Close
Reviewed by Ibnujala
In India, lakhs of commerce graduates are entering the job market every year, making the competition in the sector ever-increasing. This abundance in number makes skills increasingly more important than just marks.
From hard skills like accounting, corporate finance, business law, and digital marketing to soft skills like communication, business awareness, networking and collaboration, these skills have an important role in the commerce job market. So, nowadays, recruiters are less focused on just your marks and more interested in what you can actually do from day 1 at their office.
A recent study published in the Journal of Scientific Research and Technology, which focuses on the gap between academic training and industry expectations in the management field, suggests that fewer graduates are considered eligible for work by many recruiters. So, understanding the skills required for commerce students is not just an option but a necessity to survive the tight race in the job sector.
So, this guide will offer you an elaborate understanding of what skills and expertise you need to focus on for campus placements, higher studies, corporate careers, and more. Let’s get into the details without much ado.
As mentioned earlier, recruiters looking at a commerce degree like B.Com, BBA, and B.A. Economics and resumes increasingly prioritise skills and practical expertise, alongside marks or percentages. So, improving your job-readiness skills is more important than ever.
With significant digital transformations in commerce, companies search for candidates with marketable hard skills like accounting skills, financial analysis, and advanced Excel, and employability skills like communication, critical thinking, and business communication. The real question is whether you are able to add value for a company from week 1.
However, these skills would show up in every stage of a commerce student, like:
So, these essential skills for commerce students are highly important in most career opportunities, such as:
In this section, let’s have a quick look at the core hard skills required for commerce students to improve their job-readiness and salary growth.
Basic understanding of contracts, the Companies Act, compliance management, due dates, and penalties, as they are helpful for roles like audit, corporate finance, consulting, and MSMEs.
Note: As AI is gaining more prominence, understand the basics of how AI-powered tools function in all these areas and skills, such as finance, accounting, marketing, and analytics. This can help stay updated in the job market with proficiency in the latest skills.
In the last section, we had a quick overview of the hard skills necessary for every commerce student. Now, let’s have a look at the soft skills for commerce students to excel in their professional journey.
Proficient communication skills are non-negotiable in the contemporary job market. So, it’s important to have a proper understanding of drafting clear emails for clients, HRs, and managers and developing professional spoken communication skills to excel in meetings, discussions, and presentations.
The other necessary communication skills include:
Numerical skills and critical thinking are major parts of almost all professions in the commerce field. So, improving these skills is mandatory. Some of them include:
How can someone work without understanding the basics of their industry? So, every commerce student should have insights into how business works.
Some of these basics include:
With advancements in the digital world, a clear online presence is becoming a necessity. Some important digital skills for commerce students for their resume include:
Self-management and work ethics might not be visible on any resumes or portfolios. But they are important skills in any profession. Some of them are:
To grow in your profession, you need to expand your network. So, it is an undeniable skill every individual should cultivate.
Here are some tips for that:
Not every commerce student aims for the same profession. From accounting and business analytics to digital marketing and others, the jobs for commerce students are wide and diverse.
So, understanding these different roadmaps can help students better navigate to their dream professions. So, analyse the following role-based skill map and identify the skills required for commerce students to reach their desired professions.
| Career Path | Must-Have Skills | Good-to-Have Skills | 3 Immediate Next Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CA / CMA / CS (Core Finance & Compliance) |
|
|
1) Choose your exam track (CA Foundation/CMA/CS) and fix attempt timelines. 2) Practise at least one accounting and one tax problem daily, including mock tax filing simulations. 3) Target articleship/internship in audit, taxation or compliance as soon as you’re eligible. |
| 2. Corporate Finance / Analyst Roles (Financial Analyst, MIS Executive, Business Analyst) |
|
|
1) Complete a structured Excel + financial modelling/business analytics certification. 2) Build 1–2 company analysis projects using NSE/BSE data (valuations, what-if scenarios). 3) Create a small portfolio (models, reports, dashboards) and upload it to Google Drive/GitHub/LinkedIn. |
| 3. Marketing / Sales / Digital Roles (Marketing Executive, Content Writer, early Product roles) |
|
|
1) Run or manage a campaign for a college fest, club or local business. 2) Track metrics (reach, clicks, leads, conversions) in Excel/Google Sheets and interpret performance. 3) Build a mini portfolio with creatives, ad copies, screenshots and a short campaign case study. |
| 4. Data / Analytics Roles (Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Specialist, MIS) |
|
|
1) Learn SQL fundamentals and practise queries on public datasets. 2) Create 1–2 interactive dashboards in Tableau/Power BI based on finance, sales or e-commerce data. 3) Publish your projects on GitHub/portfolio and highlight them clearly on your resume and LinkedIn. |
Learning all the essential skills for commerce students can be intimidating. The world around might ask to be proficient in and know everything. However, everyone does not need to know everything.
