Stock market trading companies are always interested in talking to qualified candidates. While many of the jobs in sales and trading are commissioned based sales jobs and administrative positions, there are other opportunities in online stock trading management that are best achieved with additional stock trading service training. Educational opportunities are available to candidates who want to advance their career in stock trading systems.

Consider a degree in finance to get you started and add stock trading software professional development courses through other sales and trading firms, training centers and trade groups. Take advantage of every trading stock training course or seminar to fatten your resume. Watch for training for stock trading in a number of places.

1. Watch trading company job boards

2. Participate in stock trading system trade groups

3. Ask for guidance from stock market trading experts

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for training from stock trades websites

While you are job hunting, or doing your regular industry news updates research, keep an eye out for the trends that are leading the industry to point you to the training that you need to meet the demands of the times. Consider the requirements of the jobs you might like to pursue and find out what certificates or training you can get to make yourself a desirable candidate.

I recommend: Check out Day Trading University to see if they have any courses that could pump up your resume and your skills. Find beginner, intermediate and advanced courses at Princeton Daytrading.

Join stock trading associations for training

Most trade associations offer continuing education and professional development courses for their members. Some groups can guide you to special certification courses that will help you advance your career while offering events and meetings at which you can meet other professionals and find out about other training options.

I recommend: The National Association of Online Investors offers training courses that you can use to expand your educational horizons. Check out the many training offerings provided by the Stock Traders Association University.

Find a training mentor for trading company advice

Whether you can relate to a good manager who might take you on for mentoring, or you seek out a professional in a trade group or other professional association, follow the advice when you're pointed to special training opportunities. Often a designation or degree can make all the difference when you are looking to advance.

I recommend: Marketwise offers a number of different online and mentorship programs to advance your career. There are a number of ways to get the training you’re looking for at Cyber Trading University.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Talk to your employer about what kinds of stock trading service training they will either pay or reimburse you for, including membership fees in trade associations.

Stock trading is a big topic that means different things to different people. To some it’s about sophisticated techniques for buying and selling stocks, options and other investment devices on a daily basis. For others, it’s entry-level tools and education for making first-time purchases of stocks and mutual funds.

Whether you’re an investment pro, just starting out, or somewhere in between, having the right stock trading tools at your disposal makes all the difference. Here’s what you’ll need:

     1) Stock trading skills information & education.
     2) Financial data: Including stock quotes, historical pricing charts, technical analysis, analyst research and recommendations, and more.
     3) A brokerage, mutual fund or other stock trading account set up with an investment firm, online brokerage, mutual fund company or bank.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get the information edge

Don't jump into stock trading blindly. Tap the rich veins of investment research, data and opinions available online.

I recommend: Market information sites such as CNBC, MarketWatch and Yahoo! Finance have a broad range of helpful information and tools on stock trading. Morningstar is an 'A-List' provider of independent research for individual investors (as well as financial advisors and institutions), including a variety of stock and mutual fund publications, websites and software. Brokerage firm customers get access to stock research and tools that vary greatly by firm. Leading discount broker Charles Schwab, for example, functions more like a full-service firm by providing stock research and trading recommendations. Their 'Active Trader' service offers a series of advanced stock trading tools, including software, data, proprietary research and specialized support. TechniTrader and Investools are among the independent firms offering stock trading education, tools and strategies. Value Line is also an excellent source of stock trading information, as is Better Investing.

Trade stocks the mutual fund way

Although mutual funds are not meant to be actively traded, they offer a convenient way to easily buy and sell shares in hundreds of different professionally managed portfolios.

I recommend: Today there's a mutual fund for almost any type of investment you can imagine, from large U.S.-based stocks, to health care shares, biotech, real estate or even emerging markets in distant corners of the globe. Choices are limited only by the imaginations of the mutual fund managers who dream them up and launch new funds regularly. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a handy primer on mutual fund investing. The Mutual Fund Education Alliance offers mutual fund investing basics, as well as performance information and news on thousands of funds. A few top mutual fund families include Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity and American Funds.

Set up your stock trading account

Your choice will depend on convenience, costs and the type of stock trading you want to do.

I recommend: In Wall Street vernacular, a 'trader' is someone who actively buys and sells stocks often, perhaps daily. If the 'active trader' label fits you, then having an online discount brokerage account with low commissions and good service may be best. Discount brokers, including Charles Schwab, Ameritrade, Scottrade and eTrade can all provide the accounts and tools you need to buy and sell stocks with low commissions. Your bank may offer investment brokerage accounts as well -- convenient since you can keep it all in one place. Not all banks offer brokerage account services. A few that do include majors like Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase, Wachovia and others. If you want the hand-holding and investment advice that full service firms offer, consider big names like Merrill Lynch and A.G. Edwards.

