How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate?

Magic Streets

3

How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate? Any good recruitment agencies out there?

Reply 1

KTS89

8

Just apply everywhere.

Reply 2

username738914

21

Original post by Magic Streets

How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate? Any good recruitment agencies out there?

Apply for a cleaning job.

Seriously though, you have to be more specific.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3

Gladiatorsword

19

Original post by Magic Streets

How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate? Any good recruitment agencies out there?

Tube drivers have a pretty nice job

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

Wired_1800

20

Original post by Magic Streets

How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate? Any good recruitment agencies out there?

Go to many networking events and careers fairs. Meet people and try to connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter etc. Learn about their business and always be prepared.

Submit an application and sell yourself big.

Reply 5

Magic Streets

OP

3

Original post by Wired_1800

Go to many networking events and careers fairs. Meet people and try to connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter etc. Learn about their business and always be prepared.

Submit an application and sell yourself big.

Thanks, the first sensible post on this thread.

Reply 6

Magic Streets

OP

3

Original post by Princepieman

Apply for a cleaning job.

Seriously though, you have to be more specific.

Posted from TSR Mobile

TSR should not have given you any role at all, I have seen you get into too many arguments on TSR to be worth anything. And Nottingham isn't the university it used to be either, so students getting A*AA/AAA should go elsewhere like Durham to get ahead in these competitive times.

Reply 7

username738914

21

Original post by Magic Streets

TSR should not have given you any role at all, I have seen you get into too many arguments on TSR to be worth anything. And Nottingham isn't the university it used to be either, so students getting A*AA/AAA should go elsewhere like Durham to get ahead in these competitive times.

Alright then, ask someone else for advice. Jeez

Reply 8

Trapz99

21

Original post by Magic Streets

How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate? Any good recruitment agencies out there?

I'm assuming by 'the City or Canary Wharf' that you mean jobs in the financial services sector, such as banking, accounting, risk management, operations, actuarial etc...

The most important thing to do to get into these jobs is to show the employer that you have the soft skills that they are looking for, these are communication, problem solving, the ability to work with people and a competitive mindset. Of course you will also need good academics- a 2:1 in your degree is very important. You need to show the vital soft skills by doing extracurricular activities, getting into leadership positions in societies and volunteering.

Another important thing is to get involved early. Start networking with people who work in jobs you desire on LinkedIn in your first year of uni. Start applying for internships in your second. Not only will this help you decide what you want to do but it will also make you a better candidate if you have some work experience in your desired graduate role. Don't leave your career decision until you graduate- this is why there is so much graduate underemployment. So start researching careers now and develop your skills so you'll be a good candidate for a City job.

Reply 9

pmc:producer

20

Original post by Magic Streets

TSR should not have given you any role at all, I have seen you get into too many arguments on TSR to be worth anything. And Nottingham isn't the university it used to be either, so students getting A*AA/AAA should go elsewhere like Durham to get ahead in these competitive times.

What a pathetic post. You can't rubbish someone and their university because they asked you to be more specific...

I've no idea where you study, but I'd take Nottingham every day of the week over yours if it instils graduates with your attitude, your inability to structure sentences and be concise when asking for advice, or your inability to hazard an educated guess at how to get a 'decent job'.

Reply 10

biglad2k16

2

Original post by Magic Streets

TSR should not have given you any role at all, I have seen you get into too many arguments on TSR to be worth anything. And Nottingham isn't the university it used to be either, so students getting A*AA/AAA should go elsewhere like Durham to get ahead in these competitive times.

Durham doesn't give you an edge against Nottingham candidates. The two universities have an equal rep with employers and they won't care which of these unis you went to. The only unis that could give candidates a real edge would be Oxbridge.

Hey there,

Have you checked out Milkround? You can filter your job search by location, and we have lots of jobs advertised in London. Take a look:
http://www.milkround.com/jobs/london-greater-/#browsing

Reply 12

Magic Streets

OP

3

Original post by biglad2k16

Durham doesn't give you an edge against Nottingham candidates. The two universities have an equal rep with employers and they won't care which of these unis you went to. The only unis that could give candidates a real edge would be Oxbridge.

