Accountancy, banking and finance

Accountants are employed by organisations and private clients to audit accounts, provide financial advice and manage accounting processes.

Insurance brokers identify and organise suitable insurance cover for commercial organisations and private clients.

Insurance underwriters make decisions about insurance policies using statistical and commercial information.

Investment bank corporate financiers provide financial services and advice to commercial and government clients about various financial matters including fund and debt management, mergers, flotations, acquisitions and privatisation.

Investment bank operations staff are responsible for the efficient, accurate, profitable and risk-free clearing and settlement of bank transactions for corporate and government clients.

Investment fund managers advise private and corporate clients to help them get the best return on their investments.

Retail bankers provide members of the public with financial advice and banking services.

Stockbrokers buy and sell securities (eg stocks and shares) on a commission basis on behalf of private and commercial clients.

To get a graduate job in financial services you need to convince recruiters that you have the skills to do the job well. But which of your skills should you be making a big deal of in your applications and interviews?

Showing on your CV that you can exceed targets and build good relationships will make you a graduate that financial services employers want to interview.

Whether it’s a live Zoom interview or a pre-recorded video interview, our expert video interviews tips will help you secure an internship or graduate role.

Aiming to develop the competencies investment banks want to see when you apply? You’ll need to go beyond ‘teamwork’ and ‘communication’ to stand out from the crowd.

CVs for a graduate scheme with an investment bank usually fall into three types: straight and narrow, everyman and wildcard. Want to know where your CV fits and how to improve it? Read below.

Here are five of the top skills that will get you a graduate accountancy or financial management job.

You can't know exactly what questions you're going to be asked in an interview for a graduate job in accountancy, but there are some common questions that you're likely to encounter.

Investment banking recruiters like to keep the precise content of their assessment centre group exercises a closely guarded secret. But if you're aware of typical tasks and structure, you’re unlikely to have any major surprises.

A successful graduate career in accountancy will be impossible if you don’t possess good communication skills. Here’s how to demonstrate yours throughout the application process.

An internship can be a first step towards a graduate job in accountancy. How and when should you apply for work experience and how do you make the most of it?

Advice on applying for internships and placements in finance, as well as how to make a good impression during your work experience and what options are available.

Banking and investment graduate recruiters view their spring insight programmes and summer internships as talent pipelines to fill the majority of places on their graduate schemes. Start in your first year – or be prepared to play catch-up.

You’ve been accepted onto an internship at an investment bank, so now a whole new task lies in front of you: preparation. What should you do before you start your internship to give yourself the best chance of securing a full-time job later on?

Students who want to work in finance should think outside the box and make their own opportunities to break into the industry.