Online Application
The initial application stage involved submitting a CV and filling out personal details; for example, information about your education (current degree studies, A-Levels and GCSEs), diversity questions and work experience. You are also asked some questions related to your motivations for applying.
Example task
Which graduate/intern programme you’re most interested in?
In 100 words or less, explain why you’re most interested in this programme?
How to respond for success
I’m very fortunate that I had spent a week’s work experience at a local, independent, financial advisory firm whilst at high school, so made sure to include that on my CV, to show my interest in finance. I also included relevant positions of responsibility under ‘extracurricular activities’, these were my position as Student Ambassador for the university, as well as a Commodities Analyst within the university’s student-run fund (the Ghosal Fund). I also included my past experience playing football and tennis, as well as having the ability to speak (at an intermediate level) Spanish, with an online assessment verifying that.
Having gained this experience, I was able to specifically highlight activities that I had done that contributed to my interest and experience, within the 100 word question.
I also included a brief section on my CV discussing some volunteering I took part in. Within this section, I was able to give more objective, numerical data that helped to clarify my impact (such as ‘Raised over £250 for a dementia charity as part of a team within two days’). I think this volunteering section helped to make my application stand out, as Schroders is a very inclusive firm, supporting its employees with their volunteering efforts. By being a part of the Ghosal Fund, I also had some direct experience of activities that might be expected of me, having applied for the investments division.
