Financial analyst to mergers and acquisitions analyst
A financial analyst already meets 33% of what the mergers and acquisitions analyst role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.5/ 100
1 How much of what a mergers and acquisitions analyst is expected to do is already part of a financial analyst’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the mergers and acquisitions analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mergers and acquisitions analyst role treats 6 of its required skills as things a financial analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- assess financial viability
- develop investment portfolio
- investment banking
- mergers and acquisitions
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mergers and acquisitions analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a financial analyst background worth leading with.
- already held handle mergers and acquisitions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held mergers and acquisitions business, administration and law
- already held investment banking business, administration and law
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held accounting business, administration and law
- already held interpret financial statements information skills
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the mergers and acquisitions analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse business plans required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn provide support in financial calculation required
- optional, not held analyse economic trends optional
- optional, not held assess risks of clients' assets optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn manage contracts required
- still to learn review investment portfolios required
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held provide legal advice on investments optional
- still to learn budget for financial needs required
- still to learn make strategic business decisions required
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- still to learn modern portfolio theory required
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held securities optional
- still to learn actuarial science required
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mergers and acquisitions analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 actuarial science study this
- 02 analyse business plans practise this
- 03 analyse market financial trends practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held investment banking knowledge
- already held mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- already held accounting knowledge
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held handle mergers and acquisitions skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held analyse economic trends optional
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
- optional, not held assess risks of clients' assets optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held provide legal advice on investments optional
- optional, not held securities optional
37 held skills the mergers and acquisitions analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role asset management knowledge
- not needed by the target role business analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role business processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role develop transportation cost metrics skill
- not needed by the target role digital data processing skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role empirical analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information skill
- not needed by the target role explain financial jargon skill
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial products knowledge
- not needed by the target role fundamental analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role game theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role green bonds knowledge
- not needed by the target role macroeconomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role management consulting knowledge
- not needed by the target role microeconomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor loan portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock market skill
- not needed by the target role offer financial services skill
- not needed by the target role perform business analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform business research skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial projections skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role public offering knowledge
- not needed by the target role quantitative analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role stock market knowledge
- not needed by the target role sustainable finance knowledge
- not needed by the target role treasury management system knowledge
- not needed by the target role use business simulation tools skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn actuarial science required
- still to learn modern portfolio theory required
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held securities optional
Other moves recorded from financial analyst
- corporate investment banker 43% covered · substantial
- investment analyst 41% covered · substantial
- securities analyst 39% covered · substantial
- investment manager 37% covered · substantial
- investment adviser 35% covered · substantial
- actuarial consultant 33% covered · substantial
- investment fund management assistant 32% covered · substantial
- mutual fund broker 32% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a financial analyst become a mergers and acquisitions analyst?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A financial analyst already covers 33% of what a mergers and acquisitions analyst is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the mergers and acquisitions analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a financial analyst need to become a mergers and acquisitions analyst?
10 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is actuarial science.
How hard is the move from financial analyst to mergers and acquisitions analyst?
Its learning distance is 64.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.