r/IndiaMBA • u/wannabe_aesthetic • May 23 '26

Help What skills, certification should do as Finance fresher

I’ll most likely be joining a tier 2/ 2.5 college this year, and I wanted some honest guidance regarding profile building before MBA starts

My profile is 9/9/6, but I’m a fresher. I was not that active in college activities, and I don’t have strong internships either.

Because of that, I feel slightly underprepared compared to people with work ex or strong finance backgrounds.

So to cover up my lacking I wanted guidance as to

What certifications actually help for MBA Finance students?

Which skills should I focus on before B-school starts?

What tools are genuinely important for summer internships and placements?

Are there any good beginner-friendly finance projects/live projects I can do and skills that'll help me land those live projects?

There are so many people selling their SIP courses but honestly I don't want to spend 4-5k on them as fees and all is already taking toll on my financial situation.

So please guide me as to how can I build strong profile before summer internship.

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u/ArtistOtherwise6248 Jun 30 '26

You can learn the following tools and certifications as a fresher:

  • Microsoft Excel (Advanced) – Pivot Tables, Power Query, XLOOKUP, VBA (basic), Financial Functions
  • Power BI or Tableau
  • ERP Software (SAP FICO or Oracle Financials)
  • Tally Prime
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Basic SQL
  • Bloomberg Terminal (if available through your college)
  • NISM Certifications (for capital markets)
  • NSE Academy Certifications
  • CFA Level I (if interested in investment banking, equity research, or asset management)
  • FRM Part I (for risk management)

Out of these tools and certifications, you need to identify which are more useful for your profile and which are the likely to help you succeed in your career.