Securities trader to stock broker
A securities trader already meets 71% of what the stock broker role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
31.5/ 100
1 How much of what a stock broker is expected to do is already part of a securities trader’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 stock broker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A stock broker role treats 14 of its required skills as things a securities trader already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- advise on financial matters
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- economics
- financial markets
What stands in the way is 4 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 stock broker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a securities trader background worth leading with.
- already held trade securities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform stock valuation information skills
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held examine credit ratings information skills
- already held provide financial product information communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held modern portfolio theory business, administration and law
All 25 carried skills, including the 14 the stock broker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 4 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 apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- still to learn asset management required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- still to learn assess risks of clients' assets required
- optional, not held create a financial report optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a stock broker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply technical communication skills practise this
- 02 assess risks of clients' assets practise this
- 03 asset management 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held forecast economic trends skill
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held trade securities skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held financial jurisdiction knowledge
- already held maintain records of financial transactions skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held provide financial product information skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held trace financial transactions skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create a financial report optional
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
13 held skills the stock broker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on investment skill
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial plan skill
- not needed by the target role develop investment portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role make investment decisions skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock market skill
- not needed by the target role offer financial services skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform financial market business skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
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 asset management required
- optional, not held fundamental analysis optional
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
Common questions about this move
Can a securities trader become a stock broker?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A securities trader already covers 71% of what a stock broker is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 14 of which the stock broker role treats as required.
What skills does a securities trader need to become a stock broker?
4 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is apply technical communication skills.
How hard is the move from securities trader to stock broker?
Its learning distance is 31.5 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.