Financial Services

Lloyds, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley are just a few of the key players in this sector who are aiming to upgrade their digital side to make the most of the latest innovations.

The Future of Financial Services

Financial Services includes roles in banking, strategy, accountancy, risk, HR, coding, design, and sales. These companies require both strong quantitative skills and well-developed soft skills (ie. strong team-work and communication ).  A good balance of these will be highly beneficial to your prospects. Employers also value proactive employees who are willing to take the initiative and upskill themselves.

Why get involved?

• There is a large number of jobs available in some very well-known companies
• A strong business community, particularly in Edinburgh
• Opportunities to work abroad
• Salary levels in this sector are generally higher than average

Financial Services sector lead, Damien McGarrigle, explains the skills that might be helpful to students interested in this area.

How to get involved

Companies

A feature of this sector is that there is no shortage of opportunities for graduates. Well-established graduate programmes are offered by big employers such as RBS and KPMG, amongst many others.  

Those with evidence of a high level of quantitative ability such as graduates of Maths, Physics, Informatics and Economics are highly valued, although people from all academic backgrounds will have a good chance at success here, provided you are commercially aware and willing to upskill along the way to meet the needs of the sector.

Students looking to get involved in this field are encouraged to engage with employers at careers events. These often draw some of the bigger employers in Edinburgh.

Careers fairs listings.

For further Financial Services opportunities, search MyCareerHub.

Read Prospect's overview of the Financial Services sector.