Securing a graduate role in Financial Services

Bank lender shaking hands with customer. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Financial services’ as a career choice can be difficult to define. One organisation’s financial services position constitutes another’s banking and investment role, meaning the variety of graduate jobs available defies easy clarification. The higher levels of remuneration at most financial organisations means that jobs are more sought after by graduates, but in the current climate of redundancies at many of the leading investment banks, securing a graduate role is becoming increasingly difficult. In this blog post, we discuss 3 key pointers for graduates looking to secure a role within financial services. Continue Reading

5 Best Practices for Job Seekers Looking for Next Career Opportunity

A recent survey asked top third party recruiters (also known as headhunters) to weigh-in on best practices to help job seekers find their next career opportunity. The data suggests that when submitting job applications, developing an online profile and networking with recruiters, there are some very clear do’s and don’ts.

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Changing careers and have no or little experience at the new career.

Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

1. When you change careers the focus will be on the “softer” skills – referred to as “transferable” or “portable” skills.These skills include communication skills, ability to work with a diversity of people, ability to plan and organize, time management, etc.

2. Each candidate is unique. What makes you unique? Think about your personality and your personal traits. One of the things that the interviewer is looking for is “someone to fit in” – who is likeable – will work well with the other team members. Personal traits could be the tie breaker between two equally qualified people. Think of at least five personal traits that make you unique – friendly, flexible, quick learner, reliable, responsible, easy to get along with. Continue Reading

Relevant Work Experience Valued by Employers Looking to Hire New College Graduates

College graduates, if you don’t believe employers pay attention to your work experience, think again.  Any relevant work experience you have to offer could make a big difference in whether or not you get a job.

Employers have a hefty list of criteria against which they assess new college graduates for employment, and work experience that is relevant to the job is key among them, according to a study published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Continue Reading

College Graduates with Work Experience May Have an Advantage

While work experience does not guarantee college grads jobs, it can’t hurt their chances.

College students take note: Prior work experience may be a requisite for getting your foot in the door with employers, a new Accountemps survey suggests. Nine in 10 (91 percent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said it is important for entry-level accounting and finance professionals to gain practical experience while in college.

CFOs were asked, “How important is it for entry-level accounting and finance professionals to have gained work experience in the field while in college?” Their responses: Continue Reading

So … What Did You Actually Do?

When I tell people that I’m a resume writer, some assume that I work with a lot of candidates who need assistance embellishing their resumes. In actuality, this is almost never the case. Many of our clients are highly educated professionals who have so much work experience that they can’t figure out where to start when it comes to writing their resumes. While this is definitely a good problem to have, I see experienced candidates make the same mistake again and again on their resumes. They get so caught up in describing all the facets of their jobs that they forget to explain one very important thing: What do they actually do? Continue Reading

3 Resume Writing Tips to Help Secure a Great Internship

Oftentimes, internship hopefuls are a bit surprised to learn that much of the job seeking process mirrors that of seasoned professionals.  You are responsible for locating great internship opportunities, writing resumes and cover letters, and sitting through interviews on your own.

For some, the most daunting task is writing a resume that can help snag a great interview—and hopefully a cool internship.  The good news is that everyone who has earned a successful career has at some point written their first resume.  By keeping a few tips in mind along the way, the writing process can be made a lot easier. Continue Reading

What are the hardest challenges facing college graduates

Competition (too few jobs and too many graduates)

Here is the scenario… You have graduated college with a good looking degree; you feel on top of the world and ready to pick and choose your dream job. The reality however is that your one of a many in the same boat. While you feel as though you would be best suited for a particular role there can be hundreds of other people who feel the same way as you. I often tell the story about my days as a recruitment consultant where I used to recruit for graduate positions. I would post a graduate position on the job boards and by lunch time I would have 200 applicants in my inbox. So what can you do to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd? You need to ensure that your resume is in the top 5-10% of all resumes. A single mistake in your resume can be the difference between your resume ending up in the interview stack or in the deleted folder. Continue Reading

Breaking the “experience neccessary” cycle with Internships

With the work force becoming saturated with college educated job seekers, more than good grades, a new suit and a set of credentials are needed to make the move from an academic knowledge to gainful employment in the career field of your choosing. A conundrum has developed in the fact that employers want to hire workers with experience but an individual who is new to the work force cannot acquire this work experience without working. If you have found yourself trapped within this cycle, what can you do to gain the experience you need to move from college and into a career?
One very effective method of gaining this necessary work experience is the use of internship opportunities in your chosen field. Internships are typically supervised training periods, sometimes referred to as on the job training, that are paid at a slightly lower scale in exchange for the further training and work experience gained.
Internships offer employers the chance to hire college educated workers at a lower pay rate thus making it a fiscally responsible move for the corporation. Internships are also a way for large corporations to insure that they have their pick of the cream of the college crop while not putting themselves under serious financial obligations for an untested worker.
Employers want experienced workers. As a college graduate, you want to begin your career. By making use of the internship opportunities available in your chosen field, you can get the work experience needed to land the job you want.