Tips on how to find a graduate job in the UK financial sector. Covering business schools, career focus, professional qualifications, graduate jobs websites, and competency interviews

1. SIX TIPS ON HOW TO
FIND A GRADUATE
JOB IN THE UK
FINANCIAL SECTOR
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
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2. Contents
• Tip 1 – Consider Business School
• Tip 2 – Pick a Career Focus
• Tip 3 – Professional Qualifications
• Tip 4 – Ask the Right Questions
• Tip 5 – Graduate Jobs Websites
• Tip 6 – Competency Interviews
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3. TIP 1 – Consider Business School
• If you feel like your degree is not relevant to the
financial world, or want to learn more about a specific
topic, or want to stand out, consider a postgraduate
business school degree.
• The best way to determine the value of a B school
degree is to look at the Financial Times Business
School rankings:
• http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/rankings
• Most B school postgraduate degrees are open to
graduates from all disciplines.
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
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4. TIP 2 – Pick a Career Focus
• Working in IT is very different from working in research
or trading; yet a single financial institution is likely to
have graduate schemes in all fields.
• A key step is to find a set of possible career paths that
match your skills and background, and then focus on
them.
• Do not refrain from applying to a position because your
degree does not match it; you might have other skills
or traits fit for the position.
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
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5. TIP 3 – Professional Qualifications
• Professional qualifications carry a lot of weight in the
UK financial sector, and can really help secure a job.
• For finance positions in general a very strong entry
level qualification is the ICAEW CFAB:
• http://www.icaew.com/en/qualifications-andprogrammes/cfab
• For more specific industries, look at what qualifications
are widely respected, and check if they have an entry
level certificate.
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
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6. TIP 4 – Ask The Right Questions
• When friends and family are not enough to answer
career related questions, try asking your university
careers services.
• If that is not enough, try asking on graduate / student
forums such as The Student Room, and Wikijob:
• http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/
• http://www.wikijob.co.uk/forum
• If your questions relate closely to IB, then try Wall
Street Oasis:
• http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
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7. TIP 5 – Graduate Jobs Websites
• You cannot find a job unless you know about it. For
the UK market, there are several good graduate jobs
websites:
• Milkround: http://www.milkround.com/
• Wikijob: http://www.wikijob.co.uk/
• Gradnav (IB focus): http://www.gradnav.com/
• Graduate-jobs: http://www.graduate-jobs.com/
• Financegradsites (links portal):
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/mainpage.html
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
www.company.com

8. TIP 6 – Competency Interviews
• At least one point in the recruitment process of any UK
financial institution, you will have to carry out a
competency based interview.
• A competency interview differs from a normal interview
in that you are being scored against a set of standard
metrics.
• To perform well you need to understand what skills
you are being tested against, and provide examples
proving you possess such skills.
• Prepare examples for the skills you will be certainly
tested against (teamwork, leadership, adaptability).
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
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9. Thank you for your time
• If you want to learn more about what the UK financial
sector graduate scheme / job market has to offer, try
visiting:
• FGW: http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/mainpage.html
• Prospects: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/
• CityJobs: http://www.cityjobs.com/graduate
• Inside Careers: http://www.cityjobs.com/graduate
http://financegradsites.blogspot.co.uk/p/main-page.html
www.company.com