The Importance of Professional Qualifications in the Finance Industry

No matter what the area, you’ll find that a vast majority of graduate programmes in the finance industry include study for a professional qualification. Why are they so important in this day and age?

Regulation, regulation, regulation

As you’re all too aware (or need to be if you aren’t already!), the times, they are a-changing for the finance industry. The financial crash and all that led to it has resulted in huge reviews and the beginnings of changes in the way the sector is run. Alongside regulatory overhaul, the industry needs to work hard to regain the trust of the public in other ways too. Step in, the focus on certification.

Certain professional qualifications are now viewed as industry benchmarks. It’s one way that employers, clients and the general public can spot if a professional in the industry has met a standards in skills, knowledge and ethics in practice and conduct set out by a recognised professional body.

More people qualifying and raising the standard

Due to the stress on regulation, more and more people in the finance industry are now making efforts to obtain professional qualifications in their specialist area to help them stand out as candidates for top jobs. In a sense they will differentiate themselves by achieving these badges. The fact that more people are studying them only makes them even more necessary in order to keep up with the crowd and make sure you’re at your most competitive in the job market in the long term.

That key to a more senior role

These attitudes and values surrounding professional qualifications mean that obtaining one could well open up more doors for you as you progress beyond your graduate scheme and move up through a company or move to another.

More credibility if you want to take your career overseas

A professional qualification from an internationally recognised professional body will strike a chord with employers overseas too if you’re planning on jet setting with your finance career in the future too!