Area of work:
Fixed Income Operations
Studied:
BSc Management, Cass Business School, City University, London
Joined:
July 2008
Working in:
London
After completing my degree, I decided to take on some project work in the banking sector to get a feel for the different types of jobs available and to discover what I would particularly enjoy. I found that I wanted to strengthen my understanding of the financial world and required greater exposure to more complex products, so I chose to join a graduate programme.
I was attracted to BNP Paribas because of its reputation. Not only has it maintained a high credit rating despite the financial crisis, the culture here is unique. There is a high emphasis on development and the structure is meritocratic. Therefore, no matter what your position is, you can make a difference and have a serious input with your work. I accepted the offer as it was a great opportunity for someone fairly new to banking to learn and build up an understanding of the various products, the systems and the different roles within the organisation, particularly Fixed Income.
I've had the opportunity to work with a number of teams within the Fixed Income middle office, both on the credit and interest rates side. After the graduate boot camp, I worked with the trade support teams, where the daily work involved processing trades, ensuring accurate bookings and timely payments, investigating discrepancies and resolving queries by maintaining contact with both the front and back office. This year I have moved into looking at trading profit and loss. The experiences of the last year have strengthened my skills to adapt to suit the needs of different roles and working styles. I've had to learn roles and systems very quickly in order to make a valuable contribution to the teams that I joined.
I've found the graduate programme a brilliant introduction to the world of banking. The boot camp was intensive classroom-based learning, which was a challenge at first as it was difficult to get back into study after a year of leaving university. However, it was enjoyable as I got to know the other graduates well via group work and was able to stimulate my mind for a long period of time.
By the end of the first year, I feel that I've developed a range of valuable skills and knowledge, which are fundamental to progress in this industry.
