Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

Median salary

$78,660

Average salary

$109,150

Employment

489,570

Projected growth

3.3% growth

Annual openings

38,100

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Do

Buy and sell securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, or provide financial services to businesses and individuals. May advise customers about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, and market conditions.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 6.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
Economics and Accountingimportance 3.9/5
English Languageimportance 3.8/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
Sales and Marketingimportance 3.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.4/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Contact With Others4.7/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Accountants and Auditors98% skill match
Personal Financial Advisors98% skill match
Financial Managers98% skill match
Dermatologists97% skill match
Insurance Underwriters96% skill match
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists96% skill match
Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators96% skill match
Instructional Coordinators96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
Persuasionimportance 3.5/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.3/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.3/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

ADP/Vantra VOLTS
AIQ Systems TradingExpert Pro
AnalyzerXL
Aspen Graphics Technical Analysis Software
Bloomberg Professional
BondDesk Group Trader WorkStation
CQG Integrated Client
CSI Complex Systems ClientTrade

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Integrity
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Social Orientation
Stress Tolerance
Self-Confidence
Achievement Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

EnterprisingHigh
ConventionalHigh
SocialMedium
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).