How to Survive the Dreaded Assessment Centre

Assessment centres have been a fundamental part of investment banking recruitment for many years. Traditionally used for front-office positions, now most brokers use them for graduate positions across all divisions of the bank.  I remember heading down to London 20 years ago for my first permanent job, and being initially overwhelmed by how much was packed into one day.  Individual and group exercises were interspersed with 5 additional interviews.  Originally more a feature of EMEA and US markets, they are now common found across Asia.  Read this efinancialcareers.com article by Simon Mortlock to find out how to succeed in yours.

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Why bankers and other stressed-out executives need micro breaks

In this insightful article, Dr. Linda Friedland explores the need for banking executives to take micro breaks of only up to 3 minutes at a time, in a bid to reduce stress.

Tips include listening to music with a slower break than your heartbeat, and to take slow, deep breaths.  Although I agree with all these points, and more importantly the need to take regular breaks, is this possible in the current work environment?  Are we ready to accept, and tolerate our colleagues as they switch off for a while or put in their headphones?  I'd be interested to hear your comments.


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It Doesn't Matter What Grades You Got or What School You Went To

“So, I  graduated with a First/3.98GPA (delete as appropriate) from Surely It Matters University.  Oh, and on weekends I help out with a charity that I set up with my friends.”

“Tell me more about the charity.  What made you choose to do it?  How is it funded?  What’s your role?  How have you increased its exposure?”

CFA or MBA?

For those seeking a career in finance, most will have a degree and/or masters but for those looking for front office positions, the CFA and MBA remain the holy grail.  The below article explains the main differences between the two.

For those in Operations positions, you should look no further than the CISI Investment Operations Certificate.  You can read more about here.

CFA or MBA - Which is best for a career in finance?