So you decided to pursue a financial analyst career path and are curious about what your career may look like in a few years?
Or, maybe, you're still deciding if a financial analyst career path is the right track for you.
Either way, we've got you covered! In this article, we'll be sharing:
- Financial Analyst Careers To Pursue
- The Financial Analyst Career Path: Roles, Skills, & Progression
- Financial Analyst Salaries (Entry-Level, Mid-Level, & Senior Level)
- Level-Up Your Game: How To Step Into A New Financial Analyst Role
Financial Analyst Careers To Pursue
There are several different career opportunities you can explore in the financial analysis field. Different industries might require expertise in specific areas.
For example:
- A financial analyst role at a tech firm might focus on budget forecasting, performance metrics, and financial modeling to aid in strategic decision-making.
- A financial analyst role at a healthcare provider could emphasize cost analysis, financial compliance, and budget management to optimize healthcare spending and improve services.
- A financial analyst role at a consumer goods company could offer opportunities in pricing strategies, cost-benefit analysis, and market trend forecasting to drive profitability and market share.
Not all companies will demand every specialty, but every specialty has a place within many different companies!
So, if you're thinking about which financial analyst career you should pursue, it might be a good idea to first consider what kind of company you would like to work for.
Maybe you'd like to work for a multinational corporation.
Maybe you're aiming for a startup.
You will find different financial analysis opportunities with different scopes and setups. Having clarity about where you'd like to be within a certain time frame is key to deciding which path is right for you.
Most skills you need for a financial analysis career are transferable across different roles, industries, and companies. The purpose of the exercise is to look at the opportunities on your horizon and decide where you'd like to be in the short term and eventually down the road!
💡 Pro Tip:
If you're struggling to find out where you'd like to be, check out the article “What Should I Do With My Life? A Step-By-Step Guide” and read it from top to bottom. If “financial analysis” still feels like the right path, head back here and continue reading!
Once you've set your mind on your career path, it's time to understand what roles might be a good fit for you.
The Financial Analyst Career Path: Roles, Skills, & Progression
We've selected the most common financial analyst roles for each level and their job descriptions. Take a look below!
Entry-Level Financial Analyst Roles
Most people begin their financial analyst careers in specialist roles, such as:
Financial Analyst
This role offers broad exposure to different financial management activities and doesn't usually require extensive experience.
📝 Financial Analyst Job Description: Responsible for analyzing financial data, creating forecasts, and assisting in financial planning to support business decisions.
✅ Skills Required: Proficiency in Excel, knowledge of financial modeling software, and understanding of financial statements are key skills companies look for in Financial Analysts.
⬆️ Possible progression: Financial Analysts can progress into a Senior Financial Analyst role.
Junior Risk Analyst
This role requires an understanding of risk management principles and practices.
📝 Junior Risk Analyst Job Description: Responsible for assisting in the analysis of potential risks to the financial stability of the company.
✅ Requirements: Understanding of risk assessment tools, proficiency in statistical analysis, and strong analytical thinking are the most required skills for this role.
⬆️ Possible progression: Junior Risk Analysts can progress into a Risk Manager role.
Investment Analyst
This role generally requires proficiency in market analysis and the ability to provide investment recommendations.
📝 Investment Analyst Job Description: Responsible for researching investment opportunities, analyzing economic trends, and providing recommendations on investments.
✅ Requirements: Strong analytical skills, understanding of market dynamics, and proficiency in investment analysis tools are the most required skills for this role.
⬆️ Possible progression: Investment Analysts can progress into an Investment Manager role.
Mid-Level Financial Analyst Roles
As you gain experience, mid-level roles often involve more responsibility and the opportunity to lead projects or teams. Some common mid-level financial analyst roles include:
Senior Financial Analyst
At this level, professionals are responsible for overseeing complex financial projects, guiding junior analysts, and communicating key insights to stakeholders.
📝 Senior Financial Analyst Job Description: Responsible for leading financial analysis initiatives, interpreting financial trends, and providing recommendations based on financial findings to support strategic decisions.
