Master class in securing a graduate job – with Tim Webster from FreshMinds.

If there’s a question I get asked time and time again it’s the one that goes something like, ‘Do you have any extra special advice that would make the employer love me and give me the job.’ So today I’ve got a man who maybe able to answer that question and also shed some light on the world of being a graduate recruiter.

Tim got involved with grad recruitment at FreshMinds after working in a business start up for 3 years. He moved across to further his ambition to have a career with a strong people focus. Tim works with some for the biggest players in graduate recruitment and specialises in the consultancy sector.

I asked Tim his killer tips for the must hire candidate:

Number 1 – Passion and knowledge

The golden rule is always; always demonstrate a passion and knowledge for the company that’s interviewing you. Rocking up having just skimmed the website is a big mistake as it shows you have no real interest in the company. Good things to do are meet the employer at an open day, read the companies news section and annual report, do an information interview with someone from the business, possibly an alum of UCL.

Number 2 – Know the differences

When applying for several companies in the same sector in is crucial to know how they differ. Tim says the candidate that tells the interviewer all consultancies are the same, is the candidate that’s going home. Really do your home work in this area and understand the different values and cultures at each firm.

Number 3 – Experience

Employers are looking for people that will quickly integrate into their business and start giving them a return on their investment. The best way to demonstrate your desire to perform in a role is having evidence you’ve done it before. Work experience placements or part time work are a tried and tested way of letting an employer know you’re a safe bet and have the relevant skills.

Number 4 – Perseverance

If you don’t get the degree result you expected and the sky seems to be falling down. Tim suggests taking a few days out to reflect on your change in circumstance. This should give you some perspective; as the great qualities you had before the result was announced are still yours today and with hard work you can still make your career a success.

Number 5 – Securing jobs as an international student

Tim said that the market has become tougher in recent months due to changes in Visa regulations but maintained that Top employers were still hungry to employ star talent. There seems a consistent message; that for great candidates there is still plenty of opportunity.

I also asked Tim what it was like to work in the graduate recruitment industry. He said it was fast paced with lots of client interaction and expectation. The role was based around building strong rapport quickly to gain buy in from candidates and employers. Tim said to expect the unexpected as working with people can throw up interesting challenges. He’s seen people drop job offers because they’ve just split with their girlfriend or suddenly decided to go travelling. It does keep it interesting.

His final tip was that if you’re a technical student particularly with a degree in computing there lots of operations roles within finance and banking that companies are having trouble filling. So if you have a Computer science degree and some first class communication and teamwork skills the market is looking for you!

For other insights see Nomura, JP Morgan

Read Full Post »

Job search in the USA

If you are thinking about working in the USA here are some top tips, gleaned from our friends at International Futures during Abi Sharma’s time working in the States.

Abi Writes…

Firstly, if you are thinking about working in the US then the first thing that you need to find out about is visas.  There are strict rules on who can work here, but the good news is that you can get visa sponsorship through a US company or come over as a short term intern.  The US embassy provides full information about this and these websites allow you to search for companies who sponsor work visas (note that this isn’t exhaustive but provides a starting point):  Immihelp  and Top Visa Sponsors.

Secondly, only 10-15% of jobs are gained via the typical UK process of application to an advert. In the US 75% of people get their jobs by . .. .  For the full post click here

Read Full Post »

Focus on Nomura – Some frank reflections on attracting talent from a rising global bank

Since Nomura acquired Lehman Brothers in 2008 it has been expanding rapidly, as such graduate recruitment expands year on year.

On bringing grads into the company

Nomura talked about the importance of forming a psychological contract as well as a legal contract with graduate hires. The student needs to buy into the company and understand what to expect from their new employer and the duties expected from them as an employee.

Nomura have found candidates often have unrealistic expectations about the realities of daily working life and can struggle to adjust. Some of the hardest things to get used to were the corporate culture verses student living, the technical language used and the team working nature of Banking.

Nomura said they have worked very hard to ensure that the critical period of the first hundred days is a smooth transition and forms a good bond between employer and employee.

There was a focus on employing and most importantly retaining graduates as many grads within the banking industry move on after 2/3 years. Malcolm said the grads only really began to show a good return on investment after 5/6 years.

On internships and the application process

Nomura now runs internships 3 times a year, spring, winter and summer. 10-12weeks each. As well as taster days, women’s weeks, and an explore programme.

The countries that yield most successful applicant are the UK and France. For the investment banking roles candidate salary expectations are around 42k up 1.7% since last year.

Candidates will need to be well thought through and self aware as they will need to know the role that would suit them best and why. This type of self analysis needs to happen very early on as bank recruitment cycles get earlier and earlier as each try to secure the top talent first. In Nomura’s case each CV sent into the bank is looked at by 4-5 junior bank members from the same university if possible. If a consensus emerges then the candidate goes through to the next round.

On post grads and international students

Nomura has seen a big up swing in post graduate recruiting and now has a dedicated MBA / Phd recruiter. In regard to international students, Nomura are committed to getting the best talent available so will largely worry about the visa after the candidate is hired.

On research roles

Head of Emerging Market research Ann Wyman, said research in a bank is nothing like research at university. In a bank research is usually conducted at speed and depth is always compromised as timeliness is more important. The other difficult thing to remember is that the research must make the bank money.

On Women

Ann talked about the need to get more women to stay in banking as the number of women in senior positions was very few. She talked about the pull of family life and the harsh hours banking demanded. She commutes back at weekends to Tunisia.

For further banking insights see – Insiders guide to J P Morgan

Read Full Post »