How to get a job in fund management

Tips for graduates on finding vacancies and applying for jobs in the fund management sector.

Finding vacancies

Your first step should be the employers advertising on this website. Careers services also advertise vacancies and hold careers fairs and events, at which you can meet recruiters and talk to their graduate employees.

Choosing where to apply

It is important to choose an employer you will be happy working for. You can gain a feel for organisations through their recruitment literature, their corporate websites and through meeting their representatives at careers fairs and interviews. Remember that you are selecting the employer as much as they are selecting you and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Applying for fund management jobs

Generally graduate recruitment in this sector is considered a three-step process:

An online application form
These cover all the information you would expect to include in a CV and are sometimes accompanied by a numerical reasoning test or personality type questionnaire. Check the relevant company’s graduate recruitment guidelines on its website or brochure.

First-round interviews
These are normally held on the company’s premises or sometimes in local hotels or colleges. They are attended by representatives from the business area to which you have applied.

Assessment centres
These last from a few hours up to two days. Assessment centres include group exercises, case studies, in-tray exercises and psychometric tests. These are designed to identify whether or not you have the technical and/or personal skills to succeed in the job.

Handling offers

If you’re lucky enough to be offered more than one place – or if you’ve got a job offer and another interview coming up – and want to wait before accepting or rejecting an organisation, pick up the phone and explain the situation to the HR department. It’s in their interests that you find a workplace that suits you best and they’ll appreciate your honesty.

Gaining work experience

It will greatly enhance your recruitment chances if you complete related work experience. It may lead to a job offer, as many finance recruiters use it as part of their graduate recruitment process. It is vital that you prepare your work experience application as scrupulously as you would for a permanent position. Many employers run formal internships. These are typically available in the summer (usually lasting ten weeks) and are mostly designed for penultimate-year students. They give you a taster of the different types of work the organisation does, as well as networking opportunities.

Researching employers

Fund management and investment banking is such a competitive area for graduates that those who haven’t researched the sector and employers they are applying to will get left behind. It will help your application and interview experience to know the services that the employer offer; the typical graduate entry positions and career paths; some recent developments within the firm; and who the recruiter’s main competitors are.