Kickstart Your Finance Career

Malta’s finance industry is booming; it has truly become a hub of opportunity. Naturally, local students are continually and increasingly turning to the field of economic services as an aspired career path. Fresh minds are a dime a dozen in this line of business which means standing out from the crowd is an extremely difficult task to master.

Some expert advice can go a long way in helping you put your best foot forward and ultimately landing that dream job.

Take it from the top, kick start your job search then follow through with a first-rate application to start you off on the right foot.

• Draw up some internal reports. Sit yourself down and have a good think about you goals and career aspirations. Locate where you are, where you want to be, and most importantly WHY you want to be there. Know the reasons behind your targets in order to catch sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.
• Research. Find out which companies do what you want to do, create a target list of organisations and do you homework. Find out their missions, values, competitors as well as their financial history. Use social media to help; follow your role model on Twitter and gain first hand insight on his/her daily tasks.
• Get help. Now that you know your targets you need connections to the industry. Seek help from professionals who can serve as the missing link to your chain and help get the ball rolling.

 Once you have a game plan you will need to update and fine tune your resume and covering letter. This is your first chance to make a good impression so dedicate a significant amount of time to its content and presentation.

Bear in mind that the goal of your application is to land an interview with the employer thus, tailor your resume to this particular occupation.

Here are some useful tips to guide you through this process:

Your Covering Letter, keep it simple:

• your contact information,
• the position you are applying for
• how you heard of the vacancy
• link your experience and credentials to those sought for by the recruiter

In terms of presentation your covering letter must be as readable as possible.  The employer skims through job applications for hours on end, make yours an easy read, by :

• leaving spaces between one paragraph and another
• use a basic font such as Times New Roman and Arial
• make use of line spacing
• keep to a constant format

Your Resume

Format should match that of your covering letter. Add a summary statement at the top of your resume highlighting why you are perfect for the job. Once again make it as digestible as possible;

• allow breathing room
• stick to the same font and size
• keep bullets under 2 lines
• use digits when writing about numbers
• align your dates and locations to the right
• make it as easy as possible for the recruiter to get to the most important and relevant information

And certainly, proof read, proof read, proof read. Read your application out loud to hear what it sounds like, then get an outsider's perspective on your writing. If no one is around resort to resources such as http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ which can act as a proof reader for you.

Posted in: career advice,covering letter,CV,dream job,economy,employer,empoyee,finance,financial industry,Job,looking for jobs,malta,Recruitment,resume