Millie is in her final year at the University of Oxford working towards a degree in Chinese Studies. Here she talks about how she landed her dream job with the Mitsubishi Group.
I specifically chose to apply to Mitsubishi because it's a Japanese firm and I can speak Japanese. And as soon as I attended the assessment day I saw that the company was a really good fit for me culturally too.
My favourite part of the application process was the Dragon's Den style question on the online application form. I was asked to pitch an idea which demonstrated creativity, a strategic mind and quick thinking. I discovered this was one of the most important answers for the graduate recruiters.
The online application also included standard numeracy and logic tests. I was then called for a telepone interview which included further maths questions. The final stage was the assessment centre with 30 other candidates.
I enjoyed the interviews - I felt I built a good connection with the interviewer and we chatted about lots of different things, including random aspects of the economy. I was a bit indecisive about the route I wanted to take at Mitsubishi but the graduate recruitment team were understanding and helped me to work out the best career path for me. They spent time getting to know me and were flexible throughout the whole process.
Despite not getting some of the roles I applied for I made great contacts with people throughout the business, we've since exchanged emails and I've started to build my professional network.
I'll be joining Mitsubishi's risk division graduate programme which has three rotations. I choose one area of risk to work in, Mitsubishi chooses another, and a third gets negotiated. I'm particularly looking forward to the month of training in New York. I'll also have the opportunity to spend about a month in a front office role, likely within the markets team.