Insider reports from employees
Recruiters who advertise throughout targetjobs.co.uk ask their employees to submit reports on the recruitment process they went through, plus their inductions and training, career development, working life, salaries and benefits. Use these Insider Reports to help search for your chosen employer and research your applications.
I was really keen to move to Edinburgh, because I loved the city, and I didn't want to work for a firm where I didn't know most of my colleagues! I looked at the Baillie Gifford website, and really liked their approach to investing, which is very long-term, and driven by qualitative research. I also really liked the way they went about recruiting - I'd found the application forms for the big banks incredibly off-putting and tedious, while BG just asked for a CV and covering letter.
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I thought that the scheme was just the type I was interested in, also I didn't have to relocate and as it is a big company I knew there would be lots of opportunities for progression.
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Good reputation. Really friendly down to earth people. Committed to my development. Listened to my views. Nice red corporate colour.
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Size of company
Times 100 guide
Variety involved in the programme
Potential work abroad
Reward package
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I applied to JPMorgan due to the location of the business and its reputation as a stable, socially responsible and globally successful local employer. Also the rotational nature of the graduate scheme attracted me, providing the opportunity to enrich my career experience.
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I became attracted to my employer due to the image of the brand and the extensive work put in at graduation fayres. They were the only investment bank that i saw at both surrey and Newcastle graduation fayres displaying a drive to find the best. They also had strong candidates that knew the company on the stands.
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Convenient office location that gave the opportunity to have a city career on the South Coast, attractive salary and benefits package, many career development opportunities and extra curricular activities to aid with personal development.
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I attended a Presentation by them in my University.The presentation was very good and the graduate programme they described appealed to me. As well being in London provided me with a chance in a life time to be able to live and work in a big metropolitan city.
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JPM had a strong name around campus during my penultimate year of study.Events such as those directed at women were well received as well as more informal recruitment sessions which were well organised and presented.The people involved were genuinely passionate about the company and its culture. I applied, successfully, for an internship in 05 and moved from Ireland to London.The company was well equipped to deal with all my onboarding issues. When my internship ended I was approached for the grad program. I didnt apply for other companies as I was happy within JPM. I was made to feel that I had over-performed during my internship and that they didnt want to lose me. This led me to believe that they had confidence in me and wanted to further my development. This gave me confidence in them
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I found out about Nomura from my University's careers service website and was very impressed when I read up about the firm on the internet. When I came to the assessment centre, the interviewers were extremely friendly and I could feel that this place had a very unique working atmosphere.
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The career prospects were good and they seemed to care about the people they employ.
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Great name, people very engaging at presentation, very good at what they do
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Good reputation. Variety of work and training opportunities.
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As soon as I decided to pursue a career in finance, specifically Investment Banking, i carried out a thorough research into the "major players". I read their current employee profiles, attended various seminars and career fairs during which I was opportuned to meet representatives of the various major Investment Bank. I spoke to numerous friends and acquaintances that were employed within Investment Banks and after all that, I had no doubt whatsoever that I would be happy at JP Morgan because the company represented all I desired from a company which includes: Openess and honesty in all communication to employees, respect, diversity, meritocracy and an opportunity for unprecedented personal and professional growth.
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- Rapidly expanding, global business, with equally growing IT infrastructure and opportunities.
- Good sign on bonus (£3,500)
- Good reputation as a graduate employer, i.e. Times Top 100 etc
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Barclays is a well respected company with ambition. It also has a great brand image. HR is well respected with the company and is taken very seriously. There is a focus on talent, so you know you will be working with people who are on top of their game.
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An international bank with a fantatsic reputation. It was also listed as one of the top graduate employers by many sources.
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I was impressed with their Firmwide Presentation where I made friends with a current employee, she made me feel at ease straight away and gave me some tips on the recruitment process. In addition JP is a market leader and I wanted to be a part of that. I also wanted to gain various different departments of the Bank and taking part in the 360 Graduate Programme would allow me to do this.
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Good marketing by the firm (presentations, etc) especially the Graduate Networking Event I attended, and overall prestige of the firm
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Unlike other banks they have an internship scheme throughout the year, which is aimed less at penultimate year students, which is what the summer internships are. This allowed me to apply.
