The sales trader holds a unique place on the trading floor: they do not take positions for the bank the way a trader does, and they do not sell a standardised product like a classic salesperson. They link institutional clients (asset managers, funds, corporate treasuries) with the desk that quotes prices and executes. This guide explains what the job involves, how to get in, what recruiters expect, how pay evolves and how to present your profile on a CV.
What does a sales trader actually do day to day?
The sales trader is the voice of the desk to clients, and the voice of clients to the desk. Their day follows the rhythm of the markets.
Before the open
They read the financial press, the bank's research notes and the day's macroeconomic data. They prepare the "desk view": a few clear ideas on what is moving and why. They often attend a morning meeting with traders, analysts and structurers, then pass the essentials on to clients by message, call or secure chat.
During the session
This is where the job is played out. The sales trader:
- receives clients' orders and price requests, passes them to the relevant trader and comes back to the client with an execution level;
- shares market ideas, observed flows and opportunities suited to each client's profile;
- follows executions in progress, especially large orders that must be worked without moving the market;
- arbitrates between the client's interests, the desk's and the bank's risk constraints.
Telephone and electronic communications linked to orders are governed by the European rules on markets in financial instruments (MiFID II), which require them to be recorded, among other things. What is said on the phone is taken seriously, and this framework is part of everyday life in the job.
After the close
They handle execution disputes, call back clients who need a debrief, prepare the next day and maintain the relationship: lunches, events, discussions on clients' strategy. The job therefore combines fast execution and long-term relationships.
Sales trader, sales, trader: what is the difference?
The difference between sales and trader comes down to risk and relationship. The trader carries the risk and runs a book of positions; the salesperson runs the commercial relationship. The sales trader is a hybrid profile: closer to execution than a pure salesperson, closer to the client than a trader. Depending on the bank the title changes (sales, sales trader, execution sales), but the idea stays the same. Our comparison of trading vs sales details the nuances between these roles, and the Onisep profile of the trading-floor salesperson 🔗 gives an official description of the job (in French).
Education and routes into the job
The sales trader profession is almost always prepared at master's level. Trading floors recruit mainly from four pools.
- Business schools with a market finance specialisation: this is the most common route for commercially minded profiles. A specialised finance master's or a double degree helps structure the profile.
- Engineering schools and science universities, for more quantitative profiles. They are particularly sought after on derivatives desks; our article on the science degree route into market finance shows how to head that way.
- University master's degrees in finance, economics or financial engineering, often valued for their technical rigour.
- Parallel admissions to a business school, for students who started elsewhere and want to join finance.
Internships make the difference
No degree replaces experience. An internship or summer placement on a trading floor, even a short one, proves you have understood the pace and culture of the place. Banks recruit heavily from their former interns. Failing that, an internship in asset management, brokerage or middle office remains a good entry point. Our guide to getting a finance internship explains how to go about it.
The AMF certification
In France, certain trading-floor functions, including salespeople and order negotiators, require passing the professional certification exam of the Autorité des marchés financiers. The employer usually organises this step, but passing it beforehand is an asset. The framework is described by the AMF in its instruction on the certification 🔗 (in French). To mention it properly, read our article on the CV and the AMF certification.
Key skills recruiters look for
Recruiters look for a rare balance between technical rigour and interpersonal ease.
Technical skills
- Market culture: understanding asset classes (equities, rates, credit, FX, commodities), common products and price formation mechanisms.
- Reading the news: linking a macroeconomic event or a company release to its possible effects on prices.
- Comfort with numbers: mental arithmetic, orders of magnitude, notions of pricing and risk.
- Tools: market terminals, Excel, and increasingly a little Python or SQL to analyse flows.
- Fluent English: part of the clients and colleagues are international.
Behavioural skills
A sales trader is judged on reliability as much as on technique. The qualities expected:
- reactivity under pressure: deciding fast without losing the thread;
- clear, concise communication: saying the essentials in a few sentences, on the phone and in writing;
- client sense: understanding what the client is after, sometimes before they put it into words;
- integrity: respecting compliance and confidentiality rules;
- team spirit: the desk is a collective, and results are shared.
