As a trainee, there are many different stock broker jobs that you may do. The responsibilities of a stock broker trainee will depend on the objectives and investment goals of the company that hired them. Many times a stock broker trainee’s job will begin by the company offering a training program to these aspiring brokers in an attempt to educate them on how to become a securities broker. Once they complete the training, the trainees are required to successfully pass the appropriate licensing exam. This would consist, in the United States, taking the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority® (FINRA®) General Securities Representative Series 7 exam.
Even though stock broker trainee jobs can prepare them to become a stock broker the investment goals of their employer could have a dramatic effect on the trainee’s role. A broker will serves as the liaison between the global financial market and their clients in the securities industry. Typically, their jobs will prepare the individual for conducting transactional business with their client. In this role, the stock broker would be responsible for executing trades for a client when they are looking to sell or purchase a security like a bond or stock.
With the birth of the internet it has sparked the growth of many online discount brokers. These brokers have effectively allowed clients to execute trades on their own with no assistance from a stock broker. As a result of this development it has forced some stock broker trainee jobs to focus more on providing financial advice to their clients. This would be in the form of market analysis and research. In this capacity, the stock broker trainees would research various global investment opportunities in specific market areas. This could be in a technology area or real estate area. Once they have compiled and analyzed the information the investment firm would them package and sell this research in the market place.
Another position that a stock broker trainee could work in would be portfolio management. These stock broker jobs would involve working with portfolio managers to help create a prospective portfolio for any new clients. The trainee could also analyze and manage the risk that is involved with portfolios of existing clients. In this position the stock broker trainee would make adjustments to a portfolio in order to maximize investment returns.
Stock broker trainees, at some of the larger and more prestigious investment banks, will be responsible for completing a variety of jobs. One job could involve conducting technical analysis on different stocks. It is a position that will require the trainee to research many stocks that exhibit specific traits as measured according to many technical indicators. This data will be used by trading firms to execute trades for their clients and themselves.