financial analyst.

Are you curious about what to expect as a financial analyst? Your responsibilities mainly depend on where you work. However, there are certain tasks that every analyst should master. Find out more about your duties here.

As a financial analyst, you have a wide range of responsibilities and almost countless opportunities to specialise. Here is a selection:

• Financial analyst investment banking: This field primarily involves equity stakes in companies, corporate acquisitions, and stock market trading. You systematically analyse information and assess its value. Based on this, you recommend investments or the sale of properties or trading assets. Typically, you focus on one side: buy or sell. This helps you avoid conflicts of interest. Industry knowledge is essential for this specialisation. If you possess it, you’ll be courted by investment bankers, financial institutions, and insurers.
• Financial analyst asset management: In this role, you analyse, evaluate, and manage financial assets. These include shares, bonds, and property. You build portfolios for institutional and private clients, structuring and overseeing them. This also involves keeping an eye on the risk. You regularly assess the investments, produce forecasts, and make recommendations. In asset management, you operate either nationally or internationally.
• Equity research analyst: You are specifically responsible for corporate capital here. You focus on a particular industry, as you need comprehensive background knowledge. You assess and understand industry dynamics and trends. In your area of expertise, you recommend investments in securities based on bottom-up analyses and cash flow-based valuation tools. In doing so, you consider not only attractive long-term returns but also social responsibility towards society and the environment. You analyse impact indicators and document the results in databases. From this, you prepare reports for the management team.
• Treasury analyst: The finances of public administrations and NGOs are your area of expertise. You conduct scenario analyses and assess financial risks. A key focus is risk controlling related to credit, liquidity, and market risks. You hedge interest rate risks and optimise debt management. Additionally, you manage liquidity by improving divisional cash flows. Throughout, you keep a close eye on financial regulations and compliance requirements. As a treasury analyst, you maintain close contact with banks and financial intermediaries.
• Business development analyst: Here, everything revolves around the company's results. You work on increasing the operational performance and look for expansion opportunities. This involves conducting market and competitor analyses. Depending on the company, you may focus solely on Switzerland or explore economic potential abroad. Sometimes, you express interest in tenders from international development agencies. You prepare investment decisions and support M&A acquisitions through financial due diligence. In other words, you analyse the financial, legal, tax, and economic circumstances of a business. In this specialised field, you have a keen sense for trends and long-term developments.

The popular job platforms in Switzerland confirm the high salary levels for financial analysts. Your starting salary already ranges between approximately CHF 70,000 and CHF 90,000 per year. This equates to a monthly salary of between CHF 5,800 and CHF 7,500. Your market value and consequently your salary increase with experience and achievements. Additionally, your education, specialisation, and place of work have a significant impact on your monthly earnings. Besides your basic salary, large financial firms often offer bonuses, commissions, and benefits. Find out more here about your gross salary as a financial analyst.

No matter which area you specialise in as a financial analyst, you need specialised knowledge. The path to get there can vary. One route is through a basic commercial education (EFZ), followed by a university of applied sciences degree in economics and several years of professional experience in the financial sector. Another option is a master's degree at a university of applied sciences or a university. Good foundations are provided by a background in business administration or business economics. As specialisations, controlling or financial and management accounting are recommended. If you're aiming to work as a financial analyst in investment banking, studying Economics is the best choice. Additional qualifications such as the chartered financial Analyst (CFA) designation can boost your prospects in global corporations.

Banks, insurance companies, and trustees are always on the lookout for qualified financial analysts. You often work in senior management roles within private banks and trust firms. Depending on your specialisation, you might also be employed in public administrations, NGOs, or at the stock exchange. Are you seeking an attractive position with good prospects? Take a look at our current vacancies for financial analysts.

The best qualifications for a role as a financial analyst include a university degree. Ideally, you come from a background in business administration or economics, specialising in controlling. However, as a career changer with a degree in a scientific discipline, you are also well prepared for fundamental analysis. Several years of professional experience in finance will improve your chances. Any missing skills can be gained through further training.

In your profession as a financial analyst, you have excellent career prospects. You can specialise in a particular area such as equity research or business development. If you advise clients or companies successfully, you quickly build a reputation. As a result, you’ll find yourself inundated with offers. Typically, you start out right after university as a junior financial analyst. Over the years, you can progress to become a senior financial analyst. From there, you might take on the role of department head, overseeing research and investment advisory. If you perform exceptionally well, there’s a good chance you could advance to chief financial officer. While technical expertise will make you a competent finance manager, it won’t automatically make you a leader. For that, you need strong interpersonal skills. These are developed through further training or personal coaching. Want to develop further as a financial analyst? Take a look at our tests and tips.

As a successful financial analyst, you have a knack for numbers. To succeed in your profession, you need to develop additional skills such as:

• Research skills: In your role as a financial analyst, you thrive on gathering information. You develop a search strategy to identify suitable sources. You obtain the information, evaluate it, and process it further. Thanks to your research expertise, you are able to filter out key financial data. This forms the foundation for effective data analysis.
• Analytical thinking: Your main task is data analysis. From a wealth of information, you draw the correct conclusions. To do this effectively, you utilise various BI tools. However, your queries are only successful if you apply the right filters. Your findings inform business decisions. The company's financial strategy depends heavily on your financial analysis.
• Communication skills: You live in a world full of numbers and data. Every day, you work with technical terms like performance measurement or risk-return profiles. You report to management in a way that even non-experts can understand. Internal and external contacts appreciate your communication abilities. Your social skills help you to build and maintain networks with business partners and stakeholders.
• Integrity: As a financial analyst, you are constantly exposed to temptations. Especially in investment banking, it’s easy to find yourself in conflicts of interest. The temptation to pass on insider information is strong. That’s why one of your most important qualities as a financial analyst is integrity. You are someone with strong moral principles and stay true to your values. Your conviction will pay off in the long run.

There are many good reasons to work at Randstad as a financial analyst.

✓ exciting jobs at well-known companies
✓ a reliable point of contact whenever you need one; personalised advice matters
✓ attractive employment conditions and good social benefits
✓ further education courses and personal development opportunities
✓ clear information in the myRandstad app
✓ do you have a fixed-term contract? Often, there’s the opportunity to secure a permanent position afterwards. Many well-known companies also recruit their staff directly through Randstad.

your training budget as a financial analyst at randstad.

If you work as a financial analyst for Randstad, you have access to further training courses. As part of the TempTraining programme from swissstaffing, you can attend training sessions. You will be reimbursed for the course fees later, provided you pass the course exam. Your consultant from Randstad is there to support you if you have any questions. This way, you can acquire additional language skills or job-specific knowledge all during your working hours as a financial analyst.

Have you found your dream job as a financial analyst? It's not just qualifications and certificates that determine the success of your applications. Careful, error-free, and personalised documents will definitely help you in your job search. Here are a few useful tips to optimise your chances:

Here you will find frequently asked questions and the answers regarding the role of a financial analyst.