💡 Learn more: these qualities are shown through facts rather than adjectives. Our article on essential soft skills in finance explains how to illustrate them.
Salary and pay at each stage
A sales trader's pay combines a fixed salary and a variable part tied to the performance of the desk, the bank and the individual. Without quoting amounts we cannot back with two primary sources, here is the general logic.
- Entry level (analyst or junior): the fixed salary dominates and the variable part stays modest. Onisep's profiles of trading-floor jobs give starting-salary benchmarks. At this stage you build credibility more than you maximise pay.
- Experienced (associate): the variable part gains weight as the client book grows. Revenues generated with the clients you cover start to count in the evaluation.
- Senior (vice president, director): the variable part can exceed the fixed salary. It then depends heavily on the economic cycle: a year of active markets and a quiet year are not comparable.
The variable part is paid partly in cash and partly deferred, which retains teams and limits excessive risk-taking. Gaps between an international investment bank, a French bank, a broker or an asset manager are large, as are those between Paris and London. To place these orders of magnitude across the sector, see our article on salaries in finance, banking and investment.
⚠️ Warning: pay varies strongly from one year to the next. Do not rely on an isolated figure found online: ask professionals on the target desk for ranges and compare them with official sources.
Career paths and exit opportunities
The classic hierarchy of a desk follows the bank's grades: analyst, associate, vice president, director, then managing director. Promotions depend on the quality of the client book, the contribution to revenues and the ability to manage juniors.
Internal moves
- Becoming a trader: the switch is possible, but it requires a real taste for risk and the desk's agreement. Many sales traders precisely enjoy not carrying a position.
- Specialised sales on an asset class or a client type: sovereign funds, insurers, large corporates.
- Head of desk or of distribution, with a management and commercial strategy role.
- Structuring or products: at the interface between clients and financial engineering, for those who like designing tailor-made solutions.
External moves
- Asset management or hedge funds: moving to the client side, as a portfolio manager or execution analyst (the "buy side").
- Brokerage and trading platforms, where the commercial relationship is central.
- Private banking, wealth management or corporate banking, which value advisory instinct.
- Fintech and market platforms, linked to the electronification of execution.
The automation of simple orders is changing the job: routine execution is increasingly electronic, which makes the value of advice, context and relationship even greater. Certifications such as the CFA or FRM can widen your options, especially towards the buy side; the CFA Institute 🔗 describes its programme on its website.
How to showcase this profile on your CV
A sales trader CV must prove three things: real market culture, commercial ease and execution reliability. Here is how to show them.
A structure that goes straight to the point
Put education at the top and, right after, your trading-floor or finance experience. Finish with skills, tools and languages. A desk recruiter reads fast: one page is enough for a junior profile. Our sales & trading CV example shows a suitable structure.
Concrete experience lines
Prefer action verbs and results to task descriptions. A few sample wordings:
- "Daily follow-up of an equities desk's flows and preparation of the market summary sent to institutional clients."
- "Support to the sales trader on handling price requests and following executions."
- "Analysis of a client portfolio's positions to suggest ideas suited to their strategy."
Whenever you can, specify the asset class, the type of client and the tool used, without disclosing confidential information.
Showing market culture
Mention a simulated personal portfolio, a trading competition, a market finance society or an analysis blog. These are proofs of curiosity that recruiters appreciate. The article on writing a finance CV details the general presentation rules.
The commercial side
If you come from sales, competitive sport or field experience, explain what it taught you: stress management, dealing with demanding counterparts, results orientation. Always connect that experience to the target job.
A well-built CV is also readable by applicant tracking systems (ATS): standard section titles, no exotic layout. That is exactly what our editor handles for you, with a properly structured PDF.
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Sources
- Onisep, Salesman (trading-floor salesperson) profile 🔗 and Trader profile 🔗.
- Autorité des marchés financiers, Instruction DOC-2010-09: certification of an exam on professional knowledge 🔗.
- CFA Institute, CFA Program 🔗.