Graduate News
Scroller on / off
Travelling the world and experiencing new cultures...

The award has been created in memory of 2005 Gradu...

With categories for Universities, Employers, Socie...

icould is the first stop for thinking about starti...

While autumn is traditionally dubbed the ‘se...

You have less than four days to enter the first Ra...

RWE npower has teamed up with Real World to host t...

If you think getting a job is all about grades ? t...

One of the great things about a career in the Law ...

Fresher’s week is now officially over for an...

FEATURED GRADUATE EMPLOYER

Logica Logo

Do innovative business consulting. Do Future IT. And do it brilliantly. Do it together with Logica and help clients around the world, across every sector, improve business performance and take the fast road to change. At Logica you can expect to work with people who work together on some of the world's most exciting business and technology challenges. Like Europe's largest, most complex infrastructure project. Or the introduction of game-changing solutions that are combating climate change.
We have start dates from May 2010 onwards. Find out about the Logica graduate scheme.

Engage with us at

www.logica.com/ukgraduates.

FEATURED GRADUATE EMPLOYER

PWC Employer Logo

is the one firm for all talented graduates. As one of the world's largest professional services firms we have a lot to offer. With an enviable range of clients - from public and private companies to governments and charities - with whom we work in partnership to create leading-edge solutions. This makes PwC the ideal employer for any budding business professional.

Graduate Case Studies - Claire Weldon - Investment Management

Claire-Weldon

Claire Weldon
Age: 22
Degree: Physics, First, Oxford University
Year of graduation: 2006
Occupation: Graduate trainee in investment management at WestLB

What do you do in your job?

The investment management team manages the investment portfolio of the bank. This portfolio includes a range of structured products, one of
which is the collateralised loan obligation. Initially, I worked on this particular product. I helped with the due diligence process of some of the investments, and kept up to date with the current portfolio. This might not sound very challenging, but it was an excellent way to help me understand what exactly goes on, given that I come from a non-finance background and that I'm still very new. Now I've started doing investigations into new products on the market, and assisting with moving current projects forward.

What was your motivation in applying?

I've always been interested in the City. Although I chose to study physics at university, I liked the idea of getting out of the lab and working more with people, while keeping up the analytical side of things. I preferred the idea of investment management as opposed to, say, working on the trading floor, because it is more detailed and thought-intensive work. I liked the idea of working at WestLB because when I did an internship here, I was drawn to the fact that it was quite a small, friendly bank, with lots of opportunity to get exposure to senior people quickly.

What did the application process involve?

When I applied to the internship, I applied online and had to answer a range of questions. I then had a first round interview with an aptitude test. The recruitment procedure for graduates involves a second round selection procedure where you have to do an interview with a senior member of the business and assessed group activities. Interns who performed well on their internship can skip the first round of the selection procedure and are fast tracked to the selection centre.

What do you enjoy about your job?

Many things. I like the fact that it's completely different from university life. I'm particularly enjoying not having to study when I go home. But I also like learning new skills and working with people. Even things such as meetings are novel to me at the moment. The team I work with is great, and I like the satisfaction of feeling I've contributed something, for example as a result of producing a report. Investment management is quite a predictable area of finance, and I enjoy that too. I wouldn't like to be told at 4pm that something new had come in which meant I would have to work until midnight.

Most challenging part of your job?

Working in finance, when you don't come from a financial background, is like learning a new language. There are a lot of terms to get to know. Sometimes I find myself having to look up these terms several times.

Advice to readers considering a career in your field?

You need a willingness to learn and to ask lots of questions, particularly if you don't come from a financial background.


Add to Delecious Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Furl Simpy Yahoo myweb


You need to be logged in to vote.

Article rating:
  • 0/5 Stars.
Send it to a friend | Comments (0)
Thanks for rating!

Send to a friend

To:  


From:
 

  JCapture


Thank you for posting. You message will be moderated before going live on the site

Post a comment



Comments

Comments

No comments....



 

Graduate Employers

AXA UK With 210,000 employees and distributors worldwide and a presence i... more
PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) is the one firm for all talented ... more
Bank of England Few organisations play a more influential role in the UK’s e... more
Mountbatten Institute The Mountbatten Institute is a not-for-profit organization that ad... more
VT Group VT Group has been operating a successful graduate scheme since 200... more
Ernst & Young Ernst & Young is 135,000 people, in 700 locations, working with ou... more
Scottish Investment Operations SIO is a professional body representing major employers in the Sco... more
eFinancialCareers The interactive Student Centre on eFinancialCareers.com is for stu... more
Nationwide Nationwide is the world’s largest building society with more... more
Bank of America Bank of America serves clients in 175 countries and has relationsh... more
View all Graduate Employers

Latest Graduate Jobs

View all Graduate Jobs

Graduate Case Studies

Richard Cartwright

Richard Cartwright - Audit Assistant - Audit Middle Markets

I have worked at KPMG for over three years and have experience in a variety of roles within the audit function including UK Companies Act, Integrated US audits, Value for Money public sector audits, audit compliance and administration... ... more

Chris Greggory

Chris Greggory - Audit Associate - Leeds office of Grant Thornton

I chose Grant Thornton because of the investment they make into the graduate scheme in terms of the training... ... more

James Long

James Long - Analyst, Transaction Advisory Services - Ernst & Young LLP

I work within the restructuring department at Ernst & Young. My day-to-day responsibilities include responding to correspondence from creditors, data analysis, and statutory... ... more

Phil Scott

Phil Scott - Deputy Treasurer - Vodafone Group Services Ltd

After initially leaving University and focusing on completing my accounting qualification I soon felt I wanted a more commercial role with a scope to both add value to the business and become involved in a wide variety of projects and transactions. ... more

View all Graduate Case Studies

Graduate Advice

whos hiring

Who's Hiring?

Your guide to who has jobs, who wants interns and who needs trainees.... more

Job Wanted

Just the Job

According to a new report from High Fliers Research graduate vacancies... more

Advice - Facebook Article

Think Before You Click - The Negative Side of Facebook

The next time you’re about to upload pictures of your birthday party/night... more

Advice Hammer Nail

Nailing That Position- Top Tips for Getting Picked For Graduate Training Schemes

If you’re currently stressing over applying for and going for interview... more

View all Graduate Advice