How to get a graduate job at JPMorgan, by the bank's EMEA head of campus recruitment for banking and markets
What does it take to get a graduate job at JPMorgan? We spoke to Robert Walke, the bank's head of campus recruitment for EMEA banking and markets. This is what he told us about when to apply, how many people JPM hires, and how to stand out in your application to work there.
Q: When will JPMorgan start accepting applicants for its 2015 front office graduate programmes and internships?
Robert: Applications will open in September across all of our programmes and business lines. This year candidates will also be able to apply to more than one business area in the EMEA region for the first time.
Q: Â Do you advise applying as early as possible?
Robert: Â Absolutely. We want candidates to make educated decisions as to which lines of business they apply to, but it's also important to get the application in quickly. We recruit on a rolling basis, so will start screening applications and beginning interview processes in October.
Q: Â Roughly how many graduates do you expect to hire into full time roles for 2015? Can you say how is this split between markets and IBD?
Robert: We expect to take just shy of 200 graduates across the front office in EMEA in 2015; Banking and Markets both have sizeable classes, and we also have programmes for market and credit risk, as well as investor services and treasury services.
Q: Aside from academic qualifications, what's the number reason you reject people for your full time graduate positions?
Robert: JPMorgan looks for "all-rounders". Clients are at the heart of all of our businesses, be they internal or external, so whilst we greatly value academics and educational background, we also want diverse intern and graduate classes that reflect the diversity of our client base. We look for candidates who have got involved in any number of extracurricular activities and projects, who like to travel and experience different cultures and who like to give something back to their communities or to places they visit.
Q: What makes JPMorgan's graduate training programme stand out from rivals'?
Robert: JPMorgan is committed to its people and training them throughout their careers. To kick-off training, we send all of our graduates to New York for a 7 week training programme so that they can network with their classmates from across all of our locations, and start on a thorough and structured curriculum. That curriculum progresses year after year and so isn't limited to their first year alone. We believe it is second to none in the industry.
Q: In your opinion, what's the most revealing question you can ask graduates at interview?
Robert. If I told you that, I'd be giving away our secrets!
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