We caught up with Daria, who works in Corporate Client Solutions at UBS to find out more about her role and how it fits into the rest of this international business.
What can you tell us about your role?
After studying Philosophy Politics and Economics at Warwick I went straight into the UBS training programme. I now work in Corporate Client Solutions, specialising in healthcare - this means I produce information on the healthcare sector in EMEA for the whole firm.
So why did you pick this stream? What makes it distinct?
I don’t have a finance background so I wasn’t fully sure where I’d want to sit within the bank. Having done my research and looking for a varied and challenging role, I decided I wanted a role linked to the people and the markets – CCS provided that balance. It seemed to me to be the department that required the most diverse skill set, and that appealed to me. I thought it would be a great challenge. You need to be good analytically and technically, with speaking and writing skills. You also need to be very prepared and organised, ready to think on your feet and change plans.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love working with others. I do sometimes sit at my desk and do analysis and modelling, but it’s very much a team effort and we often discuss how to model assumptions and present data. You get a lot of responsibility early on but it’s not without a strong and supportive team beside you. That’s what I enjoy the most.
The other thing I like is the unpredictability, which can be good and bad. Sometimes when I wake up I have one or two emails, other times I have ten to fifteen. I never know what one day will look like – which means my job is never boring. Luckily, if you don’t know how to do something, you get the support to figure it out. It helps to think outside the box here.
Did anything surprise you about the role?
I had done the internship, so I was prepared for the graduate role. A lot surprised me during the internship – having my own desk, for example. Another thing that surprised me was the language – the jargon and technical terms – which take some time to get used to.
UBS is also a hugely diverse environment, with people from all over the world. There's also often a great ratio of males to females which has been a really pleasant surprise - we are nearly 50:50 in my team.
What are your top tips for people applying?
Try going to as many networking sessions as you can – presentations, sessions, insight programmes or workshops - and begin networking as early as you can. This is a great way to learn and find out more about life at various different banks. You begin to make connections and can then reach out. It's also worth contacting people on LinkedIn who are working at a bank you're potentially interested in.
It’s also a tough job, so you need to be sure that you’re interested in it and willing to take on the lifestyle that it involves. Internships are a great way to test that and find out exactly what it’s like.
If you want to find out more about careers at UBS, including interviews with others, click here.