A statistical ranking of the qualifications most likely to get you a financial services job in London today

There are a few things that can improve your employability. One is some strategic networking. Another is dogged persistence. Another is a willingness to go out and get some new qualifications.

With regards to the latter, we have produced a ranking, displayed on the chart below, of the qualifications most likely to get you a financial services job in London today. Based upon a comparison of the number of UK-based CVs with each qualification which have been loaded into our own CV database over the past three months, and the number of jobs currently advertised on eFinancialCareers UK specifying each qualification (or combination of qualifications), we can definitively say that: you will be most employable if you have an ACA.

As the chart indicates, no qualification will make you all that employable. Even ACAs will find there are only 0.4 jobs on offer for each ACA CV uploaded in the UK since March. For the average CFA, the proportion falls to 0.04.

It may not be as bad at it seems: not everyone who's uploaded a CV may be actively looking for work; some recruiters will search for CVs rather than advertising jobs; you can always apply for a job in Singapore, or Hong Kong, or elsewhere.

Nevertheless, if you want to maximise your employability, an ACA seems the best bet. Unfortunately, it takes around three years to complete. Failing that, you could try a PhD, which is also time consuming. A Cima qualification or an MBA from a top school (defined as the London Business School, INSEAD, Harvard, Wharton, Columbia or IESE) may also help. A CQF or MSc may not. As we noted earlier, an ACCA won't too much difference to your employability, although interestingly it will apparently make more difference than passing any CFA exam will. So will GARP's risk management qualifications - the International Certificate in Risk Management or the Financial Risk Manager's Qualification (about which we have more information here).

We appreciate that 'fluent German' isn't a qualification, but were curious whether it would make much difference. It doesn't.