Suzanne Harley from the Emerging Talent recruitment team at Lloyds Banking Group passes on some wise words to those interested in a career in banking.

With unemployment figures among graduates at an all-time high, competition for places on graduate schemes like those offered at Lloyds is tough. The economic situation has forced many companies to cut back but Lloyds is one of very few companies who have maintained their recruitment numbers.

“We don’t see graduates and interns as a short term investment, we take a long-term view on talent,” says Suzanne.

In the first two weeks of launching their recruitment campaign, Lloyds saw the highest number of applicants they have ever received. For Suzanne, the challenge is finding those people who want to work specifically for Lloyds Banking Group rather than just any graduate job.

Graduates are advised to do their research before applying: “If you can offer insights above and beyond being able to quote facts and figures from our website then you are able to say what really interests you about Lloyds and why you want to apply. Students should make sure they are knowledgeable about the industry that Lloyds operate in and are able to identify who our competitors are.”

But you don’t have to wait until you graduate before you can start your career at Lloyds. Applicants to the 10-week, paid internship programmes are put through exactly the same selection process as the graduates: “What this enables us to do is that upon completion of the internship, if you like us and we like you, we’ll offer you a place on the graduate programme straight away. You can go back to university in your final year knowing that you have a job offer there ready and waiting.”

Internships are a really good way for you to learn about the organisation and the industry whilst getting some great experience to put on your CV, especially for those who may not have considered a career in banking before. Of those who recently completed the summer internship placement at Lloyds, 85% were made offers to the graduate scheme.

“We almost expect to make all of our interns offers, we want them to show us they are as good as we thought they were when we met them at the assessment centre.”

So what are Lloyds looking for in their graduates and interns at the assessment centre? Suzanne says that the assessment centre itself is for them to test the candidate’s skills and capabilities in a variety of different scenarios and to see whether the candidate displays those skills consistently.

Ultimately, Lloyds are looking for people that they want to see running the business in the future. Applicants must show a real talent for leading people and the potential to become senior leaders in the business.

“At the end of the programme all our graduates go into a managerial level so they they’re having real responsibly to make decisions and actually add to the business and the strategy that we undertake.”

Since Lloyds TSB acquired HBOS they have become the biggest bank in the UK and the fifth biggest bank in the world. Integrating the two businesses is a massive change project which presents Lloyds graduates with a broad range of opportunities: “To be able to say that you’ve worked in not only the biggest bank in the UK, but on a huge acquisition project is great experience for anybody at any point in their career.”

Whilst Lloyds may have doubled in size recently, that doesn’t mean that graduates become anonymous or lost in the system, quite the contrary. Suzanne says the culture of Lloyds Banking Group is one of the reasons why she joined.

“It’s a place where people are proud to work. People are really open and receptive to your ideas and to your input, particularly graduates. It’s so commonplace that you can just pick up the phone and call a really senior colleague to go for a coffee with them and learn about what they do.”

“Lloyds is a great place to work. It’s possible to have so many different careers all within the same company because those opportunities are there for the taking.”

For more information about undergraduate and graduate opportunities at Lloyds Banking Group, visit: www.lloydsbankinggrouptalent.com

Internships

Duration:10 weeks

Intake: June - August

Entrance requirements: Expected 2:1 degree and 260 – 320 UCAS points depending on the programme

Pay: £18k p.a. pro rata or £21k p.a. pro rata with London weighting

Programmes available: Corporate Markets, Finance, General Management, HR and IT

 

Graduate Leadership Programmes

Duration: 2-3 years (operates on a rotational basis so there may be four placements of six months, for example)

Next intake:September 2010

Entry requirements: 2:1 or above (gained or expected) with 260 – 320 UCAS points (depending on the programme)

Pay and rewards:£3,000 sign-on incentive, £28,000 to £31,000 (depending on the programme) + London weighting if applicable, mobile phone and laptop after 6 months

Programmes available:Corporate Markets, Finance, General Management, HR and IT