Date Created: 24 November 2011
A new Smart-phone app that aims to help people find jobs in Scotland’s financial sector has been launched.
The MyCareerPath app employs psychometric analysis to help school-leavers and graduates identify jobs they might be suited to in the financial sector.
The app, free to download on Apple's iTunes, was developed by Scottish Investment Operations (SIO) - an industry body with a membership that includes financial services HSBC, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, Barclays Wealth and BlackRock.
SIO is launching the application in the wake of research which shows that many people do not understand what a job in financial services involves and have an “unnecessarily negative perception”.
Users of the MyCareerPath tool are asked to complete a questionnaire which determines the presence of professional qualities and characteristics including leadership, teamwork ethic, sociability, organisation and responsibility. Questions will include what the respondent would do at a friend’s barbecue.
The app then pairs the skill-set of each individual with particular roles in the financial services industry and sets out the qualifications required to get there.
Alan Thornburrow, chief executive of Edinburgh-based SIO, is confident that MyCareerPath and the continuing development of vocational courses will be instrumental in helping employers recruit properly qualified staff.
He said: “Choosing your career is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. You can take advice from careers advisers, parents and friends, but ultimately it’s down to you. If you’re still undecided, MyCareerPath can help you make up your mind.”
Find out more about the app at the SIO website