Is finance good for introverts?
It depends on the role. Of the 6 finance roles we compared, credit analysts report the least contact with others and loan officers the most.
Finance splits into roles that assess risk and roles that win and keep clients. The ratings separate the two most clearly on contact and on dealing with the public.
Personal financial advisors are worth a closer look: their contact rating is low for a client role, but dealing with the public still matters a lot.
We compared six finance occupations with their own ratings: credit analysts, personal financial advisors, insurance underwriters, financial examiners, loan officers and securities sales agents. Financial and investment analysts are left out because O*NET has no ratings for them in this release. The ratings come from O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, where workers answer questions about what their job involves.
What the data shows
- Contact with others ranges from 3.7 out of 5 for credit analysts (closest to "contact most of the time") to 4.8 for loan officers (closest to "constant contact").
- After contact, the biggest difference is in dealing with customers or the public: 2.4 out of 5 for credit analysts, against 4.5 for loan officers.
- The next biggest is distracting or uncomfortable noise: 1.3 out of 5 for personal financial advisors, against 2.9 for loan officers.
- 4 of the 6 occupations with their own pay data involve more contact with others than the typical US occupation.
- 44% of personal financial advisors say they have face-to-face discussions every day, compared with 94% of loan officers.
- 3 of the 6 rate working in a team as very important or more.
- Among occupations with their own pay data, the lowest-contact one is credit analysts, at a median $83,510 a year. The best paid is personal financial advisors, at $105,070.
Social demands, side by side
Each figure is an O*NET average on a 1 to 5 scale. Lower means less of it. Hover a heading for the exact question.
| Role | Contact | Face-to-face | Phone | Speaking | Customers | Teamwork | Conflict | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Analysts | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| Insurance Underwriters | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| Financial Examiners | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| Loan Officers | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
Pay, entry and outlook
| Role | Median pay | Typical entry education | Typical training | Growth 2025-35 | Projected openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Analysts | $83,510 | Bachelor's degree | None | -4.3% | 3,100 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $105,070 | Bachelor's degree | Long-term on-the-job training | +1.4% | 17,100 |
| Insurance Underwriters | $81,370 | Bachelor's degree | Moderate-term on-the-job training | -3.8% | 6,800 |
| Financial Examiners | $94,160 | Bachelor's degree | Long-term on-the-job training | +9.3% | 4,500 |
| Loan Officers | $76,690 | Bachelor's degree | Moderate-term on-the-job training | +1.1% | 17,100 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $78,660 | Bachelor's degree | Moderate-term on-the-job training | +1.4% | 35,100 |
Each role in detail
Credit Analysts
Contact with others: 3.7 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 11% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 79% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "important"; dealing with customers or the public "fairly important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $83,510 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree. About 3,100 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Analyze credit data and financial statements to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
- Complete loan applications, including credit analyses and summaries of loan requests, and submit to loan committees for approval.
- Prepare reports that include the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
Personal Financial Advisors
Contact with others: 3.9 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 19% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 44% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "never".
Median pay $105,070 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree, with long-term on-the-job training. About 17,100 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan.
- Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.
- Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
Insurance Underwriters
Contact with others: 4.5 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 59% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 62% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $81,370 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 6,800 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
- Decline excessive risks.
- Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
Financial Examiners
Contact with others: 4.6 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 69% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 78% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "extremely important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $94,160 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree, with long-term on-the-job training. About 4,500 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Direct and participate in formal and informal meetings with bank directors, trustees, senior management, counsels, outside accountants, and consultants to gather information and discuss findings.
- Recommend actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, or to protect solvency of institutions.
- Prepare reports, exhibits, and other supporting schedules that detail an institution's safety and soundness, compliance with laws and regulations, and recommended solutions to questionable financial conditions.
Loan Officers
Contact with others: 4.8 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 87% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 94% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "extremely important"; dealing with customers or the public "extremely important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $76,690 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 17,100 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Meet with applicants to obtain information for loan applications and to answer questions about the process.
- Analyze applicants' financial status, credit, and property evaluations to determine feasibility of granting loans.
- Approve loans within specified limits, and refer loan applications outside those limits to management for approval.
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
Contact with others: 4.7 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 76% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 82% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $78,660 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 35,100 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.
- Monitor markets or positions.
- Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients.
What the numbers can't tell you
- O*NET ratings are averages of worker answers on a 1 to 5 scale. Some questions ask how much (contact), some how often (face-to-face, phone, public speaking, conflict, noise) and some how important (teamwork, customers). They are shown on their own scales.
- The ratings describe the job, averaged across workers and workplaces. A particular employer, team or shift can be very different.
- They don't measure personality, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.
- Pay and openings are national figures from the BLS. Local pay varies.
Common questions
Which finance job involves the least contact with others?
Of the 6 roles compared here, credit analysts report the least, at 3.7 out of 5 on O*NET's contact rating, closest to "contact most of the time".
Do these finance jobs need a degree?
All 6 occupations with BLS education data typically need more than a high school diploma to start.
Do these ratings measure personality?
No. They are averages of what workers say their job asks of them. They describe the work, not the people doing it, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.