✅ Skills Required: Advanced financial modeling skills, proficiency in accounting principles, deep understanding of the industry's financial norms, and strong communication abilities.
⬆️ Possible progression: Senior Financial Analysts can advance to roles like Finance Manager.
Risk Manager
This role focuses on identifying and mitigating financial risks within the organization.
📝 Risk Manager Job Description: Responsible for developing risk management models, conducting risk assessments, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
✅ Skills Required: Strong knowledge of risk management frameworks, experience with risk assessment software, and excellent decision-making skills.
⬆️ Possible progression: Risk Managers can move into positions such as Chief Risk Officer.
Investment Manager
This role is more specialized than entry-level roles and requires the ability to oversee the entire investment process.
📝 Investment Manager Job Description: Responsible for managing investment portfolios, developing investment strategies, and ensuring that investment activities align with the organization's financial goals.
✅ Skills Required: Proficiency in portfolio management, in-depth understanding of market trends, leadership, and strategic planning.
⬆️ Possible progression: Investment Managers can progress to roles like Head of Investments.
Senior-Level Financial Analyst Roles
Senior-level roles involve greater strategic oversight and leadership, often requiring professionals to guide larger teams and make high-level decisions.
Finance Manager
Finance Managers are responsible for shaping the overall financial strategy and ensuring that all financial activities support the company's objectives.
📝 Finance Manager Job Description: Responsible for leading the finance team, overseeing complex financial projects, managing budgets, and ensuring the delivery of financial reports to stakeholders.
✅ Skills Required: Leadership, project management, financial strategy, and strong communication skills.
⬆️ Possible progression: Finance Managers can move up to roles such as Director of Finance.
Chief Risk Officer
This role requires deep expertise in risk management and is responsible for leading the development and implementation of risk management policies.
📝 Chief Risk Officer Job Description: Responsible for guiding the risk management team, identifying potential risks to the organization, and implementing policies to mitigate those risks.
✅ Skills Required: Advanced knowledge of risk management, leadership, and strong analytical skills.
⬆️ Possible progression: Chief Risk Officers can advance to roles like Chief Financial Officer.
Head of Investments
This role oversees the entire investment strategy for an organization and manages a team of investment professionals.
📝 Head of Investments Job Description: Responsible for developing and executing the investment strategy, managing large investment portfolios, overseeing the creation of investment reports, and ensuring the investment activities optimize financial returns.
✅ Skills Required: Leadership, strategic thinking, proficiency in investment management, and strong project management skills.
⬆️ Possible progression: Heads of Investments can move up to executive roles such as Chief Investment Officer.
Financial Analyst Salaries (Entry-Level, Mid-Level, & Senior Level)
Now that we’ve covered the most common career paths for financial analysts, you might be asking yourself what the pay range is for each role.
To answer this question, let’s head over to one of our favorite tools for salary research: Glassdoor.
Glassdoor is one of the world’s top job and recruiting websites, where users can anonymously provide information about their companies – including their current salary. Glassdoor provides an average salary range for various roles based on the information sent by its users.
According to Glassdoor, the base salary for the most common financial analyst roles in 2025 are:
Financial Analyst Roles:
- Financial Analyst (Entry-Level): $63K – $99K / year base pay
- Senior Financial Analyst (Mid-Level): $96K – $137K / year base pay
- Finance Manager (Senior-Level): $97K – $153K / year base pay
Risk Management Roles:
- Junior Risk Analyst (Entry-Level): $66K – $123K / year base pay
- Risk Manager (Mid-Level): $78K – $143K / year base pay
- Chief Risk Officer (Senior-Level): $165K – $308K / year base pay
Investment Management Roles:
- Investment Analyst (Entry-Level): $87K – $160K / year base pay
- Investment Manager (Mid-Level): $107K – $199K / year base pay
- Head of Investments (Senior-Level): $155K – $289K / year base pay
Level-Up Your Game: How To Step Into A New Financial Analyst Role
Whether you're looking for an entry-level job in financial analysis or aiming to advance in your financial analysis career, it's important to know that you don't necessarily need a graduate degree or specialization to move up the financial analysis career ladder. Your unique experience and skills can go a long way, as long as you learn how to sell them!
Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you land your next financial analyst role.
1. Run A Resume Scan To Find Out Skill Gaps In Your Target Role
Wondering if you are the right fit for that target role you've been eyeing?
We've got you covered.
Here's a simple, step-by-step guide to find out if you have the skills to land a job in financial analysis you've:
- Copy the job description of the financial analyst role that sparked your interest
- Head over to ResyMatch.io (or use our shortcut below)
- Grab a copy of your most updated resume
- Upload your resume on the left side
- Paste the job description on the right side
- Hit “Start Resume Scan”
Boom! ResyMatch will compare and score your resume against the job's description and identify missing skill gaps, such as:
ResyMatch will also make sure your resume is ATS compatible (ATS is a software that recruiters often use to track candidates through the hiring process). And of course, ResyMatch will provide suggestions and outline best practices you can use to edit and improve your resume!
Use our shortcut below to get started:
Scanning...
2. Update Your Resume With Compelling Resume Bullets
After you've compared your resume against your target job description, you will likely find yourself in one of two scenarios:
1. You have some missing skills that you'll need to master before taking on a new role — if that's the case, you can take action and start building those skills through online courses and a portfolio strategy.
OR…
2. You have already mastered most of the skills — if that's the case, all you need to do is update your resume with compelling resume bullets, leveraging the keywords found in your resume and job description scan.
To get started, you'll want your resume bullets to have just the right amount of hard and soft skills, action words, measurable results, and common words.
This means a compelling resume bullet for someone applying for a financial analyst role might look something like this:
Enhanced financial forecasting accuracy by 30% through streamlined cost analysis processes, leading to a 20% reduction in unnecessary expenditures.
This bullet focuses on hard and soft skills specific to financial analysis, while also showcasing measurable results!
To help you write the perfect resume bullet, we've created ResyBullet.io, a free resume bullet analyzer that helps you write your resume in a way that grabs attention and illustrates value. Simply copy and paste your resume bullet below to begin your analysis:
ResyBullet will analyze and score your resume bullet and give you actionable insights for improvement.
Here's how our resume bullet scored on ResyBullet:
If you're a visual learner, check out our video that walks you through the step-by-step of writing a crazy-effective resume bullet:
3. Build A Visually Appealing, ATS-Friendly Resume
Now that you've updated the content on your resume, it's time to transfer it over to an awesome layout that's also ATS-friendly.
We recommend using a resume template so you can save the time you'd normally spend designing your resume and instead allocate it to your job search.
You can use ResyBuild.io, a free AI resume builder, to easily build and customize your resume in no time. Just pick one of the templates below and get started:
Free Job-Winning Resume Templates, Build Yours In No Time.
Choose a resume template below to get started:
Choose from 8 proven templates and easily create, edit, and customize your resume. ResyBuild's AI assistant also helps you craft personalized, job-winning bullets in a single click. Simply add your experience, hit “Optimize,” and watch the magic happen.
4. Don't Apply Online — Do This Instead
The most common next step in the process is to start applying for financial analyst roles.
While applying online can absolutely be the next step in your job search, the truth is, it will only get you so far. In fact, only 2% of resumes submitted for the average open role end up reaching the interview stage.
Sure, optimizing your resume will boost your chances of being a part of that 2%.
But some estimates, like this one from the Wall Street Journal, show that 80% of hires come from referrals.
This means your best shot at landing the role you've been eying is through networking.
And no, we're not talking about attending conferences, events, and meetups. We're talking about a fresh approach that really builds relationships and gets your resume at the top of the resume pile at companies like J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock.
You can read all about it in our flagship guide for effective job searching:
Read More: How To Get A Job Anywhere Without Applying Online
Final Notes
Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance in your financial analyst career, getting clarity on the possibilities ahead of you can help you navigate your career with more ease.
Just don't forget: your career path isn't set in stone. Jobs and career goals will often evolve with life transitions. Always remember that your career should adapt to fit your life and not the other way around.
