If you want to get the right people into your company, it is of critical importance that you start the candidate searching process off on the right foot by crafting a solid job description. It quickly becomes tiresome and a waste of your time as a company recruiter to have to dig through dozens if not hundreds of applications in order to find someone who even fits the minimum qualifications for the open position. If you can write a great job description to be posted on a variety of outlets, you will be able to do a great deal of the sorting before you see a single resume. With clearly articulated requirements and daily tasks, your job description will increase the portion of applications you receive that are in line with what the company needs, making your job much easier. Read the Financial Consultant job description sample below to get a feel for what should be done.
Financial Consultant Job Summary
It is the job of the financial consultant to assist clients in reaching their financial goals. This will be done by first examining a client’s financial situation, devising and presenting appropriate strategies, and keeping track of any shifts in his or her financial status and living situation.
Financial Consultant Job Responsibilities and Duties
- Promotes services by meeting with prospective clients, asking for current client referrals, addressing questions and presenting seminars for financial planning.
- Examines clients’ financial standing by assessing their tolerance for risk and researching their savings, asset allocation and investments as well as their plans for retirement, taxes and their estate.
- Gains clients’ confidence by being open to answering any questions as well as explaining developed plans, choices, risks and advantages.
- Encourages clients to create financial goals for themselves using their financial situations and plans created by the consultant as guidelines.
- Tracks clients’ financial situation by examining any changes in lifestyle and savings, formulating financial plans, examining the results of those plans and suggesting any helpful adjustments.
- Creates breakdowns and reports regarding client financial status.
- Keeps knowledge of job current by examining trends, taking part in workshops and utilizing new technologies.
Financial Consultant Skills and Qualifications
- Disseminating information
- Corporate finance
- Formulating financial strategies
- Financial diagnosis
- Experience with financial software
- Basic knowledge of business practices
- Making sales according to customer needs
- Possess appropriate licenses for financial consulting
Company Profile
Since its opening in 1999, Cornerstone Consulting has been a leading name in the North American financial planning industry. Our mission is to recruit standout financial consultants to guide our clients toward financial security and success with solid analysis and informed strategies.
Best Practices for Writing a Job Description
- The above Financial Consultant job description sample should serve as a great guide to inform how you write one to fit the needs of your company. However, you will eventually have to craft job descriptions on your own without a sample to show you the way. When those times arrive, there are a few dos and don’ts you can abide by that will keep the quality high and the candidates strong.
- Do present information in a clear and concise manner. Creative language is a great way to reflect the culture of your company, but this should not be done at the expense of the reader’s comprehension.
- Don’t write about the job in a vacuum. Find someone within your company with a similar job to the one that is open and discuss the kind of information that he or she would want to see in a job description.
- Do be specific with your descriptions of tasks and requirements. Remember that your goal is to thin the herd right out of the gate so that you only have to consider individuals who are already qualified for the job.
- Don’t make it all about the company. Candidate applications will be about what they can offer the company. It is only fair that you reciprocate the gesture. If you do this early on in the recruiting process, you’re already planting the seed for employee loyalty in the future.
If you want to get the best people in the industry on your team, our Financial Consultant job description sample is a strong blueprint. When you take the time to utilize the above practices in your own description writing, the return on investment in terms of the talent that will start knocking at your door will be substantial going forward.
Financial Consultant Job Responsibilities
When creating a financial consultant job description, it is important to clearly communicate the essential tasks and responsibilities the position entails. The responsibilities section of your job description should be the meatiest part. While you should not list mundane tasks, you want to use strong action verbs to describe the key duties so the applicants can envision themselves in the day-to-day operations of the job.
Use bullet points to break up the tasks and make them easy to read. List a minimum of six duties and a maximum of eight, which gives the reader a clear idea of what to expect without feeling overwhelmed. Employ these guidelines when writing your financial consultant job description to attract the right candidates.
The following are examples of some common financial consultant job responsibilities:
- Build a client network through lead utilization, prospecting, referrals, community involvement and financial seminars
- Determine client’s needs for short- and long-term financial stability and make appropriate goals based on their risk tolerance
- Present appropriate financial products and plan financial portfolios for clients of varying asset levels
- Develop education programs based on ongoing financial indicators; coordinate implementation of programs to internal and external clients
- Prepare regulatory and management reports by utilizing data from a variety of sources
Financial Consultant Job Specifications
While the responsibilities section of your financial consultant job description is imperative, another important section is the skills and qualifications section. This is a shorter segment, but it is where you list the essential requirements that an applicant should possess. The best way to determine what you should include here is by speaking with those who understand the role. This may be the management team or an employee in the same position. Discussing topics such as education, technical skills, personality traits and certifications will help you concisely list the most important qualifications. You may want to separate these qualities into those that are required and those preferred.
Bullet-point formatting makes them quick and easy to read, and you should not include more than eight points. Employing these writing tips in your financial consultant job description will help you streamline the application process and narrow down the applicant pool to those who are fully qualified for the role.
Check out these specific samples of common financial consultant job specifications:
- Minimum of two years’ experience in financial consultant role
- FINRA Series 63 and 7 required
- Bachelor’s degree preferred
- Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
- Strong sales and persuasion abilities
- Proven proficiency in sophisticated software programs with analytical and modeling skills