Rachel Winter

Graduated with honours, with a BSc in Economics from Bath University, 2008
Currently: Analyst, Operations

Starting a new job at a large company can be daunting, and it was great to be presented with an instant network of colleagues from the graduate program. I have maintained a good relationship with the other graduates, which has provided me with an invaluable insight into the roles of other departments across the bank.

New recruits on the Operations and IT graduate schemes spend their first two weeks on a full-time training course together. The course covers an introduction to financial markets and products, as well as Excel skills and basic accounting. For me, it was useful to refresh my finance knowledge as I had graduated 18 months previously, and I know the course was hugely beneficial to those that had not studied finance-based subjects at university.

I have also benefited from a number of additional training courses during my 18 months on the graduate scheme. We were given the option to select our own courses based on what skills we think would complement our roles – I have taken advantage of this and have attended courses on advanced Excel skills, presentation skills, assertiveness and business writing.

My first rotation was in Equity Finance client service. I acted as the first point of contact for any client queries, and I would visit all key clients on a quarterly basis. The nature of my role meant that every day was different, and dealing with such a variety of queries meant that I was able to work with a number of other teams across the bank.

After 12 months in Equity Finance I moved to the FX Middle Office, where I provide support to the Spot, Options, Precious Metals, and Emerging Market Rates Desks. I assisted with trade bookings/amendments and am involved in compiling the daily profit/loss figures. I also took responsibility for transitioning some of our day-to-day processes to our team in Mumbai, which has left me with more free time to involve myself in project-work - for example, I am currently part of an industry-wide working group looking at FX settlement risk, which has given me the opportunity to work with senior members of other investment banks. 

We have the option to complete a third rotation, so I am looking forward to finding out what other roles may be available to me. Also, graduates are eligible for promotion to Associate level after two years, and we are provided with clear criteria that we need to fulfill in order to achieve this. Over the next year I will endeavor to take on more responsibilities outside of my daily tasks to optimize my chances of progression.