BNP Paribas, Corporate & Investment banking

What kind of responsibility did you have one month in?

After just a month, I was assisting the senior trader in my sector in all of his daily trading. It was very intense but it was also fantastic to learn on the job and it meant he could pass part of his trading book over to me very quickly. I also shadowed my manager. This involved making a few smaller decisions and helping with his portfolio, but I also covered for him after just a couple of weeks!

And what was the support like?

Although I was mostly working with my manager in the beginning, I was also working with a small team who were incredibly helpful. They were extremely busy but gave up a lot of their time to help me learn. There was so much to get to grips with, which was quite daunting at first. I had to learn about the sales group, the systems and how to manage several projects at the same time – and all the technical things about financial markets. But it became very clear very early on that people genuinely enjoy their roles here.

What kind of projects have you been involved with since then?

In the new year, I was given my own portfolio to trade with a certain budget. I’ve been solely responsible for that ever since as well as covering other books in my colleagues’ absence. On top of the usual trading during the day, we need to manage our risk, discuss team strategy, liaise with salespeople, our clients and brokers, and of course, keep constantly up-to-date with market news and research.

How would you describe the culture?

My immediate team includes people from France, Italy and Britain so we have good diversity and all work well together. Everyone is very hard-working and dedicated to the trading, but the atmosphere is cooperative and fun. I was really surprised by how passionate people were and how much fun they have.

What do you hope to achieve with BNP Paribas?

I want to establish myself as one of the leading traders of my sector – it’s quite niche so not impossible! And I want to exceed expectations within the team by developing the market knowledge and experience I need to be a really intuitive trader.

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about joining BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking?

If they want a job that’s genuinely rewarding, working in a very supportive and fun environment, where you can take real responsibility and your achievements are recognised, I couldn’t recommend it enough. On a practical level, I would advise them to make good contacts and collaborate – it leads to better productivity and makes things more enjoyable.