Case studies: Operational investment banker: Emma

Graduating with a BSc in International Management and Modern Languages (German) from the University of Bath in 2010, Emma then worked for an investment fund in Germany for a year. She returned feeling inspired and applied for a summer internship at Barclays Capital. At the end, she was offered a place on the graduate scheme, where she is currently working as a business analyst in the COO (Chief Operating Officer) office for Barclays Capital Operations.

Barclays Capital Operations graduate scheme has five weeks' initial training to introduce the industry and main products, followed by two nine-month rotations. In my first rotation, I worked as a sales assistant on the sales floor, dealing with client queries. I then moved into the COO team for Regulatory Risk and Control. They maintain the risk and control framework, and alongside both the regulators and our change teams, work to ensure the firm meets the regulator's requirements. This was a great role to move into and take ownership for the headcount management.

Two months ago, I moved into the Central Operations COO team and have a much greater oversight on how the organisation fits together. I’m taking increasing responsibility for managing relationships with our stakeholders, and taking ownership on some projects and large pieces of work. Part of my role is to manage the day-to-day costs and headcount for our area. This requires close relationships with our HR, finance and technology partners to ensure we remain under budget and everything runs smoothly. I’m also involved in overseeing some of the strategic projects and developing processes to best manage our costs.

In this role I often have to reach out to management teams and other COOs for information or updates on deliverables. Managing these relationships in a fast-paced environment can be quite demanding. However, the more I work with people, the easier it gets. I enjoy working in the sector as it is constantly changing and there are lots of challenges. Plus you get to work with some great people on interesting projects.

The graduates on my programme came from a variety of degree backgrounds ranging from languages and biochemistry to economics and finance. In the recruitment process, companies are more interested in the transferable skills and attributes you have developed rather than the specific subject knowledge you’ve learned. My degree, for example, covered all aspects of international management, including accounting, macro-economics and international competition law, with the added challenge of more than half the modules being taught in German. These are not directly relevant subjects, but they did provide a good background to the industry and how a global company operates.

There are so many opportunities to meet people who are working in the industry at recruitment fairs and networking events. These can help you find out more about the company and industry to see if it’s right for you. If banking is something you’re interested in, I would definitely recommend applying for an internship. It’s the best way of finding out more about the industry and the different business areas, as well as gaining experience, which is a huge help when it comes to an interview.