How to get a job in finance as a new graduate

How to get a job in finance: 5 steps

1. Pick one lane for 30 days: corporate finance (FP&A, treasury, accounting), banking and lending, investments, or insurance. Each lane uses different titles and recruiting calendars.
2. Build proof in Excel. A three-statement model, a budget-versus-actual variance analysis, or a stock pitch from a class or club counts. Name the tool and the output on the résumé.
3. Apply to rotational and analyst programs on their calendar and to open analyst roles every week. NACE reports that spring recruiting accounts for 37% of full-time college hiring.
4. Use alumni and finance club contacts for referrals at your target employers.
5. Track every application and follow up five to seven business days after each one.

How to get into corporate finance

Corporate finance is the finance team inside a company: financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, treasury, and internal audit. Entry titles include financial analyst, FP&A analyst, staff accountant, treasury analyst, and finance rotational program associate. Hiring managers screen for Excel modeling, accuracy, and the ability to explain a number to a non-finance manager. Put one variance or forecasting example at the top of the résumé, and prepare to walk through it in the interview.

Corporate finance career path

1. Financial analyst or FP&A analyst: budgets, forecasts, and monthly variance reports.
2. Senior analyst: owns a business unit's forecast and presents to its leaders.
3. Finance manager: leads a team and the planning cycle.
4. Financial manager roles: the BLS lists controllers, treasurers, and credit, cash, and risk managers as types of financial managers. The occupation calls for a bachelor's degree and 5 years or more of experience in a business or financial occupation, and earned a 2025 median pay of $166,570.
5. Chief financial officer: the BLS notes that financial managers can advance to CFO.

Finance jobs for new graduates

These are medians for all experience levels. New-graduate offers start below them.

How to get a job in financial services

The BLS lists the largest employers of financial and investment analysts: securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments (24%); professional, scientific, and technical services (14%); credit intermediation, which covers banks and lenders (12%); management of companies (11%); and insurance carriers (6%). Banks and lenders hire credit analysts, loan officers, and branch development programs. Investment firms hire operations, research, and client service associates. Insurance carriers hire underwriting and claims trainees.

Some financial analyst roles require a FINRA license. The BLS notes that most of those licenses require sponsorship by an employer, so companies do not expect candidates to hold them before starting the job.

Finance graduates by the numbers

NY Fed definitions: recent graduates are ages 22 to 27; underemployment is the share working in jobs where fewer than half of workers say a bachelor's degree is necessary; wages are medians for full-time workers with a bachelor's degree only (early career 22 to 27, mid-career 35 to 45).

Finance résumé: what to put at the top

• A two-line summary naming the lane and title, such as "Finance graduate targeting FP&A analyst roles."
• One modeling or analysis project with the tool, the scope, and the result.
• Internships, campus jobs, or treasurer roles where you handled money, reconciliations, or reporting.
• Excel skills by name: pivot tables, lookups, and charts. Add SQL, Power BI, or Python only when you have used them in a project.