Investment analyst to securities analyst
An investment analyst already meets 69% of what the securities analyst role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
36.8/ 100
1 How much of what a securities analyst is expected to do is already part of an investment 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 securities analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A securities analyst role treats 16 of its required skills as things an investment analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- analyse economic trends
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- asset management
- economics
What stands in the way is 5 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 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A securities analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an investment analyst background worth leading with.
- already held fundamental analysis business, administration and law
- already held Monte Carlo simulation natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held international financial reporting standards business, administration and law
- already held investment banking business, administration and law
- already held asset management business, administration and law
- already held quantitative analysis social sciences, journalism and information
All 26 carried skills, including the 16 the securities analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 5 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 collect financial data required
- still to learn consult information sources required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn advise on investment required
- optional, not held liaise with board members optional
- optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- still to learn investment analysis required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held cryptocurrency optional
- still to learn develop investment portfolio required
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a securities analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on investment practise this
- 02 investment analysis study this
- 03 collect financial data 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held analyse economic trends skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held fundamental analysis knowledge
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held monitor stock market skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held quantitative analysis knowledge
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held communicate with banking professionals skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held investment banking knowledge
- already held perform stock valuation skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held cryptocurrency optional
- optional, not held liaise with board members optional
- optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
17 held skills the securities analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role business valuation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role credit control processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role data visualisation software knowledge
- not needed by the target role empirical analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role funding methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role green bonds knowledge
- not needed by the target role impact investing knowledge
- not needed by the target role international trade knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
- not needed by the target role social bonds knowledge
- not needed by the target role sustainable finance knowledge
- not needed by the target role trading software knowledge
4 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 investment analysis required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held cryptocurrency optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an investment analyst become a securities analyst?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An investment analyst already covers 69% of what a securities analyst is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 16 of which the securities analyst role treats as required.
What skills does an investment analyst need to become a securities analyst?
5 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is advise on investment.
How hard is the move from investment analyst to securities analyst?
Its learning distance is 36.8 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.