial decision-making.

• Economics

  Economic principles and practices, financial and commodity markets, banking and the analysis of financial data.

Skills

• Perform business research

  Search and collect information relevant for the development of businesses in different fields ranging from legal, accounting, finance, up to commercial matters.

• Perform business analysis

  Evaluate the condition of a business on its own and in relation to the competitive business domain, performing research, placing data in context of the business' needs and determining areas of opportunity.

• Offer financial services

  Provide a broad range of financial services to clients such as assistance with financial products, financial planning, insurances, money and investment management.

• Prepare financial projections

  Gather financial data, exert analyses, and come up with financial projections for small and big businesses.

• Advise on financial matters

  Consult, advise, and propose solutions with regards to financial management such as acquiring new assets, incurring in investments, and tax efficiency methods.

• Create a financial report

  Finalise project accounting. Prepare an actual budget, compare the discrepancy between the planned and actual budget, and draw final conclusions.

• Consider economic criteria in decision making

  Develop proposals and take appropriate decisions taking into account economic criteria.

• Interpret financial statements

  Read, understand, and interpret the key lines and indicators in financial statements. Extract the most important information from financial statements depending on the needs and integrate this information in the development of the department's plans.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB