Steve Cloos, Equities, Bonds & Listed Derivatives Trader, BCV

Before starting university, I took a year off to do my military service. I took advantage of this to do a three-month work placement in an insurance company in Bern and spend two months improving my English in Vancouver. I then went on to study management at HEC. As early as the second year of my Bachelor's degree, I became interested in the field of market finance and oriented my elective courses in that direction (third-year elective: mathematics and finance) in order to continue with the Master's degree in Finance (MScF), where the focus is essentially quantitative. After graduating, I completed my training as a non-commissioned officer, which enabled me to finance my job-hunting period as well as a few trips. When I started my job search, I talked a lot about it to people around me. One day, a Master's course colleague told me about an offer at BCV for a 12-month university internship known as the 'graduate programme', and I was accepted. During such an internship, you're exposed to two different areas of the bank, which allows you to see different things and build up your network of contacts. I joined the trading room development team (which is the gateway to trading for a young person) as well as asset management (in advisory). During this internship, I regularly expressed my interest in getting a position directly in the dealing room (development concerns everything that helps the dealing room to do its trading work). Following a retirement, I was offered a position in this area at the end of my placement. I then obtained two trading licences (Six and Eurex), which are essential if you want to progress in this field. BCV also offers good opportunities for in-house and external training, so I took advantage of a currency training course to improve my knowledge of the subject.

It's important to remember that when you study at HEC, you won't be learning a particular profession. This may be frustrating at first, but the aim of the course is to provide you with a 'toolbox' that will give you access to a wide variety of positions. The MScF essentially prepares you for the field of asset management, but the skills you acquire are transferable to other professional fields. In my practice, I frequently use concepts I've learnt on the course (particularly in relation to trading). I advise you to choose a subject for your dissertation in the area that really interests you, which can prove decisive when looking for a job. My dissertation was on equity market liquidity, which is directly related to my current professional practice (more so than during the internship). As an assistant in BCV's Asset Management and Trading division, my actual job is stock market trader and I'm in training. Most of my work involves trading equities, structured products, options and bonds for clients on the Swiss market. As part of a team of four people, I use different trading software and the telephone to carry out market transactions based on client requests. I also use the Bloomberg platform, which provides real-time information on what's happening on the markets.

IT skills are very important, whether in programming, coding logic or various software applications; they provide real added value, and not just in the banking sector. Then, in addition to technical skills related to the field, a number of attitudes and states of mind are essential for working in finance. First and foremost, you need to be curious and keen to learn. Having fun is also central, as it will push you to do more and more: asking questions, showing your interest and your motivation are essential if you are to make contacts. During your placement, be precise, quick and develop your sense of anticipation. You need to be able to adapt quickly while remaining in a good mood.

If you're looking for a work placement, you should look for companies that offer training in your chosen field. Generally speaking, the best-known companies offer the most internship opportunities, as they cover a wide range of different professional fields. The graduate programme is essentially aimed at people with a Master's degree. The aim of these programmes is to promote employment, and they offer excellent supervision by experienced people. During the placement, find out about training opportunities, express your interest and talk to colleagues. Ideally, you should be able to finish the placement with a certificate attesting to one or more further training courses, which you can then use in your future career. A key element in the job search is to ask your contacts (friends, family, course colleagues, etc.). Let people know what you're looking for, explain your profile and keep in touch with your fellow students. Personally, I really enjoyed being able to share my job-hunting experiences with fellow students, both on how to write a CV and how to go about a job interview. Finally, doing a work placement in a company is an excellent experience (whether before or during your studies), because it allows you to develop your interpersonal skills in a different way from the university environment and to learn the right personal behaviour to adopt, whether with clients or colleagues. Personally, I worked almost every summer in the insurance company for which I did a three-month placement before my Bachelor's degree.