A huge congratulations to Shayla for getting her internship with Deutsche Bank. Here she shares her experience and gives some helpful tips to those thinking of applying in the future.
Why did you choose this firm and this role?
I chose to apply to Deutsche Bank because I took part in their High Yield Programme in the Summer of my first year at University. I'm interning in Global Transaction Banking and the reason I chose it would be because it provides an array of solutions and products in Trade Finance, Cash Management and Securities Services. These areas proved to be interesting to read about and very easy to see how they impact our everyday lives.
What was the toughest part of the application process? And your favourite part?
The most challenging part of the process would naturally be the cover letter and the numarical test to get that first step through the door. Formatting and including the relevant information in the letter and making sure you got enough practice for the numerical test was difficult, but it all comes down to how much time and effort you spend in creating a good quality application. My favourite part would be the face to face interview, becuase you got to see the people behind the process and have a normal conversation with someone that you could be working with. It humanises the process and you get to meet really interesting people.
Were you surprised by anything in the process?
I wasn't really surprised by the process, because having taken part in the High Yield Programme, I was told very extensively what was to be expected.
What three top tips would you give your fellow Bright Network members?
- Network. Reach out to people on LinkedIn, ask them for advise or about what they do, because you never know who might be able to vouch for you during the recruitment process.
- Know yourself. When it comes to the interview stage a lot of the questions will be competency ones and they are the hardest questions to answer if you don't know yourself. Create a document and list down all your experiences, whatever they may be. For each one write down a paragraph of a key competency that can be linked to it using the STAR method, that way when you get asked in an interview about any of them, you can tailor your examples to suit the question.
- Be yourself. The firm is hiring you, not somebody pretending to be someone else. Not being genuine is really easy to spot and you'd get a lot further if you relate to the interviewer and just be relaxed because at the end of the day, it is just a conversation.
What was the toughest question you faced at interview?
I don't recall being asked any questions that I couldn't eventually get to answer. It may have taken a while, but the interviewers know when you're struggling and will drop in hints to help you get to the answer. So there wasn't one particular question that was harder than another.
