Meet nine new graduates who have been hired by Citigroup’s markets division

If you get a graduate job in Citigroup’s sales and trading division, you will spend the first six months training, and undertaking four month-long rotations across different divisions before specialising in one particular area. The class of 2014 in the UK has now finished the initial training process and have been given the green light by the Financial Conduct Authority.

We’ve profiled a number of banks’ analyst classes in the past, but much of this has been within the investment banking division. Here’s an idea of what it takes to get hired in the markets division of a large investment bank.

1. James Boreham, sales and trading analyst

James appears to have two main things going for him that will attract the attention of investment banking recruiters. Firstly, he has exemplary academics, albeit from a non-target university – a first class BA in Economics from Manchester University. Secondly, he spent a year as a placement student at stockbrokers Redmayne-Bentley and learned about markets. He then interned at Citi in 2013, within their equities and investment grade corporate trading divisions.

2. Rosie Dawson, sales and trading analyst

Like James, Rosie interned in Citigroup’s sales and trading division the year before graduation and has a highly-quantitative degree – a first class BSc in Maths and Economics from the London School of Economics. Membership of the netball team at university demonstrates the all-important team-work and interesting extra-curricular activities, while spring insight weeks at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley show an early interest in banking.

3. Cenan Djenan, credit structuring

Cenan has a 2.1 degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge and four A-levels at either A* or A in maths, physics, further maths and economics. As well as being a 'brand ambassador' for Citigroup at Cambridge, he also has no fewer than six internships across banking and asset management and spent two years volunteering weekly at Oxfam. He also does kick-boxing, swimming, ran a Young Enterprise company and won prizes for maths and economics. Basically, something of a shoo-in for any investment banking grad scheme.

4. Oliver Dowie, FX hedge fund sales

A first class degree in economics from LSE (see a pattern here?), three A*s at A-level and five As and  B as AS-level, Oliver clearly has the sort of quantitative background banks look for. He ‘only’ has one summer internship, at Citigroup on its high yield and distressed debt sales desks, but also spent some time volunteering with the charity Boot Out Breast Cancer.

5. Payum Partovi, interest rates derivatives trading

Payum has two summer internships under his belt – at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup – both in the sales and trading divisions of the investment banks. His academics set him apart, slightly. Not only does he have a first class degree in maths and economics from LSE (again), but he has a MSc in Financial Economics from Oxford.

6. Ella Puskarjova, derivative solutions group

Ella has four As at A-level, a degree in economics, management and finance from Bocconi and speaks four languages – English, Russian, Ukranian and Estonian. There’s no evidence of other internships, however.

7. Fouad Ramadan, trading

Fouad has a few internships under his belt across both London and the United Arab Emirates and most of them have been at Citigroup. He has worked in fund services, treasury and trade coverage and as a trade analyst, and managed to secure a full-time job rotating across CEMEAA sales, hedge fund rates, commodities and FX over the last four months. He has a degree in Banking and Finance from the Lebanese American University. Has also studied the CFA level I.

8. Michael Thorp, equity sales analyst

Michael has three degrees from Cambridge – History, Management studies and a Master of Philosophy and appears to have been active member of both the boat and rowing club whilst studying, both extra-curricular activities that go down well with investment banks. He interned at Citigroup the summer before gaining his full-time position, but no other investment banking work experience.

9. Tiffany Young, sales and trading

Tiffany spent nine months working as an analyst at Accenture before starting university, where she gained a first class degree in Economics from the University of Durham. She has indulged in spring insight weeks at various banks – Barclays, Citi and Credit Suisse – and secured a sales and trading internship at Citi the year before graduation.