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?

How Focusing on My Employees Cost Me a Promotion

Before I founded Anagram Group and became a corporate trainer/coach, I spent over 15 years in the banking industry working for some of the world’s largest banks. I had a successful career in Derivative Operations (the post-trade stuff), developed high-performing teams in 3 continents, and created happy, engaged working environments for those that worked for me.

Hot Banking Jobs in Singapore and Hong Kong

If you're looking for a change of career or an entry into the industry, there are still some hot jobs in Singapore and Hong Kong, despite the relatively soft recruitment market.

Hot finance jobs in Singapore and Hong Kong
source: efinancialcareers.sg

The ONE Thing You Need to Know to be a Successful Leader

I’m a bit over the ‘5 things you need to know if you want to be cool’, 9 ways to get a life’, or even ‘51 reasons why you’re obsessed with lists’ articles that dominate my news feeds. Admittedly, I’m guilty of this myself (see here and here) as I understand the attraction of them, and how they capture the reader’s attention.

However, as a leadership trainer and coach, I regularly advise people and companies on how to simplify leadership, and this can be narrowed down to one thing. One word even. And that word is ‘people’. 

Crisis & Leadership: 5 Lessons from AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes

"Adversity introduces a man to himself" – Albert Einstein

As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of AirAsia QZ8051, I couldn’t help but notice the impressive leadership of CEO Tony Fernandes throughout the crisis. As an active social media user, he has utilised Twitter to send a consistent stream of inspiring, yet sensitive tweets to both his staff and customers. I fly monthly between Bali and Singapore, on a similar flight path, so this incident was close to home. As a leadership trainer, I’ve been impressed with the manner in which he has conducted himself, and the way he puts the concerns of his staff and passengers before his own. Let’s look at 5 key lessons we can learn from his recent posts.

4 Things The Festive Season Teaches You About Leadership

For those of you celebrating this holiday season, Christmas is a time when many reflect back on the past year and make an extra effort to connect with friends and family. However many don’t realise the leadership lessons that can be learnt from the festive season.

1. The Season of Giving - The old adage of ‘Christmas is about giving, not receiving’ also rings true for leadership. Successful leaders are those who give feedback, recognition and praise, and their time…on a daily basis. These leaders don’t worry about what they might receive from their boss, or their peers, they focus intensely on motivating and inspiring their teams to outperform. In The Carrot Principle, a 10-year motivation study of over 200,000 employees concluded that the simple act of managers ‘recognising’ their employees results in them having lower turnover rates, better organisation results, and higher engagement levels. Give feedback promptly and regularly, give recognition and praise publicly and consistently, and give your time generously.