How does your work and/or the company culture encourage your personal growth and career development?
Lim & Tan Securities has an innate culture of sharing so I have definitely learnt a lot since joining the company. Most of my fellow brokers are professionals in various industries, so it is very enlightening when they share their insights of the different sectors of business. The company also organizes numerous training seminars where varied styles of investing and trading are shared, which assist me in formulating investment strategies. The management is also extremely supportive when it comes to broker-initiated activities such as participation in various roadshows, which allow the brokers to acquire new clients.

My front-line role in the equities market has also helped me greatly in my pursuit of post-graduate financial qualifications as I typically have intimate encounters with the scenarios discussed in case studies as part of the coursework. Indeed, this is a job whereby you never stop learning and every day is an opportunity to acquire more knowledge.

What are the biggest challenges for you in your job on a day-to-day basis?
I have always believed that you cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach towards advising your clients as different people have different risk appetites and financial goals. A fresh graduate will have markedly different investment goals as compared to a retiree. As such, when dispensing advice to my clients, I usually have to take many different factors into account.

It is also critical to keep abreast of major developments in the financial markets so I am constantly scanning the news headlines, not just during local market hours but throughout the day so as to ensure I am able to provide prompt and relevant advice when necessary.

The dynamism of the financial markets also ensures that no two days are similar. Different forms of challenges often arise in the course of the trading day so one has to practice a great deal of discretion.

This job is ideal for dynamic individuals who enjoy interaction with fellow investors and relish keeping up-to-date with market developments. With a positive mindset, the challenges encountered in the course of this job can be deemed as learning opportunities.

What is it about your job that you LOVE?
This is pretty much a dream job for me as I have been interested in the financial markets since young. I enjoy meeting new people and share investment strategies with them. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to investing and one can always learn more when interacting with other fellow investors. The financial remuneration in this industry is also largely proportional to the effort put in, so it's extremely rewarding to see your hard work come to fruition. Essentially, this job is akin to operating your own business.

As Confucius once said, "Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life"; in that case, I definitely don't feel like I'm working right now!