Take these small steps and boost your finance career

Hi , It's the last productive push before the Christmas break!  Now the seasonal celebrations of halloween and bonfire night are out of the way, it’s time to face your fears and start planning for your future, so you can make a bang in the financial sector. Sorry… in all seriousness, now is a good time to tick some productive boxes. Here’s the things to do, and the stories to watch, to keep your finance career plan ticking on over the December break.

Take these small steps and boost your finance career:  Attend an open day. Open days are so much more than a rare chance to snoop around a top financial services firm. If you attend one, you’ll be making a first impression a prospective place of work, meeting with existing employees and recruiters, and getting a picture of your future workplace. Make sure you're prepared with our tips. Figure out your career/uni balance. Keeping your grades up to scratch when you’re focusing on future job applications can be a difficult dance. But it doesn’t have to be. Take a deep breath, pop the kettle on, and let us guide you through it. Join your finance society. If you’ve not done this already, it’s not too late - get your membership sorted before term ends. When you’re benefitting from industry-specific careers fairs, networking opportunities and a chance to be on the committee, you’ll be glad you did.

August's latest graduate jobs

We've rounded up August's latest graduate jobs in one place for you...

RSM  As one of the largest networks of audit, tax and consulting firms in the world, we help graduates kick-start their career in business.   Check out roles Mazars A global, integrated and independent organisation, specialising in audit, advisory, accounting and tax services, among the top 10 accountancy firms within the UK. Check out roles CGI Experience an amazing placement opportunity or put down long term roots in one of the world’s leading IT and business consulting services, CGI.   Check out roles Institute and Faculty of Actuaries If you love maths and want a career where you use your mathematical skill every day then becoming an actuarial professional might be for you. Check out roles PwC PwC have one of the most extensive legal services networks globally - there’s a lot to look forward to as a legal trainee.   Check out roles National Grid Offering an attractive starting salary and first-class training and development opportunities, including generous holidays and a popular flexible benefits package.   Check out roles

Money, money, money... People often say you can get whatever job you want if you put the work and the effort in. They're not wrong, but there are some industries that require a certain set of personality traits. Compassion, for example, if you want to work in the medical profession. An eye for what looks good, if you want to work in design. A knack for the written word, if you want to be a writer. You don't need any of these traits to work in investment banking. What you need is unflinching confidence, undiluted resilience, and an unquenchable desire to put in the hard yards until you succeed. There's a reason that the industry is so competitive - because if you get it right, and you're good at it, you can make outrageous amounts of money. But let's get one thing straight - you need to have the right attitude. If you've got it, read on, and let's get your foot in the door in the most lucrative industry on earth.

What you need to know  You could find far worse places to start than our industry page for Investment Banking, which contains pretty much all the information about what the industry entails and breaks down the jargon for you. On top of that though, we've got a hints and tips page on how you can force the door open via a banking internship, or if the academic route appeals more to you, we interviewed Wesminster Business School's Professor Healeas on why an MBA is the foremost business postgraduate degree. We’d also love to hear from you over on Facebook and Twitter, where we’re keeping you updated on all the latest advice from the financial careers world as and when it breaks.    So if you're trying to make it rain in your career, we think you might be on to something. Just remember - hard graft breeds results. Earn it. Best, Jay, Editor