National Application Center :: career details :: Sales Agents, Securities and Commodities
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Career Details :: Sales Agents, Securities and Commodities
Description
Buy and sell securities in investment and trading firms and develop and implement financial plans for individuals, businesses, and organizations.
Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Tasks
- Contacts exchange or brokerage firm to execute order or buys and sell securities based on market quotation and competition in market.
- Develops financial plan based on analysis of client's financial status and discusses financial options with client.
- Records transactions accurately and keeps client informed about transactions.
- Keeps informed about political and economic trends that influence stock prices.
- Interviews client to determine client's assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives.
- Reads corporate reports and calculates ratios to determine best prospects for profit on stock purchase and to monitor client account.
- Identifies potential clients, using advertising campaigns, mailing lists, and personal contacts, and solicits business.
- Prepares financial reports to monitor client or corporate finances.
- Informs and advises concerned parties regarding fluctuations and securities transactions affecting plan or account.
- Completes sales order tickets and submits for processing of client-requested transaction.
- Prepares documents to implement plan selected by client.
- Reviews all securities transactions to ensure accuracy of information and that trades conform to regulations of governing agencies.
- Analyzes market conditions to determine optimum time to execute securities transactions.
Related Careers
- Market Research Analysts
- Purchasing Agents and Buyers, Farm Products
- Purchasing Managers
- Real Estate Sales Agents
- Sales Agents, Financial Services
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Updating & Using Job-Relevant Knowledge
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Processing Information
Important Skills
- Identifying Downstream Consequences
- Systems Perception
- Information Gathering
- Systems Evaluation
- Management of Financial Resources
Frequent Work Context
- Job-Required Social Interaction
- Consequence of Error
- Frustrating Circumstances
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Objective or Subjective Information