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JPM is the top derivatives house. And i really liked the JPM Tokyo team.
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JPMorgan offers a challanging graduate programme across Europe that would enable me to try all the different lines of business within the bank. The diversity of the programme, along with the rigorous hirirng procees makes my really proud of bieng part of the JPMorgan graduate program.
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Leader in banking. great training opportunities. liked the people that i had met at presentations etc.
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A lot of persons told me they have the best graduate programme of the place...
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I participated in their Spring Week program, where I found all the current employees to be fun and stimulating people who I felt I would enjoy working alongside.
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HSBC is the biggest bank in UK and amongst the 5 biggest in the world. International career opportunities are vast.
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Good strong career opportunities, with flexibilty of changing the path of your career.
Excellent reputation for Technology department with growth in position of this area in the Glasgow area.
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For me, it was being able to have a good graduate job with prospects that made use of my technical degree and yet was still local. I had also spoken to some of the employees at a careers fayre and they seemed like the kind of people I would like to work with. I had also heard that salaries reflect your performance.
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I attended the internship program that JPM hosted during my final year at varsity. I was interesting in Investment Banking and Corporate Finance and didn't really know how the academic theory translated in practice into business and so was motivated to attend. JPM is positioned as a global leader in this sector and their expertise and excellence level was found attractive.
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Interviewed with several major banks and choose the one which a) provided me the most attractive career opportunities (sectors, regions, ...) b) where I was able to meet my prospective team members and c) was very open and attentive during the recruiting process
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I was aware of their presence within the financial sector. I wanted to work for a multi-national company that could give me the platform and opportunities to launch my career.
Other factors involved location atmosphere of work place.
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Great recruitment website, easy to navigate.
Part of the top 100 grad employer's.
Voted best company to work for concerning IT.
Multiple locations available and the chance to work across different regions.
Great recruitment team, process was smooth and well run.
They projected a very professional way of doing things.
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Saw the company as a natural fit for me as it combined two of my main interest areas: Finance & Japanese. Also, it appeared as though the company was investing heavily in its European operations and I thought it would be a good time to join them
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I completed a 10 week summer internship with JP Morgan before returning for my final year so got an insight into the type of job and training that i would receive as a graduate. I was attracted by the enthusiasm & level of responsibility of the graduates i met whilst on my internship.
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HSBC as the world’s local bank attracts me as a company which would offer graduates a vast range of international opportunities and an in-depth experience into local markets.
Their global footprint also allows them to tap into a number of important and high-profile clients which could be served across the range of products HSBC offers. This provides ample opportunities for graduates to learn about the competitive advantages of cross-selling compared to our rivals in the market.
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Attractive campus presentation in terms of three six-month rotations in three different countrires and great presenters.
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First of all I was attracted because of the employee I met during the campus recruitment. I found them very accessible and friendly, this gave me a good impression about the firm.
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The people I spoke to were all friendly and helpful
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Overall I chose Barclays Bank as it offered the most relevant graduate scheme in line with my career ambitions. I also chose Barclays as it offered a good chance for training and development in the finance sector. Barclays being a household name was big influencer on applying to join them.
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-I liked the people I interviewed with.
- A good graduate program with training and the opportunity to receive responsibility quickly.
- Campus recruitment was good and they sent people which were interested in answering and asking questions.
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I attended presentations JPMorgan employees gave at my university. All were very positive and enthusiastic about their work, which attracted my interest in applying.
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The European office of Nomura is relatively small, and I could get more personal contact with people from my division as well as other divisions. The work atmosphere is not as stressing as it is in some other investment banks, so it is good for getting acquainted the business. It is a Japanese bank, but the European branch is very independent and a big proportion of the employees are not from Asia.
The people were very friendly and sincere, trying to reveal what it truly is to work in the bank.
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JPMorgan is obviously one of the largest and most respected financial organisations in the world with a great Global presence. I chose to apply to JPMorgan as I had read a lot about the various training and development opportunities the company provided and also how it invested a lot on new graduates. Also, as far as technology was concerned, it was one of the few companies which had great technology platforms. JPMorgan was also named as one of the best places to launch a career by Business week.
