Finance Sector Career Change
by Richard Martin
(London, UK)
I'm a self motivated, analytical, practical and systematic individual looking for a change of career direction. For the past 13 years I've been working in a group of small businesses, starting on the warehouse floor and rising quickly through the group - after 4 years I was appointed as a director and after another 6 years I was appointed as MD of one of the companies in the group.
Due to a sharp downturn in business since the "credit crunch" the group has now been disbanded and the individual companies either closed or sold to a bigger organization. As there was no equivalent position available to me in the new regime I decided to call it a day and concentrate on a career change.
My key skills are data analytical using MS Excel and Access, however working at a senior level in a small business has given me a great deal of exposure to a broad range of business disciplines such as sales, accounting (using Sage), people management, drafting policy and procedures (health and safety, staff handbook etc) and all other aspects of business administration. I am equally comfortable in both inward and outward facing roles.
Ideally I would like to apply and build on these skills in the finance sector as I have always enjoyed financial analysis and planning. Business modeling also holds a great deal of appeal.
Other positions that I have held include 4 years in the civil service as a Scientific Officer working in financial planning and reporting, and a freelance sound engineer and application developer.
I have an honours degree in Applied Maths from Warwick University (graduated 1992).
In summary, I am genuinely excited about my current position and see it as a golden opportunity to choose a new career that I hope I can really get my teeth into. I may never receive another opportunity like this (I'm pushing 40 as it is!) and am more than willing to start at a junior level if the career progression prospects are good enough.
I don't have a sufficiently "business like" picture so I'll leave that empty for now if you don't mind...
