Securities, Commodities, & Financial Services Sales Agents

Buy and sell securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, or provide financial services to businesses and individuals. May advise customers about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, and market conditions.

On the job, you would:

• Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.
• Monitor markets or positions.
• Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients.

Education

• bachelor's degree
• high school diploma/GED

Business

• customer service
• accounting and economics

Arts and Humanities

• English language

Math and Science

• arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Engineering and Technology

• computers and electronics

Basic Skills

• listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
• thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

• noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

• thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
• figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Enterprising

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

• Integrity
• Dependability
• Stress Tolerance
• Attention to Detail
• Initiative
• Persistence

Verbal

• listen and understand what people say
• communicate by speaking

Ideas and Logic

• use rules to solve problems
• notice when problems happen

Math

• choose the right type of math to solve a problem
• add, subtract, multiply, or divide