Stock Broker job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

O*NET-SOC 41-3031.00

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$78,660

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents (O*NET-SOC 41-3031.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Stock Broker” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index and the U.S. Employment and Training Administration). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities. importance 4.8 of 5
2. Monitor markets or positions. importance 4.8 of 5
3. Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients. importance 4.7 of 5
4. Keep accurate records of transactions. importance 4.6 of 5
5. Buy or sell stocks, bonds, commodity futures, foreign currencies, or other securities on behalf of investment dealers. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Complete sales order tickets and submit for processing of client-requested transactions. importance 4.5 of 5
7. Report all positions or trading results. importance 4.5 of 5
8. Interview clients to determine clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, or financial objectives. importance 4.4 of 5
9. Discuss financial options with clients and keep them informed about transactions. importance 4.4 of 5
10. Identify opportunities or develop channels for purchase or sale of securities or commodities. importance 4.3 of 5
11. Develop financial plans, based on analysis of clients' financial status. importance 4.3 of 5
12. Review all securities transactions to ensure accuracy of information and conformance to governing agency regulations. importance 4.3 of 5
13. Devise trading, option, or hedge strategies. importance 4.2 of 5
14. Determine customers' financial services needs and prepare proposals to sell services that address these needs. importance 4.2 of 5
15. Track and analyze factors that affect price movement, such as trade policies, weather conditions, political developments, or supply and demand changes. importance 4.1 of 5
16. Inform other traders, managers, or customers of market conditions, including volume, price, competition, or dynamics. importance 4.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Working with Computers, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Processing Information and Making Decisions and Solving Problems.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Supervise support staff and ensure proper execution of contracts.
• Relay buy or sell orders to securities exchanges or to firm trading departments.
• Evaluate costs and revenue of agreements to determine continued profitability.
• Sell services or equipment, such as trusts, investments, or check processing services.
• Negotiate prices or contracts for securities or commodities sales or purchases.
• Prepare and send requests for price quotations to all companies in a particular market.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting, English Language, Mathematics and Sales and Marketing.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, The MathWorks MATLAB, C++, Linux, Microsoft Access. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most stock brokers surveyed by O*NET (55%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Stock Broker
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Stock Broker to buy and sell securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, or provide financial services to businesses and individuals.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.
- Monitor markets or positions.
- Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients.
- Keep accurate records of transactions.
- Buy or sell stocks, bonds, commodity futures, foreign currencies, or other securities on behalf of investment dealers.
- Complete sales order tickets and submit for processing of client-requested transactions.
- Report all positions or trading results.
- Interview clients to determine clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, or financial objectives.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, critical thinking and judgment and decision making
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Economics and Accounting
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents, the median annual wage was $78,660 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $37.82. BLS estimates about 489,570 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents to grow 1.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 35,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real stock broker posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only stock broker work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and critical thinking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.