A career in banking

Lloyds TSB - Employer Profile

A career in banking is not just about working in a lucrative industry. Each year, it places thousands of graduates into a fast-paced and dynamic industry. Graduate Careers Talks to Ross Hovey, Graduate Resourcing Manager at Lloyds TSB Group Plc about graduates expectations on working in the banking industry and whether a career within this field can deliver.

What is it specifically about a career in banking that attracts so many new recruits?

Graduates are attracted to the banking industry by the array of opportunities that are on offer, the expectations of high salaries, the job security and industry reputation.  Universities, the media and banks’ recruitment strategies have all created a theory that the financial services industry is the place to be as a graduate.

Lloyds-TSB is one of the top UK Graduate Recruiters – why are students drawn to your company in particular?

Graduates are drawn to Lloyds TBS because we offer a very competitive package.  We have a very strong focus on development and offer graduates a variety of working options across the business. Compared to investment banks, graduates are also attracted by the flexibility we offer Lloyds TSB and our desire to give employees a healthy work life balance. 

Our recruitment process is well renowned, especially the offer process where we strive to be as transparent as possible.  We make every effort to communicate to candidates along the way so they know what is required and when and we let candidates know if they’re successful within 24 hours of their interview. After they have accepted their offer we keep in touch with them and introduce them to other graduates so they feel they are in the loop right up until their start date.

What would you say are the key characteristics of a Lloyds-TSB Employee?
Our graduates have commitment, ambition, ability to challenge constructively and bags of leadership potential.  Our graduates integrate well in to the rest of the business because they are “people people!”

Any top tips on grabbing the attention of a graduate recruiter through a covering letter and or CV?

• Lots of CV’s we see can be a little old hat and uninspired.  If you are interested in applying to a particular company, our advice is to look at the recruitment section of their website to really understand their process rather than sending speculative CV’s.  In applications always use a variety of experiences and answer the specific questions asked not what you think they want to hear.

Are there any definite no-no’s that you look out for when graduates apply?

One definite no-no is to be inflexible about where you are willing to work.  You should also not put too much attention put on the competitive package on offer and instead focus on the development opportunities that we provide.

If a graduate has no official work experience what sort of experiences are recognised?
Work experience is a benefit but we also look for project work done at university, social experiences, travelling, charity work and organisational skills.  Basically anything which can tell us what type of person you are and the opportunities you have taken to develop yourself.

What are the primary sources graduates use to find you and which ones do you find the most effective?
The best sources are our graduate recruitment website and The Times top 100 graduate recruiters.  They both generate most of our applications.

What advice would you offer a young graduate who is just starting out in a career in banking?
Ask lots of questions and get involved in as much as possible to ensure you develop a broad knowledge of the industry.  Get to know your immediate team and build relationships with all levels of people to gain respect.

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