Capital Group:Struan

1. Submit CV and Cover Letter (http://www.capgroup.com/tap Capital Group Recruitment website)
2. First round – Phone interview or two 30 minute interviews at Capital’s London office
3. Second round interview – One full day of interviews at Capital’s London or Geneva office (at least five 45 minute interviews)
4. Final round – Two full days of interviews in Capital’s Los Angeles, California office (you will meet 10-15 Capital Associates through interviews and lunches/dinners).

The interview process does take a number of weeks/months to complete, but the process itself is entirely interview based. There is no psychometric or aptitude testing. Absolutely no prior knowledge of investing, finance or financial markets is required or assumed.

• I found it very helpful talking to friends and contacts who worked in finance to find out what they actually do on daily basis (accountants, fund managers, investment bankers).
• Shortly after completing my degree I studied for the IMC (Investment Management Certificate) a professional qualification which helped me during the application and interview process.
• I had some related work experience (internship with Reuters and work with a UK investment manager) which helped to develop my own ideas about where I might want to work.
• Capital were just as interested in my extra-curricular activities and commitments as they were in my academic achievements (I played club rugby in Scotland for 6 years prior to joining Capital)

• The TAP graduate training programme is rotation based. Over 2+ years you complete at least 6 four-month placements in a variety of different departments. This gives you a broad feel for the breadth of the companies operations rather than specific training in one aspect
• For the first year of the programme all TAP Graduates in the annual intake (between 8 and 12 graduates) move to Los Angeles to work and live. This involved obtaining a US Visa and relocating to California.
• During the first year of the programme we also received MBA-level training in Accounting, Corporate Finance and Investment Management. Although I had studied economics at St Andrews for 2 years, I found this training really helpful.
• During the first year the work hours do not tend to be that long (but this is project dependent). Typical working hours in LA are 7am-4pm (early start!). During my first year I worked in Financial Budgeting for the IT department, Corporate Governance, Marketing and completed a research project on stock performance in the S&P 500 with one of Capital’s senior portfolio managers.