We recently caught up with Vendula to learn about how she secured a role at Bank of America, how she developed her commercial awareness before the interview, and her top tips for Bright Network members looking to follow in her footsteps.
What stood out to you about Bank of America?
Bank of America has a global presence with a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. There are many women and a variety of ethnicities in Bank of America’s senior management teams across the globe, this makes me feel like I also have a chance to grow here.
During interviews, I learnt that Bank of America offers a wide range of courses and educational sessions on a variety of topics so there would be no limit to my personal and professional growth.
How did you build your commercial awareness before the interview?
I read very carefully through all of the job descriptions, wrote down every single skill, piece of knowledge, product name or activity mentioned, and then used Google and YouTube to research these. I found online courses to master the skills mentioned - targeting those with a certificate at the end to show for it.
Listening to one episode a day of the Investing for Beginners podcast was a great tool to gain so much knowledge in an understandable way. Even if you don´t understand everything, you could always contribute to a conversation with a smart question.
When you keep doing courses and listening to podcasts for three months, you then discover that you have built a wealth of knowledge to draw from.
What would be your top tip to members going through the application process?
On average, there will be thousands of other candidates applying for the same full-time role you apply for. You have to have to be very detail-orientated and deliver something unique to give yourself the best chance of being considered for an interview.
Make sure you research how to write a banking CV or seek advice from someone who already has experience of working in the banking sector. Think about how you can include relevant banking and business terminology on your CV, but remember to make it personal to you, it must sound authentic.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
The Investment Banking and Asset Management stream of Internship Experience UK was a perfect fit for my CV. I am based in the North-West of the UK and always had a full-time job while studying, so securing experience with a top bank during my studies was impossible.
Internship Experience UK was a game-changer, as I was able to get real experience with tier one banks without travelling, moving to London, facing the rigorous application process or sacrificing my full-time job.
What’s been the toughest interview question you've faced and how did you tackle it?
‘What measures would you apply to the datasheet to make sure it is accurate and error-resistant when building a spreadsheet?’
As my role is in Data Management, I went through both general and technical interviews. The technical interview included questions on managing spreadsheets, data validation and investigating data errors. Thankfully, I completed one of the Excel Specialisations courses with Coursera, so I delivered spot-on answers. Also, I researched the top 20 questions for data analysis interviews and practised my responses to them. However, without good preparation, this question would have been tough.
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- If you are applying for a corporate bank, you have to have every detail spot on and deliver something extra that differentiates you from the crowd.
- Research the LinkedIn profiles of people who work for your dream company or even those in your dream team. You may discover that a finance or accounting background may not always be required, and you can understand their career journey before they joined your dream team.
- Utilise resources such as YouTube, Coursera, and Coursera Guided Projects as much as you can. You can learn any required skill online via these tools. Coursera Guided Projects will help you to complete a real tangible project in just one evening. The more you have, the better!
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.