In this section, let us break down how to learn the skills that are essential for you, based on your interests and career goals.
Structured and certification courses can help improve your skills and expertise. Choosing courses that align with your professional goals can help improve skills. You can find different courses designed to improve your skills in accounting, financial analysis, financial modelling, business analytics, digital marketing, and more.
Various platforms like FinQuo Versity offer courses like Certified Finance and Business Analyst (CFBA) and more that are designed around role-based skill maps like CA, Business Management, Finance, and more. These courses also improve financial literacy, enhancing overall financial skills.
Along with learning courses and getting certifications, it is important that you learn Excel, GST, corporate finance and marketing strategies and convert them into real-world tasks. This can help gain real-time experience and showcase your job-readiness skills to recruiters.
Joining internships, taking freelance work in your specific fields, and working part-time can help you learn and improve your skills. They not only enhance your expertise but also serve as proof to include in your resume.
Use these simple tips to showcase high-demand career skills for commerce students on your resume and LinkedIn:
You already have an idea that recruiters do not rely only on marks and percentages, but they increasingly look for skills before hiring for a job. So, in this section, let us discuss how recruiters test these skills before hiring.
An aptitude test that includes an advanced Excel or Google Sheets test is very common in job interviews these days. These tests require participants to use formulas like VLOOKUP, SUMIF, and INDEX-MATCH; develop Pivot tables; and craft quick summary charts from raw data.
If the job role focuses on analytics, basic Power BI or Tableau tasks might also be included in these assessments.
Case studies and practical assessments are the other tests that check the candidates’ financial analysis and business analytics skills.
Mostly real-world case studies, these tests focus on financial skills like company analysis, budgeting and forecasting, and cash flow scenarios.
Marketing skills, such as digital campaigns and marketing strategies, as well as analytical skills like interpreting a dataset and explaining business-ready insights, might also be part of these tests.
Technical and concept checks can be analysed through rapid-fire questions or quick question-answer sessions on accounting, cost accounting, GST basics, or tools like Tally, SAP FICO, and PowerPoint.
Portfolio analysis is also an important part of an interview where recruiters analyse your previous works, projects, and more. This helps them better understand your expertise and proficiency in real-life scenarios.
Through behavioural and cultural fit analysis, the recruiters focus on understanding the major real-job readiness skills, such as:
In 2026 or the coming years, your degree alone might not be enough to secure a good start in your professional life. The current job market clearly shows that your skill stack is more important than your marks.
As we have discussed so far, there are certain skills required for every commerce student to build a sound career path. This includes hard skills like financial analysis and Excel, and soft skills like communication and networking.
So, start building your skills and expertise. Explore the Certified Finance and Business Analyst (CFBA) course by FinQuo Versity and other similar certifications that help you upskill yourself. Similarly, practice a slow yet steady action plan that helps identify goals and work towards them.
Whether your dream job is CA, analyst, or digital marketer, grow towards it with a structure, not guesswork.
Uma Nair is a professional content writer with over 3 years of experience and a strong foundation in crafting engaging and informative content across diverse domains. Over the years, she has dealt with various niches, and her growing interest in finance has led her to explore the world of financial writing. As an English Language and Literature postgraduate, her educational background supports her ability to convey complex topics in easy and accessible content. In her free time, she stays updated on industry trends to continually enhance the value of her content.
Reviewed by
Ibnujala is a seasoned financial expert of Indian and Middle Eastern markets with an experience of over 15 years. His deep interest in neuroscience fuels his research in seamlessly blending finance and science. With a bachelor’s degree in law from India and an MBA from the UK, his diverse academic background makes him an expert in financial management and mentorship. In addition to being a seasoned investor and serial entrepreneur, he currently serves as the CEO of Finquo Versity.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial or investment advice. Stock market investments are subject to market risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Readers are encouraged to do their own research and consult with a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The author and publisher are not liable for any financial losses or damages incurred from following the information provided in this blog.
Uma Nair
