Why you should become a...banker

Ross Hovey is a graduate resourcing manager at the Lloyds TSB Group, he gives the case on why you should choose a career in banking.

Why you should choose banking
There’s a common misconception that if you work for a company like Lloyds TSB you’ll just be confined to one branch. While it’s important for graduates to have some branch experience, this is just one part of our graduate recruitment scheme. If you find that finance isn’t really your thing you can change to another area such as marketing, human resources, IT or project management; the training programme means you get experience in other areas. The credit crunch hasn’t had a negative effect on employment either; financial companies are still recruiting graduates.

What we’re looking for
Any banking or finance recruiter will expect their recruits to be high achievers academically, with a 2.1 or better. We also want people who are flexible about travelling and working throughout the UK during their training programme. Candidates should demonstrate leadership and management potential, problem-solving skills and an ability to influence others. We want people who can challenge the status quo in a positive way. Also, while you don’t need to be a maths genius, core numerical skills are important.

What this job involves
I manage the bank’s entire graduate recruitment process, from designing our annual campaign through to the milk round, selection process and assessment centres. After we make job offers, I keep candidates “warm” in the hopes that they will choose us rather than taking up other employment offers. About 40 per cent of graduates go on to our generic leadership scheme and experience different aspects of our business. The remaining 60 per cent are split between our specialist programmes in areas such as finance, HR and IT. All graduate recruits will have a good deal of exposure to both internal and external clients and will learn how to manage customers through head office and branch opportunities.

How much you could make
Our starting salary is £25,000 and most graduates are offered a substantial bonus too. A pension, private healthcare, comprehensive benefits package and additional allowance if you’re based in London are also included. Graduates receive five weeks’ holiday – rising to six weeks on completion of the programme – and work a contracted 35 hours per week, although flexibility is expected at busy times.

Tips from the top
Look at all the opportunities employers offer on campus, at open days and through skills events. You need to understand why you’re applying to us: a generic application form sent to all the recruiters you’re interested in won’t cut it nowadays.

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