Investment adviser to investment analyst
An investment adviser already meets 66% of what the investment analyst role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
39/ 100
1 How much of what an investment analyst is expected to do is already part of an investment adviser’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 investment analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An investment analyst role treats 14 of its required skills as things an investment adviser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse market financial trends
- asset management
- financial markets
- financial products
- fundamental analysis
What stands in the way is 7 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An investment analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an investment adviser background worth leading with.
- already held social bonds business, administration and law
- already held impact investing business, administration and law
- already held green bonds business, administration and law
- already held sustainable finance business, administration and law
- already held fundamental analysis business, administration and law
- already held business valuation techniques business, administration and law
All 28 carried skills, including the 14 the investment analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 7 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 economics required
- still to learn quantitative analysis required
- still to learn international trade required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- still to learn data visualisation software required
- optional, not held trading software optional
- still to learn actuarial science required
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- still to learn empirical analysis required
- still to learn analyse economic trends required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an investment 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 economic trends practise this
- 03 data visualisation software study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 28 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held fundamental analysis knowledge
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held monitor stock market skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held provide support in financial calculation skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held business valuation techniques knowledge
- already held communicate with banking professionals skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held credit control processes knowledge
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held green bonds knowledge
- already held impact investing knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held social bonds knowledge
- already held sustainable finance knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
20 held skills the investment 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 investment skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role apply credit risk policy skill
- not needed by the target role assess risks of clients' assets skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role consult credit score skill
- not needed by the target role develop investment portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role ensure proper document management skill
- not needed by the target role explain financial jargon skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role monitor bond market skill
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role principles of insurance knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote financial products skill
- not needed by the target role prospect new customers skill
- not needed by the target role provide financial product information skill
- not needed by the target role synthesise financial information skill
- not needed by the target role types of insurance knowledge
13 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 data visualisation software required
- still to learn economics required
- still to learn empirical analysis required
- still to learn international trade required
- still to learn quantitative analysis required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
Common questions about this move
Can an investment adviser become an investment analyst?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An investment adviser already covers 66% of what an investment analyst is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 14 of which the investment analyst role treats as required.
What skills does an investment adviser need to become an investment analyst?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by social sciences, journalism and information. The single most important is actuarial science.
How hard is the move from investment adviser to investment analyst?
Its learning distance is 39 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.