Mutual fund broker to securities trader
A mutual fund broker already meets 70% of what the securities trader role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
32.8/ 100
1 How much of what a securities trader is expected to do is already part of a mutual fund broker’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 trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A securities trader role treats 13 of its required skills as things a mutual fund broker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- analyse economic trends
- analyse market financial trends
- economics
- financial jurisdiction
- financial markets
What stands in the way is 3 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 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A securities trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mutual fund broker background worth leading with.
- already held offer financial services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held trade securities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor stock market information skills
- already held perform stock valuation information skills
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
All 23 carried skills, including the 13 the securities trader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 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 communicate with customers required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held advise on investment optional
- still to learn perform financial market business required
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
- optional, not held interpret financial statements optional
- optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
- optional, not held obtain financial information optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a securities trader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 perform financial market business practise this
- 02 communicate with customers practise this
- 03 write work-related reports 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 23 skills that carry over
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held analyse economic trends skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial jurisdiction knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held forecast economic trends skill
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held monitor stock market skill
- already held offer financial services skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held investment analysis knowledge
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held provide financial product information skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held trade securities skill
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on investment optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
- optional, not held interpret financial statements optional
- optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held obtain financial information optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
9 held skills the securities trader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role asset management knowledge
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role implement hedging strategies for clients skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role operate financial instruments skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mutual fund broker become a securities trader?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mutual fund broker already covers 70% of what a securities trader is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 13 of which the securities trader role treats as required.
What skills does a mutual fund broker need to become a securities trader?
3 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is perform financial market business.
How hard is the move from mutual fund broker to securities trader?
Its learning distance is 32.8 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.