Fraser is a Financial Mathematics graduate from Heriot-Watt University. He secured a graduate role as a Reconciliation Analyst at Clearwater Analytics in Edinburgh, through Bright Network.
First, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
"My interest in maths started when I realised I found it much easier than a lot of my peers at primary school.
It continued to be something that I was strong at and that I enjoyed so I decided it was something I wanted to study at university.
Later in secondary school I started to have an interest in finance and the financial sector as a whole, which is why I wanted to apply for the Financial Mathematics course at Heriot-Watt University, as it seemed to be a great combination of the two."
What was your application journey like?
"It started off with submitting my CV. There was then four tests to conduct. Next was a series of interviews with the lead recruiter, team lead and division lead.
After every interview there was feedback given about how they felt the interview went and I was also asked for my feedback on how I thought they had gone.
I prepared for these by doing some research on my interviewers to understand their role in the company. Additionally, studying the company and the role so I knew exactly what I was going to be doing on a day to day basis was also very helpful."
What motivated you to apply for your role?
"A key factor in me applying was that, I was interested in working in the sector and felt like the job role suited the skillset I'd developed at university.
The more I researched the company, the more I realised they were growing significantly and I wanted to be part of a company aspiring to be the standard for its sector."
What are you most proud of about your application journey?
"I'm most proud of continuing to persevere despite rejections from various graduate jobs, whilst completing my fourth year at university."
What have you learned from going through the process?
"I've learned that interviewers aren't there to trick you. They want to see the best you can offer and try their best to give you a platform to do that.
Also face-to-face interviews are significantly better than pre recorded interviews. The human element of a face-to-face interview allowed me to relax and engage in non-formal conversation which allowed me to best express myself and my skills."
Tell us about the future. What's next?
"I look forward to progressing in my graduate role and taking on more responsibilities. I want to be a key team member and be able to make significant contributions to the company."
Interested in a career in Finance?
Find insight schemes, graduate jobs, training contracts and more at Bright Network.
Looking to follow in Fraser's footsteps?
Discover live graduate opportunities with
Clearwater Analytics.
