In a recent Careers Talk podcast John Morewood, head of graduate recruitment at HSBC, noted a surprisingly positive effect the credit crunch has had on graduate recruitment in the banking sector.
He said banks which managed to weather the recent financial storm are viewed by graduates as being particularly appealing to work for — due to the fact they managed to emerge safe the other side of the darkest times of the credit crunch.
It appears their confidence is being felt across the UK, as there has been a surge in interest in working in the banking sector — after all, Metro Bank, the first bank to open on Britain's high streets for more than a century, received a whopping 5,000 applications for 150 initial positions — and recent High Fliers research discovered a 36% increase in applications for graduate vacancies in investment banks.
Those looking to break into the sector will be encouraged to hear that several banks have been making the headlines for the right reasons recently, with many creating new positions; Barclays is creating 600 new jobs in Glasgow, Virgin Money is also creating 200 jobs north of the border and Metro Bank is preparing to double its staff numbers.
And there is good news for graduates looking for a banking job too — The Telegraph recently reported how an Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) survey suggests there has been a revival in the sector, with graduate vacancies in banking and financial services expected to rise by 72%.
So, if you want a career in banking, and you want to know more about what opportunities are on offer and the skills and qualifications you'll need to get them, join our panel of experts on 16 September between 1pm—4pm.
Our panel:
Pam Warren is head of resourcing for Co-operative Financial Services. Pam is responsible for managing the bank's £8m resourcing budget and her role includes developing resourcing strategies, covering specialist roles, volume recruitment and non-permanent hires.
Karen Martin is group graduate resourcing manager at The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Karen holds responsibility for graduate resourcing operations and recruitment across graduate programmes within the RBS group.
Mark Walley is director of corporate education at the ifs (Institute of Financial Services) School of Finance. He is responsible for managing the ifs' relationship with corporate and financial services organisations throughout the UK and internationally. The ifs has long standing links with the financial services industry and offers a range of specialist programmes, from qualifications for regulated advisers to postgraduate degrees in financial services management.
Debbie Trice is business manager at Hays Banking. Debbie is responsible for the retail banking team and she recruits for managerial roles, while her team are responsible for sourcing cashiers and personal bankers.
James Uffindell is MD of the Bright network, a careers network for students, graduates and young professionals. Bright network is running an investment banking networking event on 24 September.
Martin Wilson is head of wealth structuring at wealth management company Signia Wealth. Martin joined Signia Wealth as a director from Coutts & Co, where he was a private banker in the Coutts Private Office.
Laura Hooke is a career consultant with more than 20 years of experience. She works for City University London but combines this with freelance career consultancy.
We'll also be joined by Sarah Butcher and Paul Clarke from financial recruitment website eFinancialCareers.
