As part of our Rising Leaders Programme, which encompasses enrichment activities that we offer to our tutors, we recently held our Summer term Seminar ‘Breaking into Finance: World leading advice from Rothschild & Co’
Rothschild & Co are a leading global financial services group that have been at the forefront of the world’s financial markets for over 200 years, so we were thrilled to have members from different sectors of Rothschild & Co - Cara Gates (Learning & Development Associate), Nathan Okusi (Portfolio Management Analyst) and Robert Sher (Analyst) - share how they each broke into the finance industry with us.
Once our panel had delivered their speeches, our tutors had the opportunity to engage with them and ask them questions. The topics that were covered during the Q&A included career planning, interview skills, improving job applications, CV building, networking and more!
Here are some of the key insights that were discussed during the event:
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You DO NOT always have to see the ‘big picture’ of your career. You can begin by breaking it down to ‘What am I interested in?’ and ‘What skills do I want to learn?’ and use this to shape what kinds of opportunities you go after.
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Work experience is more important than ever before - skills and experience can stand out more than your degree. Employers are also interested in who you are as a person and what you do outside of your working hours, so volunteering experience can set you apart from other applicants by showcasing your values.
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When ‘marketing’ volunteering experience, start by evaluating the skills that you developed and make it applicable to your application. For example, as a Team Up tutor you have spent at least 10 weeks working with someone of a younger age and you have adapted your communication style to fit their unique needs - these communication and adaptability skills are universally valuable.
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Your LinkedIn footprint is a powerful tool to stand out to prospective employers. Spend time building your profile by listing your education history, work and volunteering experiences and make regular posts with any achievements and extracurricular activities you have completed. As a Team Up tutor, feel free to share your Team Up experience on LinkedIn and tag us when you have completed a programme with us or partake in any of our enrichment features!
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Networking often involves forming stronger connections with people that are already in your circle. For example, your peers at school, a lecturer or course-mate at university or your colleagues at work. One conversation about your career aspirations could lead you onto an opportunity that you wouldn’t have otherwise found. When it comes to reaching out to someone new, remember that everyone was at some point in your position, so avoid letting self-doubt stop you from forming new connections with people that inspire you.
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Breaking into the finance industry requires resilience - don’t take rejection as an indication that you won’t eventually succeed. It took one of our speakers almost an entire year to land their job with Rothschild!