We recently caught up with Rebecca who tells us about securing her role with Mondrian. She talks to us about why she chose Mondrian, how she built commercial awareness before her interview and the toughest question she’s faced.
Why a role at Mondrian?
I chose Mondrian because the company offers a unique graduate programme centred around on the job learning with opportunities to be involved in meaningful and challenging projects from the very start. The various streams at Mondrian allow graduates to learn skills within more than one area of Investment Management.
How did you build your commercial awareness before the interview?
In light of the coronavirus, I read lots of news articles to understand how the pandemic was affecting the current market, and more importantly, the impact it was having on Mondrian Investment Partners as long-term investors. It is important to not merely focus on one area of the market so I also paid attention to the importance of ESG investing and it is affect on investors preferences for socially sustainable investments to stabilise their portfolio’s considering future potential crises.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
Bright Network is an excellent resource for finding internship and graduate role opportunities. I signed up to receive their emails that regularly provide careers advice and information about upcoming events. Throughout the recruitment process for Mondrian Investment Partners, the team at Bright Network were helpful in providing tips and example questions for both the final interview and assessment centre. Bright Network also hosted a practice virtual assessment centre which was really useful in preparing competency-based questions and receiving personalised feedback.
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps
- Commercial awareness - It is really important to know what’s going on in the market and how this is relevant to the job that you are applying to. Read some news articles and be able to articulate your own views on current affairs in preparation for questions
- Perseverance - Summer internships and graduate roles are extremely competitive and you will not get a job overnight. There are usually multiple stages and rejections are common. Even if you are rejected from opportunities after interviews or assessment centres, always ask for feedback so you know where to improve next time
- Prepare competency questions - Competency-based interview questions almost always come up, so it is useful to prepare a few scenarios that you can talk about. Keep your answers brief and use the STAR technique.
What’s been the toughest interview question you faced?
“I have 7 balls, 6 of them are the same weight and 1 is lighter. Using a set of scales, how can you identify the lighter ball only using the scales twice” The interviewer is not looking for you to provide the correct answer straight away and it does not matter if you cannot find a solution. They are simply trying to understand how you solve problems so, it is important to talk through your working out, and it is okay to ask for some time to think or to repeat the question.
Let us know where you've secured your work experience, internship or graduate role. We want to celebrate your success with a gift from us and exclusive invitations to evening networking drinks throughout the year.
