Well I'm not sure how to answer this! To get onto the Graduate Programme I did the following:
Got a 2.1 in my degree
Did an online personality test and sent off my C.V.
I was then called to an aptitude test, which I did well in - before doing the test I did manage to take time out from my studies and do a couple of online tests which had a similar format
I then took part in a Group Interview, which was followed by a small test - before doing my interview I met up with the Careers person from D.I.T. who gave me a pre-interview. This helped me identify weaknesses in how I approached interviews. I found this really worthwhile.
Finally, I was called to an individual interview and was then successful for the Graduate Programme.
Describe a typical day?
To be honest almost every day is different at the moment. We work according to the number, size and type of deals that we are working on at any one point in time.
Most days, I would spend a fair bit of time writing background reports on potential clients for up and coming deals. I also do a lot of work with internal systems to get the calculations right on each deal.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
In my current role I have a number of responsibilities including:
Researching and analysing potential clients, which often involves looking at their audited accounts.
Assigning a grade to tenants depending on their quality. This involves researching the company and then using internal materials to assign a grade.
Assisting the team in writing credit papers for deals. For example, last week I wrote an industry analysis for a credit paper.
Ensuring that we are compliant with current UK law / internal compliance processes.
Responding to any customer queries, as well as ensuring we have the relevant documentation from our customers.
What are the main challenges?
I suppose the main challenge on the Group Graduate Programme is coming to grips with each new placement as quickly as possible.
It can be difficult to walk into a new area with people you don’t know and get used to the new team dynamics.
The learning curve which happens with each new role can also be very steep, largely due to the differences with each position, but that also keeps things interesting!
What's cool?
Cool? Well lots of things!
My current role involves a lot of corporate functions with clients. Barely a week goes by when I don't attend an event.
What's not so cool?
The thing that annoys me is when we get a deal with a lot of premises and tenants, and we need to enter the details into an Excel spreadsheet.
This can take the best part of a day.
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
I think I’m quite a friendly and relaxed person. I also prefer it when it’s busy, so I’m always on the lookout for extra tasks.
I've also some advanced skills in Excel which has led to me creating some VBA Macro's.
These generally reduce the number of boring tasks so that the whole team can focus on the interesting stuff!
