School Visit at the MFSA Introduction Peter Grech Manager – Human Resources Unit Malta Financial Services Authority Attard – BKR 3000 tel: 2548 5539 email: pgrech@mfsa.com.mt

Objectives of the visit enables students to learn more about financial services provides assistance and guidance to students who will shortly be making decisions about their studies in relation with their future career Know more about job opportunities within the financial services sector

Financial Services Banking Players Non-bank Financial Services Players Investments & Trusts Services Players Insurance Players Money Ball Regulators Referee/Umpire Market Playing field

The Curriculum Vitae A CV is a document that provides an overview of a person’s qualifications (hard skills) and other skills (soft skills) in a clear and effective manner Examples: Hard skills certificate, diploma, first degree, masters degree, doctorate, others Soft skills communication skills, team-work, leadership, self-confidence, others

Hard Skills What are ‘hard’ skills? ‘Hard’ skills are more of what might appear on your CV (resume) - your education, experience and level of expertise

Hard Skills: Foundation List of ‘O’ Levels – required English Maltese Mathematics Accounts and Economics / Business Studies ECDL Science Subject Other language

Hard Skills: Foundation List of ‘O’ Levels – good to have any of these: History English Literature Computer Studies Any other subject/s

Hard Skills: Qualifications Entries to the financial services industry: University of Malta: Degree in Banking & Finance Degree in Accountancy Degree in Economics Degree in Insurance Degree in Law Degree in Maths & Computing others MCAST: Diploma in Banking & Financial Services Diploma in Business Diploma in Insurance Studies AAT Diploma in Accounting BTEC Diploma in IT

Career Opportunities Accounting Accountancy Support Law Legal Support Banking Investments and securities Economics Insurance Actuarial and statistics Trusts and trustees Company formation ICT Management and administration Clerical and secretarial Taxation Risk Management Risk Assessment Prevention of financial crimes

Banking Types of Careers Clerical / secretarial duties Advisory work Management of processes Customer service Legal Accountancy IT Marketing Human Resource Other areas: insurance, lending, foreign currency management, investment management, trade finance, internal auditing, regulatory compliance, prevention of money laundering

Insurance Types of Careers Legal advisors Insurance managers Insurance brokers Underwriters Loss adjusters Claims handlers Surveyors Customer service representatives Sales representatives Compliance officers Accountants Risk managers Money laundering report officers Financial reporting officers Client advisors

Investments & Financial Advice Types of Careers Client focused: Financial advisers Administrative: People who provide support to the operations

Trusts & Fiduciaries Types of Careers Licenced trustees Legal services Accounting and audit professionals Business and tax advisors Back office support workers

Anti-money Laundering Types of Careers in Legal and compliance work Transactions and fraud analysis Software engineering / development Risk specialisation Training on anti-money laundering

Planning Ahead Where do we go from now? Immediate goal: achieve good results at ‘O’ level Start thinking about what best fits your aptitude: what do I prefer to do? Get involved in activities other than those organised at school

Soft Skills What are ‘Soft’ Skills? ‘Soft’ skills are essentially people skills – the non technical, intangible and personality–specific skills Soft skills are acquired and experienced – they cannot be developed by merely reading text books

Examples of Soft Skills / Qualities Self-confidence Maturity Commitment and responsibility Positive attitude Professional behaviour and appearance Proactive and flexible attitude to work Proficiency in written and spoken English Time management skills Creative ability Ability to take initiative Leadership skills Organisatonal skills Managerial skills Decision making skills Ability to work with emotional intelligence

Soft Skills: Developing Your Skills Work with others: meetings voluntary work development and training opportunities sports adventure Drama Working assignments and projects as a team player

Before / At An Interview Prepare yourself well before the interview – visit the organisation’s website Be punctual Be a good communicator Make sure you are appropriately dressed See that you are well groomed Watch your body language – posture and eye contact Switch off mobile Don’t hold back from showing what you can do Be ready to say why you are the one who should be selected

Careers in Finance website