**Official Investment Banking Spring Week 2020 Thread**

What work experience do you have? Pretty difficult to get during sixth form

Although I do need to mention, the best work experience in my opinion is to get a job, save up however much you can afford to, and put it into the stock market to just trade, gain experience, learn about companies and stocks etc. Don’t do this blindly obviously, but if you’re applying to an investment bank for spring weeks (with the foresight of a summer internship, placement year and grad scheme) then I’m assuming you’ve done at least a fair amount of reading about finance, markets and risk so any trading shouldn’t be completely blind.

Depends what division ur applying to. Albeit impressive, I don’t see how it would be overly effective for an IDB spring week in showing some of the skills they’re looking for. It holds more weight in S&T and equity research.

IDB spring week? And yeah it does hold weight in S&T and equity research, I would argue experience in the market would hold weight in quite a lot of divisions within investment banking in different aspects but yeh I personally would really want to do S&T so maybe I’m biased in the importance of having experience of managing portfolios (of whatever size), especially ones with a very strong ROI

Why would it be a mistake to apply now? If you have your results, have a uni place, have lots of work experience and several extra curriculars as well as trading experience through various extremely successful portfolios, why should I wait until I start university? What benefit will it give me? Do you think people should wait until uni starts so that they can join societies and put it on their CV? If so, I think that’s pretty weak as that’ll hardly separate any candidates for spring weeks, anyone can just join a society. However, if it is for some other reason, I am very interested to hear what that reason may be.

Mistyped, IBD

How would having market experience and portfolio experience not be beneficial for the IBD??? Ahahah, it would display so many of the skills necessary, apart from the soft skills which you’d surely having other extra curricular / achievements to demonstrate those.

If you believe you can ride the coat-tails of including nothing university related to get your Spring Week then go ahead - your profile seems strong.

Because the average Spring Week candidate who ends up being successful do not know at this stage their final A-Level results, the university they are going to and therefore cannot evidence they have made any impact at university.

I have seen this Spring Week cycle for the last four years and I would also say do not underestimate how much your CV will evolve over the next couple of months - and I don't just necessarily mean experience. Basics like layout, formatting, margins, spelling, grammar all get refined, bullet points consolidated and reworded etc. That's why I am strongly against people just sending a ton of applications in one go...imagine if all the recruiters spot the spelling mistake you have yet to identify? Or find your layout overwhelming?

Keep looking at your CV for those improvements because either way your Spring Week application will be sitting there collecting dust for a solid month or two. Why not use that time wisely?

If you believe you can ride the coat-tails of including nothing university related to get your Spring Week then go ahead - your profile seems strong.

Because the average Spring Week candidate who ends up being successful do not know at this stage their final A-Level results, the university they are going to and therefore cannot evidence they have made any impact at university.

I have seen this Spring Week cycle for the last four years and I would also say do not underestimate how much your CV will evolve over the next couple of months - and I don't just necessarily mean experience. Basics like layout, formatting, margins, spelling, grammar all get refined, bullet points consolidated and reworded etc. That's why I am strongly against people just sending a ton of applications in one go...imagine if all the recruiters spot the spelling mistake you have yet to identify? Or find your layout overwhelming?

Keep looking at your CV for those improvements because either way your Spring Week application will be sitting there collecting dust for a solid month or two. Why not use that time wisely?

Is there anything you could suggest I do to accelerate the process of improving my CV? (Not in terms of things on my CV - whilst these are always appreciated - but in terms of layout, structure etc.)

Not CV related but - make sure attend networking events held either on campus or in their London offices. Check their careers website (past the login page) regularly as they tend to be hidden there.

Some CV tips:
- First impressions are made in seconds - does it look clear, well spaced out and easy on the eye? No silly fonts? Spelling? Do not give HR an easy reason to reject you.
- 1 page, there is no way a First Year undergrad has achieved so much to justify 1.5+ pages = summarise and delete certain things no longer relevant
- No summary, no nonsense fonts, use italics/bold and one font size up/down to boost presentation
- Put your linkedin, number and email on one line...the jury is out if you need an address on your cv (I would say no)
- Use this layout: Education...Experience...Extra curricular&Achievements...Skills&interests
- Short and sweet impactful bullet points, make sure they're written in the correct tense, bulk with clear outcomes/numbers/%'s/£££'s if possible
- Read each bullet point asking yourself: So what? ..Make sure each bullet point clearly demonstrates a competency or two - and if you've clearly demonstrated those competencies (e.g teamwork) under one experience, no need to rave about it under all other experiences
- Be personable with your interests, achievements, awards - your personal hobbies/skills/interests are just as important as professional/education

Good luck. Send over CV if you wish.

Not CV related but - make sure attend networking events held either on campus or in their London offices. Check their careers website (past the login page) regularly as they tend to be hidden there.

Some CV tips:
- First impressions are made in seconds - does it look clear, well spaced out and easy on the eye? No silly fonts? Spelling? Do not give HR an easy reason to reject you.
- 1 page, there is no way a First Year undergrad has achieved so much to justify 1.5+ pages = summarise and delete certain things no longer relevant
- No summary, no nonsense fonts, use italics/bold and one font size up/down to boost presentation
- Put your linkedin, number and email on one line...the jury is out if you need an address on your cv (I would say no)
- Use this layout: Education...Experience...Extra curricular&Achievements...Skills&interests
- Short and sweet impactful bullet points, make sure they're written in the correct tense, bulk with clear outcomes/numbers/%'s/£££'s if possible
- Read each bullet point asking yourself: So what? ..Make sure each bullet point clearly demonstrates a competency or two - and if you've clearly demonstrated those competencies (e.g teamwork) under one experience, no need to rave about it under all other experiences
- Be personable with your interests, achievements, awards - your personal hobbies/skills/interests are just as important as professional/education

Good luck. Send over CV if you wish.

That is brilliant advice and I’m sure will help many others on this as well as myself. Thank you very much and I will probably take you up on that offer closer to the time! Thank you again.

This sounds like really good advice, thank you

Do the banks need references? should you put references on your CV?

Crazy to think I was on here applying five years ago, I've just logged on today for the first time in ages.

Hard work will pay off, its a numbers game so apply to as many firms as possible - there is every opportunity to convert into a variety of roles once you've got your foot in the door. I'm existing proof.

Keep grindin'

Do the banks need references? should you put references on your CV?

Can I get added please I have messaged you