"I think a lively interest in international affairs is helpful. Not only understanding what your product is about, but understanding what your customer wants and what a borrower wants and how you can bring the whole package together, successfully."
Judith, Structured Finance
There is no guaranteed way to succeed in interviews or job applications however, we have outlined below some processes and practical steps you can take to ensure you give yourself the best possible chance.
- Think about what skills and experience you have that will make you a good fit with our business. Make sure you've read through our website and are familiar with both BNP Paribas CIB and the financial industry as a whole, and then decide which area of our business you want to work in and which of your skills are complementary with this area.
- Book an appointment with your Careers Service - they generally offer practice psychometric testing, interviews and advice on completing application forms.
- Attend one of our skills sessions. We'll be on campus throughout the year providing guidance on interview techniques - check our events calendar to get the dates.
- Review your resume so you can answer any comptency based questions. Think through examples of things you've achieved in your personal and professional life and structure your answers using the STAR technique. Don't be afraid to provide negative examples - things can go wrong as well as right in business and you need to be able to demonstrate you can learn from both.
1. Situation/Task: What was the situation or task? Remember, you need to set the scene for the interviewer.
2. Action: What did you do? What role did you play? Don't fall into describing what ‘we' did. This is about exploring your behaviour.
3. Result: What was the outcome? What did you learn?
You should think of each stage of the selection process as an opportunity for you to showcase your talents and tell us why you are the best person to be selected. Above all, think about what makes you different and exceptional.
