Many people think that a job of a financial advisor is all about money. Nothing can be further from the truth. Work of a financial advisor is first and foremost about relationships. Knowing your clients, understanding their needs and goals, meeting them in person, and educating them on products and services available to help them reach their goals (primarily of monetary character). It is a wonderful job, as long as you know how to face ethical dilemmas, and really care more about the well-being of your clients than about the commission you’ll get for your work. But how to answer the ever-present why question in an interview for this position?

You have several good options. One is explaining how the job is a great match for your personality and skills, how you can see yourself thriving as a financial advisor, and delivering results. Second idea is talking about meaningful purpose you see in this job. The majority of Americans still struggle with financial literacy. Educating them and helping them to make informed decisions, you prevent them from making something stupid and losing their hard-earned money. Third option is referring to your previous experience in the field, and how you’d like to benefit from it in a role of a Financial Advisor.

Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers now, including answers for both newcomers and experienced advisors. You will find on my list some unconventional answers as well, just in case you really want to stand out with your answer, and say something other job candidates won’t dare to say. Enjoy!

 

7 sample answers to “Why do you want to be a financial advisor?” interview question

  1. I see a meaningful purpose in this job, because I have had my fair share of financial issues while I was younger. And it happened only because I made financial decision without consulting someone experienced. Instead of making profit on my savings, I actually lost them. And I believe it can happen to anyone, because we are flooded with information and it is not easy to distinguish truth from false promises. Now, with my education and certification, and my personal experiences, I’d like to help others avoid mistakes I made, and benefit the most from any funds they can invest.
  2. In my opinion, this work is mostly about relationship building. And if I thrive in one thing in life, it is relationship building. I already have an extensive network of connections, people I know in person, people who enjoy meeting me from time to time. This will give me a head start to the field, especially because I can ask them for referrals, and eventually end up with a huge number of leads. In any case, I enjoy getting to know new people, building trust, and later on trying my best to help these people–for example with a financial advice.
  3. I just love the freedom this career offers. Speaking honestly, I am not the kind of a person who’d enjoy working in some office, every day from nine to five or nine to seven. I like to have more flexibility, to plan my own schedule, to work extremely hard when I need to and want to, and to take a day off when I feel it is the right thing to do. Career of a financial advisor offers such flexibility, and it is the main reason of my choice. What’s more, I really like the job description, and I know I will enjoy doing this type of work. Actually I cannot wait to start.
  4. I’ve been working in sales for fifteen years already. And though I do not like my present job any longer, and need a change, I would like to have a job in which I can benefit from my experience. Objections? I’ve faced them all. A long series of rejections? I’ve experienced it more than once. Closing the deal when selling to various personality types? I feel ready to do that, because I‘ve had hundreds if not thousand of sales talks in my life, with all kinds of people. To sum it up, I really like the potential job of a financial advisor offers, and I believe I can excel in the job–considering my extensive experience and communication skills. These are two main reasons why I want to be a financial advisor.
  5. Speaking honestly, money is the answer. Sky is the limit for an excellent financial advisor, and I can assure you that I do not aspire for mediocrity. On the contrary. I want to help as many clients as possible, and earn big along the way. Because I know that if I really help the clients, and work hard for some time, I can earn in this profession more money than I would earn in any job I can realistically get with my resume. It makes the job highly attractive in my eyes.
  6. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Considering my strengths, personality, expectations on life, and how I imagine an ideal day at work, I came to a conclusion that Financial Advisor is the right choice for me. Not only because you spend a lot of time in pleasant meetings with interesting people, and eventually try to help them. I also like the financial planning part, the continuous education, and basically everything that belongs to this career–including wearing fancy clothes at all times. And with my communication skills and persistence, I have no doubt I will be successful as a financial advisor.
  7. First and foremost I see this career as incredibly important. And while I know that money cannot buy happiness, it can buy many other things, and people find it easier to fall asleep at night when they aren’t facing financial issues. Having healthy finances is one of the keys to living a well-balanced life. And I’d love to help as many people as possible to live such a life. What’s more, I really love the world of finance. I enjoy learning about new financial instruments, and I also thrive in meetings. Everything considered, Financial Advisor seems like an ideal role for me.

 

Money is a bad answer in many interviews, not in this one though

As a rule of a thumb you should not talk about money in job interviews. Of course, nobody would go to work if they did not get paid for it. But it is better to focus on the core of the job, your duties, career goals, future plans, and how the job is a great fit for your skills. Let the employer start the discussion about your salary.

Talking about job of a financial advisor, however, things work a bit differently. In many cases your remuneration will be in direct proportion to the number of deals you close. The more you sell the more you earn, and the more your employer makes. That’s why they like money-driven applicants for this type of work….

What’s more, financial advisor is no easy job. It can happen that you keep calling people without arranging any meetings, or you hear one NO after another in the meetings with the clients. Everyone can experience a bad streak in sales, including the best financial advisors. In order to survive such a streak, and keep pushing, you need a strong motivation. And a few things motivate people as much as a chance to earn big money with their work. If money motivates you more than anything else, you can admit it in this interview. Of course, you should have also secondary motives, just as I described earlier in the article…

Ready to answer this question? I hope so! But do not forget to check also sample answers to other tricky interview questions for financial advisors:

Matthew Chulaw
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