A recent upturn in recruitment for graduates in the finance or accounting sector means more jobs are on the market. However, companies such as PwC and Barclays are looking for people with the right skills as the younger generation become ever more popular.

According to the Evening Standard, “latest job vacancies show a 61.6 per cent annual increase in job opportunities in the sectors, with some 32,000 needing to be filled”.

However, we all know what the common ethos is regarding graduates – floods of them are entering a market that is facing huge economic difficulty. In order to combat the situation, there are a number of skills that you can develop to set you apart from others. What better way to obtain these than through an Internship or Placement?

The Financial Services Skills Council has produced a list of skills most sought after by employers in the respective industries. Do you possess some of these below?

The Financial Services

• Cultural awareness
• Numeracy skills
• Languages
• Analytical Skills
• Understanding clients’ needs

Accounting and finance

• Common sense
• Tolerance
• Team Work
• Communication skills
• IT

No one can ever stop learning and each experience you take part in develops you as a person. It is clear however, that work experience is perhaps the best way to fast track your development, as well as your chance of securing top jobs. If you were ever in doubt about doing an Internship or Placement, my advice would be to do it! It’s a no brainer and unlike graduate jobs, you may only get one chance – it really is now or never!