Securities analyst to securities trader
A securities analyst already meets 67% of what the securities trader role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.6/ 100
1 How much of what a securities trader is expected to do is already part of a securities 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 trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A securities trader role treats 11 of its required skills as things a securities analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- analyse economic trends
- analyse market financial trends
- economics
- financial markets
- forecast economic trends
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 25 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 securities analyst background worth leading with.
- already held advise on investment 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
- already held examine credit ratings information skills
All 25 carried skills, including the 11 the securities trader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 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 offer financial services required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held provide financial product information optional
- optional, not held trade securities optional
- still to learn financial jurisdiction required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- still to learn perform financial market business required
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
- optional, not held office software 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 offer financial services practise this
- 02 perform financial market business practise this
- 03 communicate with customers 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 25 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 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 securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held advise on investment skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held investment analysis knowledge
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held statistics knowledge
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held provide financial product information optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
- optional, not held trade securities optional
17 held skills the securities trader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role asset management knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect financial data skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with banking professionals skill
- not needed by the target role consult credit score skill
- not needed by the target role consult information sources skill
- not needed by the target role cryptocurrency knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role fundamental analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role investment banking knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with board members skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role quantitative analysis 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 financial jurisdiction required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a securities analyst become a securities trader?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A securities analyst already covers 67% of what a securities trader is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 11 of which the securities trader role treats as required.
What skills does a securities analyst need to become a securities trader?
5 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is offer financial services.
How hard is the move from securities analyst to securities trader?
Its learning distance is 35.6 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.