Bright Network member Christian secured a spot on the 4-day Explore Nomura programme. He spoke to us about his application experiences and his tips for other aspiring investment bankers.
The process
The first step of the Explore Nomura application involved submitting my CV, a cover letter and I also answered a set of competency questions. After succeeding at this first stage, there was a telephone interview, which was quite unique compared to ones I had already done for other Spring Weeks. They really wanted me to be specific on why I wanted to work at Nomura - it was vital to explain where Nomura differed from its competition. Plus, when it came to the technical questions, I was helped a lot by my experience in the Equities Society at my university.
Meeting Nomura
As there isn't a face-to-face interview for the Explore Nomura programme, meeting the firm prior to my application was crucial in finding out if the firm was going to be a good fit for me. It was actually at the Bright Network Festival where I first met and found out about Nomura. What I liked about them was their mission of “connecting markets East and West”, meaning that their values are very international.
Top tip - be specific
Make sure you focus on making your application specific to that bank in particular. They all think themselves very distinct and they want you to know that. No matter how many applications you are doing it’s important to make each one unique.
At 18, the bank isn’t going to expect you to have lots of experience and know all of the technical terminology. However, they will expect you to have researched the company and programme. If you’re really keen to work for the company, finding out more about them should interesting and fun.
Have you recently secured a graduate role or internship? Let us know - we'd love to share your success.
