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This year at boutique London recruitment agency Aldrich & Co, we have seen a slight rise in job opportunities compared to 2023. Our candidates often ask us what the job market is like, so in what follows, we offer a flavour of your prospects for getting a job in finance in 2024 and how you can increase your chances.
Aldrich & Co’s overview of the 2024 finance job market
Finance still feels like a candidate-driven market to us. Many candidates can specify the number of days they are prepared to go into the office. Several jobs are either advertised as hybrid or employers are flexible to remote working roles for exceptional (and we must emphasise that word!) candidates.
Advice from recruitment consultants on how to get a finance job in 2024
Nevertheless, the job market is rarely stagnant. We predict that, within the next five years, the balance may tip in favour of employers. For this reason, we have asked the team for their top recommendations:
“We get many candidates who have EA/PA experience outside the financial services sector and want to get into the FS sector, or people who took a work break and wish to return. In these cases, they should emphasise the time they worked in EA/PA on their CV and also add a note in their personal profile explaining why they are motivated to get (back) into the FS sector. If the candidate is available immediately and open to temping or an FTC role, these can become unconventional routes to the job they want.”
Eva Joseph, Director
“Have a clear picture of what you want to do in finance and prepare to dedicate yourself to what the financial services industry requires. Finance isn’t for everyone. People think it means big bucks, but it’s a demanding and highly competitive space—passion and determination show. If you are still clear about wanting a career in finance, research the firms and their culture, to find out if you can see yourself working with them.”
Emily Aldrich, Managing Director
“We welcome proactive candidates, and those who took internships during their degree are often sought after for graduate roles. For our candidates who are further up the career ladder, we find those who maintain some form of consistency on their CVs (whether that’s staying at the same firm for many years or moving around in a similar job function) tend to get the best jobs.”
Alex Haynes, Chief Financial Officer
“For marketing and communications roles in finance firms, candidates are responsible for ensuring all materials are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements. They must be able to show how they can distill complex information into a simple language for their audiences to understand.”
Sue Wildman, Director
A final word: Stay flexible
It is hard to see all companies returning to the pre-pandemic model of spending five days a week in the office. And yet, we do see a general trend of companies preferring hybrid or predominately in-person roles over fully remote ones. Jobseekers determined to work remotely for no reason other than personal preference may find that they miss out unnecessarily on the top jobs.
Be careful in your decisions: Many managers do still feel “proximity bias”, and favouritism for those who work in the office as opposed to those at home. If you are out of sight, you are out of mind. Working from home may reduce your chances or even take you out of the running from in-house promotions and opportunities.
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If you are early- or even mid-career, our advice is to aim for roles that are either in-house or hybrid. The benefits of networking, learning from others, and ultimately earning that promotion far outweigh the joy of not commuting.
How can our advice help you? What recruitment question do you feel needs to be answered? Let us know on our LinkedIn or IG channels, and we’ll aim to cover it in 2024!