A career in financial services could be tempting to a lot of people thinking about what path to take.
Those people considering a financial services career will no doubt be thinking about what qualifications and skills they need to bag that ideal job.
Although roles in the financial sector are varied, on the whole people need to be able to show they have good business acumen and impressive customer service skills, because in most positions you will be expected to interact with a wide range of clients.
One of the most popular roles in the sector is that of a financial advisor.
As a financial advisor you would be expected to provide investment advice to both businesses and individuals.
If you chose this career path the managing of a client's portfolio would be one of your main responsibilities and it would require great attention to detail.
To be a top-class financial advisor you must be able to be aware of the best financial products available to your clients and be able to match them to their specific needs.
Being able to bargain with financial product providers will also be a big part of your working life, so being able to negotiate is a must.
There are three ways that financial advisors can work.
The first is as a tied financial advisor who would usually work for a bank, insurance company or building society and only promote products from the bank they are employed by.
The second is as a multi-tied financial advisor, and you would work with various companies and again, like the tied advisor, only sell their products.
And finally you could work as an independent financial advisor and in this position you would not be tied to any particular organisation and can sell any product as a result.
Regardless of which route you choose, the role will present you with lots of challenges and interesting decisions.
You will have to keep detailed records of your dealings and produce reports that are compliant with various laws pertaining to the profession.