Investment manager to asset manager
An investment manager already meets 66% of what the asset manager role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
38.8/ 100
1 How much of what an asset manager is expected to do is already part of an investment manager’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 asset manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An asset manager role treats 16 of its required skills as things an investment manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on financial matters
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- asset management
- corporate social responsibility
What stands in the way is 6 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 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An asset manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an investment manager background worth leading with.
- already held apply credit risk policy assisting and caring
- already held asset management business, administration and law
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held enforce financial policies management skills
- already held examine credit ratings information skills
- already held financial analysis business, administration and law
All 24 carried skills, including the 16 the asset manager 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 advise on risk management required
- still to learn manage financial risk required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- still to learn perform asset recognition required
- still to learn handle financial transactions required
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- still to learn modern portfolio theory required
- optional, not held credit control processes optional
- optional, not held securities optional
- still to learn actuarial science required
- optional, not held negotiate on asset value optional
- optional, not held review closing procedures optional
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held identify clients' needs optional
- optional, not held negotiate loan agreements optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an asset manager 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 perform asset recognition practise this
- 03 advise on risk management 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 24 skills that carry over
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held enforce financial policies skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held financial analysis knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held apply credit risk policy skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held negotiate on asset value optional
- optional, not held review closing procedures optional
- optional, not held credit control processes optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held identify clients' needs optional
- optional, not held negotiate loan agreements optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- optional, not held securities optional
27 held skills the asset manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse the credit history of potential customers skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role banking activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role business valuation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with banking professionals skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial products 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 investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with financiers skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage corporate bank accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage profitability skill
- not needed by the target role manage securities skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock market skill
- not needed by the target role perform stock valuation skill
- not needed by the target role public offering knowledge
- not needed by the target role social bonds 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 tax legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role trade securities skill
- not needed by the target role trading software knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of pensions 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 actuarial science required
- still to learn modern portfolio theory required
- optional, not held credit control processes optional
- optional, not held securities optional
Common questions about this move
Can an investment manager become an asset manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An investment manager already covers 66% of what an asset manager is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 16 of which the asset manager role treats as required.
What skills does an investment manager need to become an asset manager?
6 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is actuarial science.
How hard is the move from investment manager to asset manager?
Its learning distance is 38.8 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.