The Financial Analyst is responsible for financial planning, analysis, and projection for private and public companies and corporations. These companies also depend upon these analysts for their expertise and guidance on investments, borrowing money and other financial decisions. They will develop performance reports and metrics for management to analyze and use in long-term, annual, and quarterly financial planning. These reports help to forecast future revenues and expenditures to establish a cost structure and helps to determine capital budgeting for every project the business undertakes. The Financial Analyst uses their strong accounting and compliance background to explore historical financial data within the company and uses it to predict future results as well as drive process and policy improvements. They will also use that data to gather accurate information on their present financial situation and use it for projections of future cash flow, economic and industry trends, and customer demand.
As well as helping businesses with their future projections of their finances, Financial Analysts compile data for annual reports, budgets and cash flow reports, and assess operational performance and set investment priorities. With all of this reporting, Financial Analysts work alongside management to explore investment opportunities, establish and evaluate a profit and loss plan, identify trends in their financial performance while providing recommendations for improvements, and provide financial models and forecasting for the future.
Technology is very crucial for a successful Financial Analyst. One of the most common requirements is an understanding of enterprising resource planning (ERP) systems, which helps analyze all historical financial data. Another great technical knowledge is in big data and data analytical systems since many companies are stressing the importance of data-driven decisions over intuition-driven. Alongside technology, having an understanding and knowledge of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX, is important since it keeps corporate and auditing accountability under check and ensures there are no financial scandals occurring within a corporation.
If applying for a Financial Analyst position, your resume should include your knowledge with ERP systems, big data, and compliant with The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Most large companies require these basic understandings and search a resume right away for these key words. Analyzing and reporting are the essential job duties including building financial modeling, so your resume should include how far back in historical financial data you had to go, how far you had to project into the future for the company, and how you were able to take that data and suggest improvements for the future and stability of the company’s finances. It is also important to show you used the data for budgets and cash flow, operational performance, and investment priorities for the company.
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