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excellent reputation, quality people, responsibility
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Three areas. Firstly the people who interviewed with me were friendly and approachable, this makes a big difference because a lot of these people can be potential colleagues. Moreover the firm made a real effort to sell itself to me with lots of phonecalls, and emails. Lastly the people I met in the firm were very likeable.
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The global presence and strong brand image of the organisation attracted me towards it and made me apply.
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1. Excellend brand name
2. Good sense of work life balance
3. Attractive performance based rewards
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Times graduate guide and recommendation from a friend.
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I became aware of my employer through a university run graduate event. I spoke to an employee who was on the graduate scheme at that time and she spoke very highly of the company. I was attracted by the location, the opportunities available and also the competitive salary.
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International reputation, deal flow and diversified product portfolio allowing me to gain as much experience as possible in varying fields
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I wanted to work for a top bank and was attracted when I met executives who attended a workshop at the London School of Economics
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I applied for Barclays because I wanted to work for a bank and I was looking for a challenging graduate programme.
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I chose to apply to them because they are a very successful British bank with significant operations abroad. Their graduate scheme seemed well-structured, with previous trainees going on to have successful careers within the company.
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I talked to a guy who graduated from my university the year before me and who was on the Barclays graduate scheme - he was so enthusiastic about it! When I did some research, it was obvious that Barclays invests far more time and energy in developing their grads than the other big banks.
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Fab job opportunities, great secondments abroad, good pay, good training for professional qualifications, internationally recognised, CSR activities, they were at grad recruitment fairs.
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Through an add posted on efinancialcareers.com, I was attracted by the outline of the graduate program.
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There were two aspects of the Barclays CIO Graduate scheme that stood out for me; it's rotational nature and large joining bonus! The rotational nature was particularly appealing because I've always known from a young age that I was going to work in IT, but only realised after graduating that I didn't know where in IT I wanted to end up. Barclays' provided the perfect solution, with an excellent salary and reputation to match.
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Good reputation, ambitious and growing company, good and structured graduate scheme.
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Felt they were committed to personal development and career path of employees, large organisation, varied work opportunities.
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When I started as an intern in 2003 JPM was the No 1 M&A house in Sub Saharan Africa , during the 2004 & 2005 year we worked on 90% of all the BEE deals in the country - this dominance of the market is something that attracted me to JPMorgan
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I completed an Internship with them. From that i was offered the graduate position. I was able to defer this for a year. They are very accomodating for all situations. I applied to them on recommendation from a friend.
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JPMorgan is an employer with an open mind and which recruits for talent and potential, not experience. coming from an arts background, this was a major selling point.
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Best bank in the UK. Global opportunities. Excellent job prospects.
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I met some fantastic people during the interviews that I wanted to work with.
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I was attracted to the possibilities that were presented to me by HSBC. As a bank in over 79 countries, I would not only get first class training as a corporate manager but I could get the chance to work abroad and/or train and work in many different departments thus providing me with more marketable skills.
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Participation in a recruiting workshop of JPM, where you gained a deep insight into the business and the firm. There were many opportunities to get in contact with employees. As a second reason, the very good reputation of JPMorgan within the industry.
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Future career opportunities and pride in working for a Times Top 100 employer.
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The diversity of the role within the graduate Scheme, e.g.the opportunity to experience various roles/sectors within the bank.
The potential to travel to any one of the countries that the bank operates in.
The opportunity to work with various cultures and on global projects.
It is a growing bank with a strong brand, and a strong customer base. I felt that the scheme would address all the areas that I personally wanted to development. There was a huge amount that I could learn from them.
Furthermore the process was so much quicker and much more professional than any other company that I applied for. This impressed me and I paid their recruitment process the most attention.
Additionally the salary, and bonus scheme was favourable factor.
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I looked at the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and applied to those who offered roles in Marketing in London. When I met the people they suited me more than other employers. They were paying the highest salary and they were very efficient during the selection process.
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Completed the internship programme - consistently impressed with Barclays as an employer.
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Good reputation, good prospects, good graduate recruitment website
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HSBC is a global brand with a wide international exposure which fits with my career aspiration. I had a 6-month placement with HSBC during my university degree which helped me to decide to apply for the graduate scheme as I felt that I could develop a career in this organisation.