Consider 'direct access' trading

Direct access trading eliminates investment intermediaries and connects you directly to investment markets.

I recommend: This is not the same as simply trading online via an online brokerage firm. Direct access trading goes a step farther by connecting you directly to the market, where you are then in charge of managing your own investment order flow live on the markets. This requires far more time and knowledge available via stock trading courses and services such as Online Trading Academy and EliteTrader.

See our other stock investing How-To Guides

How-To Guides on Work.com and Business.com can help you locate all the tools and resources you need to be successful at investing in stocks.

I recommend: Other top-rated How-To Guides on successful stock market investing include: Stocks (Equities) and Stock Investing; Stock Quotes: Free online stock quote services abound. And add-ons can dazzle; and Online Stock Trading: How to buy and sell stocks like the pros.

Stock market trading changes with the times. As the landscape surrounding sales and trading continues to evolve, following technological and financial forces, you have to keep up with online stock trading trends to remain competitive and make sure you’re getting the most up to date information. If you work in the industry, the trading stock options should be followed closely so that you can make the best presentations and know what your competitors are doing.

Follow the trends that are affecting stock trading systems in a variety of ways. Read trading company publications that can keep you updated with news and information. Subscribe to white papers and stock trading service articles. Take advantage of online stock trading company trade groups that keep members apprised of news and trends. Look for stock trading news and trends in a number of ways.

1. Get email alerts and sales and trading newsletters

2. Participate in associations for online stock trading

3. Subscribe to magazines for stock market trading

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Accept emails from a stock trading service

Set up a separate email account to get email alerts, RSS feeds and industry newsletters that will send you news as it happens, the latest trend pieces and information about what the major industry players are up to. Check this email daily so you don't miss out on important news.

I recommend: Trading Markets will send you daily email alerts about the breaking news that affects the industry. Look for the day’s top news stories at Trading Day.

Join trading company groups

Association with other professionals in the same field will provide you with an inside track to news, often before it hits the press. Get involved with your trade association and take advantage of the networking opportunities to develop relationships as well as the group's newsletters and communication vehicles.

I recommend: News is collected and transferred to the members of the National Association of Investment Companies so they can be kept in the loop when important information is needed. Keep up with industry news from the website of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Read about the latest trading funds trends

Take time to read in-depth reports and magazines that cover the industry further than the headlines. Often the best information that can help drive your own business decisions comes from investigative reporting and research articles that take a deeper look into industry issues.

I recommend: Get real time news and reports on the stock market and the trends that are driving your business from RTT News. Look to Finance Industry Today for stock market news that breaks throughout the day as well as news about global markets and how they are affecting local markets.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Encourage your staff to read publications and websites that can bring even more news about stock trades. Make it fun by giving a prize to the team member who comes up with the best news tidbit each month.

Stock trading is an important part of the economy in both the U.S. and globally. The stock market is a large indicator of economic stability in the country. Many people are affected by stock trading, because stocks are a large part of pensions, 401k accounts and other investment vehicles. From individuals to large corporations, knowing about the basics of stock trading is essential in order to understand the impact of the market on short- and long-term investments.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Bear market

A bear market is a market of securities that shows declining stock prices. Similarly, a bull market is the opposite type of market, with steadily increasing prices.

I recommend: Stock Trading To Go provides information on bear markets and how looking at historical prices can help one to understand its volatility.

Guaranteed investment contract (GIC)

Guaranteed investment contracts are offered by life insurance companies. These contracts are offered to pension funds so investors can get paid a specific rate for a set term.

I recommend: Financial Web provides an expanded definition of what guaranteed investment contracts are and the advantages for having GICs in an investment portfolio.

Hedge fund

A hedge fund is a specific type of mutual fund that involves speculation on the future of stocks and options.

I recommend: Get a full explanation of hedge funds from Magnum Funds.

Mutual fund

A mutual fund is a collective investment that pools money from investors and puts it into a variety of investments that include bonds, stocks and securities. A mutual fund is managed by a professional that regularly trades the investments.

I recommend: CNN Money provides a list of the top things an investor needs to know about investing in mutual funds.

Overbought indicator, oversold indicator

An overbought indicator is a specific indicator that points to a place where prices have increased or declined too much or too fast. This indicator is used to gauge whether the increase or decline will cause a reaction in the market.

I recommend: Investopedia provides an overview of some common overbought indicators and the steps on building an indicator for a specific investment.

Selling short

Selling short is a process of selling shares of stocks that an investor does not actually hold. This is done so the investor may buy back the stock at a lower price.

I recommend: The Investor Guide explains the process of selling short and its advantages and disadvantages.