Do you know that 50% (1) of hiring managers think that fresh graduates are not fit to join their team? Whereas, most graduates believe a finance degree piece of paper saying they have graduated is sufficient to get a job. This difference of opinion is caused by the “skills gap”. The skills gap is the divide between skills job seekers have and the skills employers expect them to have. The solution is simply is to eliminate the skills gap by learning these skills. Read on to know the top skills you need to secure an ace job in 2024:

Business planning

Businesses thrive on firm planning and strategies. As a roadmap to success, business planning gives better clarity on managing and correlating different aspects of the business (2). Accurate forecasting and valuation of start-up companies is a crucial step for their success. The skill of business planning, forecasting and valuation goes a long way in a job seeker’s profile.

Statistical Analysis in Microsoft Excel

MS Excel is a powerful tool that is used in almost every workplace today, which is why it is imperative to learn it. Further, employers expect employees to be able to analyze and understand Excel data and its underlying nature, analyze relationship between 2 or more variables and predict the best fit equation between them. There are online courses like Statistical Analysis Skills Training (SAST) in Excel that you can join.

Financial accounting

Professionals with expertise in financial accounting are among the most sought-after employees by organizations. Join an online course in Financial Accounting while you are still in college to learn how to prepare accounting statements, income statement, balance sheet and also linking the income statement and balance sheet.

Financial modeling

Among the most highly valued skills in professionals is financial modeling (3), but only a few really understand it. Financial modeling combines accounting, finance and some more financial parameters to create a forecast for the company. An online course in Financial Modeling will teach you how to forecast financial statements for a company among many other things.

Credit Analysis

Credit analysis requires strong analytical and quantitative skills. Credit analysts have the ability to list and analyze business risk factors, trends, and estimate cost of debt. Though much of it is learned through experience, you can also learn credit analyst skills via an online course. It will teach you how to perform a comprehensive credit risk analysis.

Valuation analysis

Valuation analysis is useful in assessing the business model of any company, predict financial statements, parse annual reports, and perform sensitivity analysis for a valuation. Undertaking a course in valuation analysis will add to financial analyst skills. This skill is not just beneficial for students but also for finance professionals.

Business presentation

Adeptness at creating and giving PowerPoint presentations is a must-know for every professional. Presentations are an engaging way to present data systematically. Good presentations can instantly grab the client’s attention and land you a project. If you don’t know already how to create and deliver stunning presentations, a course in business presentation can help you.

To conclude, you should take advantage of easy access to internet and make best use of online courses to enhance your skills.

(1) https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/job-skills (2) https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-purpose…(3) https://medium.com/making-informed-relevant-and-pu…