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I spent a significant amount of time abroad while at university; practically everywhere I visited - from Europe, to Asia, to the Americas - there was the HSBC logo. I came to associate the red hexagon with the ideal model for a truly global financial organisation. It is becoming imperative that career-minded individuals are exposed to and trained in the concept of global economies. As I interviewed with various finance employers, there was only one that made a point to stress its commitment to developing talent on a global scale. The HSBC graduate program is unrivalled in its ability to create a tailored, international training program. With offices in more than 90 countries, HSBC is able to leverage its broad footprint and offer graduates the ability to rotate internationally.
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JPMorgan called me and offered better development opportunities then I had had in my previous firm.
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International career, rotations, training. Above all, this is done within the investment banking industry.
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they are the best inter dealer broker in the world
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Due to the career opportunities they offered. I am eager to gain a broad range of experience in a variety of roles which the graduate scheme offers. There is the opportunity to move around the UK, which I found appealing. Additionally I was aware HSBC invest a lot of time and money in people development; provide opportunties for further qualifications and training in areas of interest.
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They had advertised through many different graduate recruitment sites, and their grad recruitment website was very good at highlighting the benefits of the schemes they could offer. I chose to apply because of the graduate packages they had on offer.
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HSBC’s global presence, their repute, and their commitment to being an equal opportunities employer were what initially drew me to their graduate program. I chose the Executive Management graduate program due to the exposure it provided to different areas of the bank such as Retail, Commercial and Head Office as well as the option of international placements. HSBC offered real managerial responsibilities to all graduates, and seemed to be consistently challenging, which I knew would keep me interested. Above all, HSBC sponsors us to undertake the ACIB qualification, something I found extremely beneficial for a long-term career in banking. This investment in their graduates was a real clincher for me, as they felt like a company who wanted the best out of their people.
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Barclays is a highly reputable company and offered a renowned graduate programme.
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The scheme. Fantastic promise for varied managerial work in different geographies and different businesses.
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HSBC has a powerful,international brand. The opportunities for career development are fantastic, especially when compared to other companies within the industry.
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JPMorgan is one of the biggest asset managers in the world and it enjoys a great reputation in French schools. Also during an internship, I was told by my managers, who had worked at JPMorgan, that the company is the best for training graduates. The training is in fact very technical and I am learning more and faster than other friends in other banks.
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I was attracted to HSBC and the Executive Trainee scheme because of the varied and flexible training that it offered. It gives each graduate the chance to find an area they not only excel at, but love too.
HSBC gives its graduates responsibilty from day one, and allows the freedom to make each role your own, while giving the training and support to back this up.
HSBC is also a multinational company, and gives its staff the benefit of international opportunities and learning.
HSBC's brand is also second to none, and working for a company such as this gives you an unrivalled reputation in the market place.
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I was attracted to the large size and international dimension of HSBC. The size conveyed operations in a broad range of operations and hence opportunities. Also, I was interested in working internationally at some point in the future, and HSBC was ideal.
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HSBC is one of the most prestigious financial institutions in the UK as well as in the whole world. I always wanted to work in Banking, so there was no doubt that my first was HSBC
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Applied for a number of internships. DB one of first offers. Preferred a European Bank and was very impressed with interview process. Enjoyed internship so accepted full time job.
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Top 100, slick interview process, well respected blue chip company with professional image. I chose to apply to them because the bank take HR seriously, pushes you outside of your comfort zone, promises and delivers on giving you responsibility at the earliest point in your career. Basically, the opportunity this job presents cannot be found in other organisations as far as I am concerned.
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I had worked in a branch for 4 months prior to applying for the graduate scheme. The team in the branch were great fun, though it was clear that the branch environment wasn't for me. I decided to apply for a role in UK operations.
The main attraction to HSBC is the shere size of the operation and the global opportunities.
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I believe that most graduates having completed a similar degree to mine instinctively consider the main banking institutes as an employer. This is because of the prestige they possess and opportunities they offer globally.
Personally I also completed an internship for one of the main competitors of the credit card division. I enjoyed financial services and believed it had a lot to offer a graduate.
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I am from Australia and decided to move to the UK to pursue banking opportunities on a larger scale. HSBC was particularly appealing as it is one of the biggest banks in the world and has presence in over 77 countries.
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