Financial Services Job Search

School relations. Check with the career development office of your undergraduate and/or graduate school. Most likely, they are trying to place their current students into financial services jobs. However, they may receive notifications of openings for graduates with several years of work experience. Many schools have job posting boards--check these regularly for updates and sign up for e-mail alert notifications.
Step2Alumni relations. Reach out through the alumni network and inquire about financial services jobs. Schools typically have both national and regional alumni networks, so if you are interested in switching locations, contact the appropriate regional network.
Step3Online job search. If you have previously held a six-figure job, consider signing up for TheLadders.com or NetShare (both charge fees which may be tax deductible--speak with a tax professional). As TheLadders offers various specialties, choose the Finance Ladder option as your primary ladder if interested in financial services jobs (you can also create e-mail alerts when positions that satisfy your search criteria are posted). Other job search sites include Monster and Yahoo's HotJobs.
Step4Company websites. If you are interested in a particular company, check the employment or career section of its website for open positions. Many companies, especially those in the finance sector, are reducing their staffs, so check back periodically if no openings appear for financial services jobs.
Step5Review your network. Join LinkedIn, create a professional profile, and begin looking for friends or colleagues. Check your contacts and address book. Do you have any friends or former colleagues in the industry? Ask if they know of any financial services jobs or have contacts in the industry. It is important to maintain your network year-round, not just when you need something, so approach people with whom you have not had recent or regular contact with care.
Step6Expand your search parameters. In this economic environment, financial services jobs are hard to come by. Consider working in related or complementary fields, else for a financial services firm but in a different capacity. Government regulation and oversight of financial services firms is increasing--you could apply to work for a government regulator or in the compliance division of a financial services company. See resource section below for SEC and Federal Reserve job sites.
Step7Evaluate your skill set. If you do not have the requisite education or work experience for a financial services job, consider taking courses and/or interning for free to gain the necessary skill set. Don't forget to update your resume or better yet, create a financial services-oriented resume, as you expand or adapt your skill set to the financial services job sector