Online Application

The online application was relatively standard. I was required to input my details, education history and employment history. I was also required to submit a CV. The final stage of the online application was to answer two questions, one asking about motivations for joining the firm and the programme, the other asking about my greatest achievement, and why it differentiated me from others. There was a 200 word limit for each question.

How to respond for success

‍I had been attempting to add as many relevant things to my CV over the past year, especially once arriving to university. Prior to university, I partook in a few online courses related to investment banking, and then at university I tried to join as many relevant societies as possible. Some of these societies had more selective programmes within them, such as the analyst programme at the Banking and Investment Society, which again helped to strengthen my CV.

I think that one of the major things which helped my application stand out was my clarity of why I wanted to join the specific firm. I would recommend that everyone spends a good amount of time researching and finding what makes the firm stand out from others. For me, one of the first people I spoke about investment banking with was from Jefferies, and so I was truly passionate about joining them. I was able to mention who I had spoken to which also probably helped my application.

Expect anywhere up to a 1 week wait before progressing to the next stage.

Online Tests

You will face a few different types of tests, ranging from numerical, logical and situational judgement ones. Compared to some of the other online tests I had completed for other spring weeks, it seemed to be more time pressured and involve longer numerical calculations. Overall the tests took around 45 minutes. Personally, I did not do any specific preparation for them, however completing online tests for other spring weeks were definitely helpful for practice.

Example task

‍For the numerical questions, some would ask you to adapt a pie chart (revenue from different petrol stations) or a bar chart (proportion of profits from two different revenue streams from two separate years) to represent the data given. Often this would require you to use equations to find the missing data. This would take quite a bit of thinking, and backwards reasoning to find the right answer. For the logic questions, some would require you to arrange an employees diary given certain restrictions.

There would only be one answer which allowed all the restrictions to be abided to. Some questions mixed numerical and logical skills - one asked you to rank 6 employees on how many emails they had sent, based on 6 pieces of information. These again were pretty tough and some required some educated guesses to get the thought process going.

How to respond for success

‍Treat it like an exam. Make sure you are well rested, in a quiet place and concentrate fully whilst completing the tests.

Expect around a 1 month wait before progressing to the next stage.

Video Interview

The video interview was with a VP at Jefferies. The interview took about 45 minutes in total. I made sure I had prepared an answer for all the general questions that could come up- why Jefferies, why investment banking, what do I hope to gain out of the Spring week etc. I also made sure that I knew my CV inside and out, and rehearsed a 'walk me through your CV' quite a few times. I spent a bit of time doing interview practice with my parents, and would recommend applicants do as many practice interviews as possible.

Example task

‍None of the questions asked were designed to catch me out. A lot of them were the generic motivation questions, and then they would ask follow up questions depending on how I answered. Make sure that if you say something, you are able to elaborate on it if asked further. Being able to talk in more detail about experiences on CV is also very helpful. You do not want to be caught out if you are not able to say something of substance about a previous experience. Being up to date on recent financial news and events was also helpful for guiding the conversation. ​

How to respond for success

‍I personally think that I benefitted a lot from the video interview with an employee, as it allowed me to show off my communication skills and develop a connection with the interviewer, which is not possible with things such as HireVue. I wore a shirt for my interview, and tried to present myself as I would if I was doing it in person. Although it is necessary to have strong answers for the questions, I think that being able to hold a conversation, and show you are an interesting person with many dimensions helped me get an offer.

I found out some more information about my interviewer on LinkedIn, and was able to reference some of those points to drive the conversation. I think that viewing it as a conversation rather than an interview helps take some of the pressure off, and allows it to flow easier. It is important to show off as much as you can, and talk about as many opportunities you have taken, whilst also telling a story of your progression up to the interview. I think that showing that I had a strong desire to work at the firm specifically, and knowing specific data (such as human capital growth in the last year), whilst also mentioning how I had spoken to someone who worked at the firm contributed to eventually getting an offer.

Expect a 1-2 week wait before receiving an offer.