Finance covers a broad range of careers: investment banking, asset management, financial planning, accounting, corporate finance, trading, risk, and more. Each sub-area has different entry points and recruitment timelines. This page maps the key routes and what to prepare.
Entry points by stage
At school level: look for insight days, virtual experience, and schemes specifically targeting Year 12 students. At university level: first-year spring weeks and insight programmes give access before the competitive internship race. In your penultimate year: summer internships are the primary route to graduate scheme offers. Final year: graduate scheme applications typically open in September and run to January.
Key assessments
Most finance applications include numerical reasoning tests, verbal reasoning tests, and situational judgement tests at the online stage. Some include psychometric assessments or video interviews. Investment banking specifically often uses the HireVue platform for video interviews with structured competency questions.
Commercial awareness in finance
Commercial awareness is essential in finance applications. You need to understand how the business makes money, what is happening in the markets, and what current issues affect financial services. Read the FT, Bloomberg, and City A.M. Be prepared to discuss a market story in depth in interviews.
How to develop your candidacy early
Join your university's finance or investment society. Participate in case competitions or investment challenges. Apply for virtual experience programmes from firms like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, BlackRock, and HSBC. These are free, available to first-year students, and look strong on a CV.
Checklist
- Research spring weeks and insight day deadlines in September
- Practise numerical and verbal reasoning tests
- Read financial news regularly
- Join a finance or investment society if at university
- Apply for virtual experience programmes
- Prepare commercial awareness examples for interviews
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not applying for first-year programmes and losing early momentum
- Preparing too late for competitive numerical reasoning tests
- Having no genuine commercial awareness in interviews