Financial Services sector

[hypersouth]

Hi,

I work in the software sector specialising in CRM. When recruiters are specifically asking for people with 'Financial Services' experience can anybody define specific areas they want you to have knowledge of as the Financial Sector seems a rather broad statement?

This is mainly to determine whether one can start reading/studying or whether it means you must have worked in a bank. How can you ever land these gigs if they all want you to have had experience doing it? Maybe as a perm it would have been possible.

[BrilloPad]

Hi,

I work in the software sector specialising in CRM. When recruiters are specifically asking for people with 'Financial Services' experience can anybody define specific areas they want you to have knowledge of as the Financial Sector seems a rather broad statement?

This is mainly to determine whether one can start reading/studying or whether it means you must have worked in a bank. How can you ever land these gigs if they all want you to have had experience doing it? Maybe as a perm it would have been possible.

Financial services can cover almost anything. CRM hardly limits it.

They mean they want you to have worked in London. The toughest challenge there is the commuting - doing the work is easy.

Cut your rate or go permie.

[MrMarkyMark]

Hi,

I work in the software sector specialising in CRM. When recruiters are specifically asking for people with 'Financial Services' experience can anybody define specific areas they want you to have knowledge of as the Financial Sector seems a rather broad statement?

This is mainly to determine whether one can start reading/studying or whether it means you must have worked in a bank. How can you ever land these gigs if they all want you to have had experience doing it? Maybe as a perm it would have been possible.

You get recommended in.

Or, you can often go in under a consultancy and pick up financial experience that way.

[swamp]

Many finance roles want agile experience, and they sometimes ask for people outside the industry. Presumably this is because banks don't do agile very well or even at all.

[gables]

I thought it was (effectively a codephrase?) because of the security checks required for the finance industry, so if you have them by virtue of having worked in the sector, it saves a whole load of time and effort.

[SueEllen]

I thought it was (effectively a codephrase?) because of the security checks required for the finance industry, so if you have them by virtue of having worked in the sector, it saves a whole load of time and effort.

For every sector that I need checks for I'm just asked do I have or had any convictions or any financial problems by the agent.

[BrilloPad]

I thought it was (effectively a codephrase?) because of the security checks required for the finance industry, so if you have them by virtue of having worked in the sector, it saves a whole load of time and effort.

The security checks *appear* to be tough and take a very long time. That is because they are outsourced to the lowest bidder and are inefficient. Once I was checked by Kroll and found they were outsourced too!

Sadly there is no common check. So it has to be repeated from scratch every time. Currently I am in a contract and have been told that if I take a permanent position I will have to repeat ALL the same checks all over again. Though they are identical. And they took 3 months first time....

[Eirikur]

Hi,

I work in the software sector specialising in CRM. When recruiters are specifically asking for people with 'Financial Services' experience can anybody define specific areas they want you to have knowledge of as the Financial Sector seems a rather broad statement?

This is mainly to determine whether one can start reading/studying or whether it means you must have worked in a bank. How can you ever land these gigs if they all want you to have had experience doing it? Maybe as a perm it would have been possible.

Agencies ask this because they don't have a clue what CRM is and that it can be used in any industry. I am in a similar position so I created versions of my CV for different industries Finance, retail, telecoms etc
So if you did not work in banking, insurance, credit cards etc before just try to highlight anything related to payments, (regulatory) compliance etc. I worked for a company that is actually an insurance company, but as they are famous for providing things like boiler repair services, simpleton agencies would never perceive it to be like that by so I just added insurances to the company name so instead of company name : ABC, I called it ABC insurances

[SueEllen]

Agencies ask this because they don't have a clue what CRM is and that it can be used in any industry. I am in a similar position so I created versions of my CV for different industries Finance, retail, telecoms etc
So if you did not work in banking, insurance, credit cards etc before just try to highlight anything related to payments, (regulatory) compliance etc. I worked for a company that is actually an insurance company, but as they are famous for providing things like boiler repair services, most agencies would never perceive it to be like that by so I just added insurances to the company name so instead of company name : ABC, I called it ABC insurances

FTFY

[washed up contractor]

Hi,

I work in the software sector specialising in CRM. When recruiters are specifically asking for people with 'Financial Services' experience can anybody define specific areas they want you to have knowledge of as the Financial Sector seems a rather broad statement?

This is mainly to determine whether one can start reading/studying or whether it means you must have worked in a bank. How can you ever land these gigs if they all want you to have had experience doing it? Maybe as a perm it would have been possible.

It's just a filter used to narrow down the field of suitable candidates. Financial Services covers anything from corporate or retail banking, pensions, insurance etc and that's even before you get down to the different platforms.

Basically, if they like the cut of your jib, you'll beat the sift. If they dont like you even if you tick all the boxes, you wont get past interview.