Are You An Ideal Candidate For A Career In Financial Advising?

We’ve all heard that finding a new job or career is a full-time job in itself. Think to yourself how much time you’ve spent scrolling job sites, applying, and interviewing throughout your life.

Depending on your season of life, the time spent could be vast.

Here at Consolidated Planning, we understand the commitment it takes to become a financial advisor, and the ideal candidate profile has helped us build a firm of professionals and specialists whose focus is to deliver real solutions to each and every client.

Deciding which firm is the best fit for you should start with what it takes for you to be successful. You will learn that the ideal candidate profile consists of the qualities you will likely embody for success, if you have the desire to be more than just an advisor, and if you are an ideal candidate for Consolidated Planning.

 

What Are The Ideal Candidate Profiles at Consolidated Planning?

The ideal candidate profile is broken down between two types of financial advisors – the 2nd Career Candidate and the Experienced Candidate. These profiles act as guides for finding, interviewing, and hiring financial advisors at Consolidated Planning.

2nd Career Candidate

• Natural Market
• Honest/Ethical
• Entrepreneurial
• Economic Stability (3-6 months)
• Patterns of Success 
• Coachable

Experienced Candidate

• Activity driven 
• Fits agency culture
• Looking to take practice to another level
• Wants to grow practice and needs help
• Client builder: continuously adding clients
• Willing to do joint work

 

Ideal does not mean you will check every box as a financial advisor. No one person can do that. However, ideal means most suitable, not perfect, but the most suitable for the culture and philosophy in place at Consolidated Planning.

 

What Are Necessary Qualities As A Financial Advisor?

While there is a lot to be learned as a financial advisor, some of the qualities necessary for success can’t be taught or learned. Sometimes, you either have it or you don’t. 

What do these qualities look like?

#1 Grit

Grit is a personality trait that refers to the determination and perseverance to achieve a goal. Grit is what will get you through the tough moments as a financial advisor. 

During the learning curve of building your financial advising practice, you will face perceived setbacks, stressors, and many no’s along the way. What matters is how you come out on the other side of these challenges and your ability to stay motivated and achieve success.

 

#2 Coachable

Coachability is probably a term you’ve heard since your Saturday morning soccer league days. And yes, it’s something you need as a financial advisor as well.

When there is a lot to learn and a lot to teach, being coachable is a must. 

Are you receptive to feedback? 

Constructive criticism? 

And can you take those to build a better practice? 

At Consolidated Planning you can expect a “ the world is round experience,” meaning you will learn from the ground up how to build a successful, meaningful practice.

You just need to be coachable to build it.

 

#3 Entrepreneurial

Being entrepreneurial means you possess the willingness and ability to take risks. As a financial advisor, your risks are likely to be income and relationship oriented.

A career in financial advising has a certain amount of uncertainty to it when it comes to your income. This may include what the market will look like, what your clients want, and the necessary marketing costs to help grow your practice.

In terms of relationships, minimizing the risk of damaging these relationships is essential to even having a practice. The best way to protect your relationships is to always be honest, and transparent, and act in the best interest of your clients, no matter what that looks like for your practice.

 

#4 A Service Mindset

The trajectory and longevity of your career aren’t based on making money, but rather on having a service-based mindset.

What does this mean?

This will have you focusing on meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of your clients. This involves being responsive to their questions and concerns, being proactive in communicating with them, and going above and beyond to provide value.

You will work with your client to create a financial plan that aligns with their mission and helps them work towards achieving their goals.

 

#5 Presence

Your presence as a financial advisor should relay trust and confidence for your clients. This can be anything from a professional appearance, communication skills, having a punctual and organized way of doing business, and a commitment to continuing education to stay up-to-date on industry developments and knowledge of financial products and services.

How do you show up in life? Do you look and act like you possess the necessary financial leadership?

 

#6 A Desire To Be More

The ideal candidate profile also takes into account what you can be. 

Do you have the desire to be more and do more?

For the trainable areas, like our planning philosophy, you have to believe in what we do at Consolidated Planning and have the desire to deliver our client experience. Our client experience is part of what makes financial advisors unique in this industry and this is an aspect we can train and develop you in.

But it all starts with the desire.

For career changers, the desire is to forsake what is certain and known right now for what is uncertain and unknown for the bigger picture.

For current financial advisors, the desire is a willingness to change and to be a different advisor for your clients.

 

Do You Align With The Ideal Financial Advisor Framework?

Before spending countless hours and energy evaluating firms, wouldn’t you rather know upfront if what you want and what the firm is looking for are in alignment?

We would.

For alignment with Consolidated Planning for your financial advising career it all starts with belief. Belief is not trainable. If you don’t have the desire to build a bigger and better practice following our planning philosophy, we might not be the right fit for you.

If you have the six qualities in this article and have decided that you’re ready to show up every day as a financial advisor for your practice and your clients, talk with a team member about how to build your practice at CP.

 

Exp. 12/2027

8644249.1

Consolidated Planning, Inc. is an Agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, NY. Securities products and advisory services offered through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), member FINRA, SIPC. OSJ: 6115 Park South Drive, Suite 200, Charlotte NC 28210, Phone # 704-5528507. PAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. This firm is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS. This material is intended for general use. By providing this content Park Avenue Securities LLC and your financial representative are not undertaking to provide investment advice or make a recommendation for a specific individual or situation, or to otherwise act in a fiduciary capacity.