Employee Referral Programs: A Tool for Sourcing Top Talent
September 12, 2024
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The finance industry has one of the most solid earnings for their workforce, and contrary to the belief that all their roles must be face-to-face, it’s getting more common to see remote finance jobs. This growth in remote professional opportunities, along with appealing salaries and more benefits, have made this sector attractive for many career changers.
Whether you’re pursuing a career change or you’re just a finance worker who, after seeing everybody enjoying the laptop lifestyle, has realized you want a work-from-home career too, you have come to the right place.
Since the pandemic, both employees and companies have turned to remote work options. While this option allows employers to save money assigned to maintaining a workplace, workers are experiencing more benefits related to work-life balance, performance, and working abroad. All for the price of becoming self-organized and accountable for your tasks and responsibilities.
Of course, depending on your role, there are other technical requirements for working remotely, such as a computer, a stable Wi-Fi connection, and maybe finance-related software or tools. You’ll weigh in if remote work is worth the investment and adapting to a new work style. Here are a few common remote work benefits that can ease your decision.
As mentioned above, one of the main benefits of working from home is having the flexibility to set your own schedule based on your tasks’ deadlines, personal agenda, and time spans where you’re more productive. This balance will allow you to refresh your thoughts and focus more on your work while still having the time for your hobbies, family, etc.
Even though this one is related to the work-life balance, another major benefit of remote work is saving time and money and reducing stress from commuting to work. Purchasing a business wardrobe and buying lunch are the other two expenses you can save by avoiding showing up to an office regularly or at all. Just imagine what you can do with the time and money you’ll save.
Remote work requires a strong aptitude for adaptability to stay proficient despite all the changes this type of transition brings. Although some adjustments can come in the form of a challenge, in the end, all of them are a chance to develop your soft skills or even acquire software knowledge from working with tools that you wouldn’t normally use at an office.
Lastly, and as contradictory as it seems for some work-from-home skeptics, working remotely can enhance performance. Unproductive and lengthy meetings, office gossip, phone calls, and other interruptions are common distractors that ultimately affect workplace productivity.
Aside from avoiding those obstacles, remote work enhances innovation and work engagement, allowing you to focus and set the routine that contributes the most to your employee productivity.
If working from home is already attractive to you and you already have experience in finance or you’re aiming to transition to this industry. Here are a few tips to increase your chances of landing a remote job and succeeding with the onboarding.
Whether you already have experience in this sector or just planning a career change, the finance industry offers different remote jobs for people who have decided to transition to a role with a flexible schedule. Here is a breakdown of the most common and high-paying work-from-home positions in finance.
Average yearly salary: $99,580
Even though most financial planners or advisors are self-employed, this position is also available in many companies in the finance and insurance industry. The best thing is that it offers substantial compensation in both cases.
As a financial planner, you’ll work with individuals to review their finances, strengthen their portfolios, build their budgets, monitor their records and spending habits, fill out tax returns, or even assist them with estate management.
For this position, you’ll mostly need a bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject, but having a master’s degree or specialized certification will improve your chances to advance in this role.
Average yearly salary: $99,890
The financial analyst position has one of the strongest demands in the financial industry, both from companies that aim to fill this role and from job seekers who pursue this career path.
As a financial analyst, your day-to-day activities mainly consist of reviewing financial data, identifying trends and opportunities, and providing insight into investments or business decisions.
On top of having a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, to become a financial analyst, you’ll also need strong analytical skills for trends and a proficient understanding of statistics.
Average yearly salary: $79,880
Public accountants can choose to work in public accounting or corporate accounting as in-house accountants at a company. In either case, they’re responsible for preparing financial statements, providing tax advice, auditing financial information, building departmental budgets, and helping clients make complex financial decisions.
Aside from needing a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field to land a public accountant position, becoming a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) by the Board of Accountancy in your state is essential to improve your job prospects, earning potential, and career growth.
Average yearly salary: $77,515
This position goes hand in hand with the previous one. While there are professionals who perform both accountant and auditor roles or unify their functions, you can also pursue a career as a remote auditor.
For this role, your primary responsibility will be to help clients improve the quality and efficiency of their resources and their finances in general. To achieve this, you’ll have to examine budgets and business procedures, develop economic strategies, break down data sets, and research any operational issues that affect a company’s financial standings.
Like any other entry-level position in finance, most auditors require a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related fields. A master’s degree in business administration or certifications as the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA) provided by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) are also highly valued by employers.
Average yearly salary: $60,332
Although the financial writer position is less popular than the above ones, there is a strong demand for talented and experienced professionals in this role. As the need for financial education, training, and information has increased, companies and media outlets have become more interested in writers who can produce effective finance content.
Since the primary responsibility in this role is to write consistent professional-level copy on relevant financial topics, having experience in the finance industry or as a journalist in this sector will set you up for success. If that’s not your case, then a degree in finance, economics, or journalism, along with solid research and argumentative skills, will do the work for starting a career in this role.
Average yearly salary: $42,292
As simple as it seems, tax preparers have an essential role for all citizens and business owners across the country, especially when many individuals are unaware of their fiscal obligations or how to file their income taxes.
Aside from helping taxpayers with their tax returns, they also review clients’ financial records to get a proper idea of their standings, fill out and audit tax forms on clients’ behalf, and ensure they comply with all tax laws, rules, and regulations.
Although a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related finance field is also desired for this role, the education and experience required will vary depending on the employer and job posting.
Suppose your skill set and background match any of the abovementioned roles, but you don’t know exactly what companies offer remote work positions. Try sourcing job opportunities on boards that promote work-from-home options, such as Flexjobs.
Here are just a few companies that offer remote job positions that you can find by exploring work-from-home job boards.
If the above companies don’t fit your career plan, partnering with a recruiter is another option to find a remote job in finance or an accounting-related role in a different industry. Aside from having connections and a wide portfolio of companies and job openings, gpac recruiters also have experience as remote workers, so they can provide insight into adapting your profile for a work-from-home opportunity.
Contributed by Luis Arellano
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