The universities themselves may be equal for the quality of undergraduate educational provision, but the fact is the brightest talent gravitates towards Durham these days, with students averaging A*A*A or better (astonishing), and elite companies know this.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 13

Magic Streets

OP

3

Original post by pmc:producer

What a pathetic post. You can't rubbish someone and their university because they asked you to be more specific...

I've no idea where you study, but I'd take Nottingham every day of the week over yours if it instils graduates with your attitude, your inability to structure sentences and be concise when asking for advice, or your inability to hazard an educated guess at how to get a 'decent job'.

Are you Asian?

Reply 14

pmc:producer

20

Original post by Magic Streets

Are you Asian?

A quasi-racist too? Very clever.

I suppose it's easy to be so when hiding behind anonymity.

In any case, tell me more about how you, 'the brightest talent' ( which is obvious to 'elite companies' ) needs to seek advice on 'how to get a decent job in the city'...

I would have assumed better from someone of your self-proclaimed intellect - unless of course your personality comes across in your applications. In which case I can understand the rejections you're getting.

Either way, enjoy being the dregs of Durham - living off other students A*A*A as you pretend to outsiders that you deserve your place there but know inwardly that you're lucky they let you in below offer. Further to that, enjoy watching real talent from Durham move on to the city career you want while you stay behind, watching movies about Wall Street, forever resenting that you never became a stockbroker or investment banker but knowing full well you weren't good enough (coming on here to ask how people do it speaks volumes in itself).

One final point, those 'elite companies' that apparently put Durham above Nottingham - they don't. And they'll never be interested in someone with your personality (not the arrogant side, the side that lacks self-belief or conviction). You're a weak candidate at best (naively thinking a university brand will supercede everything else needed to secure a job).

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 15

Pariah

15

1. get a 2:1 from a good uni
2. be quantitatively literate
3. have good social skills and be able to project confidence
4. get experience*
5. look the part**
6. god help you if your CV or covering letter includes typos/grammatical howlers
7. network, but without being a pushy try-hard
8. be open minded about what you try - insurance, shipbroking etc - and do not limit yourself to 'graduate' roles
9. be lucky

*relevant experience is great but any actual work experience where you show up on time, do a good job and show initiative will help. even retail or whatever where you deal with members of the public can be great at building skills and confidence dealing with people. I used to supervise trainee solicitors and there were two reliable predictors of whether they would be good with clients - public school or customer facing work experience, both of which build confidence dealing with people

**this depends on the job up to a point but if you are talking professional services you want to dress conservatively, especially for interviews. rightly or wrongly plenty of people (but not all) will judge you for a silly haircut, visible tattoos, whatever... express your 'individuality' once you have a foot in the door

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 16

pmc:producer

20

Original post by J-SP

That's just not true from my experience as a graduate recruiter. They very much are on a par in general. Some departments have the edge over others, but that goes for both universities.

Posted from TSR Mobile

This guy isn't even worth advice based on your experience in recruitment mate.

He's on this forum in one thread asking if racism still exists in universities before touching on it in this very thread with me (he'll suggest otherwise, probably because I'm not Asian - but we know.), and has jumped from asking what recruitment agencies in London will help him secure an office role, to how to get a City job.

He doesn't know what he wants and if he isn't a troll I'd be a) surprised and b) worried for him.

Reply 17

Reality Check

22

Typical TSR thread - a reasonable question descends in short order into a couple of people hurling personal insults at each other and totally derailing it.

OP: have you used your University's Careers service?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 18

pmc:producer

20

Original post by Reality Check

Typical TSR thread - a reasonable question descends in short order into a couple of people hurling personal insults at each other and totally derailing it.

Welcome to the internet.

If the point you're making is 'answer the reasonable question or say nothing', I hope you see the irony in your post.

Reply 19

biglad2k16

2

Original post by Magic Streets

The universities themselves may be equal for the quality of undergraduate educational provision, but the fact is the brightest talent gravitates towards Durham these days, with students averaging A*A*A or better (astonishing), and elite companies know this.

Not true. Students at Durham don't average A*A*A, at oxbridge they do, and maybe imperial and LSE as well. The brightest talent doesn't gravitate towards either Nottingham or Durham. The elite graduate recruiters all treat Durham and Nottingham equally. Most of them don't even care which university you go to. Investment banks actually treat both Durham and Nottingham as 'semi-targets' so they are euallly considered by top employers in the city.

How do you get a decent job in the City or Canary Wharf if you are a graduate?

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