The financial sector is a huge employer, employing a high number of young people ranging from school leavers to university graduates. Expected and familiar roles such as bank clerks and financial advisors are crucial to the banking sector; however the industry has many more career paths to offer.

Case Study

Susan Bond - A career in the financial sector

 
Young Scot spoke to Susan Bond, an HR Consultant for AEGON to gain some insight into how she started a career in finance, her experiences and some top tips for those who are interested in a career in the financial sector.
Getting started
When Susan left university she knew she fancied doing something in marketing or HR and after temping with AEGON in their HR department her career naturally ‘evolved from there’. Susan went on to gain sponsorship to do a professional CIPD qualification and then secured a place in the AEGON HR graduate scheme, where she was given the opportunity to do a ‘bit of everything’ before specialising in HR Consultancy.

Susan mentioned that she had not specifically set out to realise a career in the financial sector but that the industry does offer more opportunities and career paths than just working in a bank. Susan noted the opportunity to travel within the company as a big plus, suggesting that career progression and movement within the financial sector was very evident, with business being conducted across the world for many companies.

Career Progression

• 2001 – 2005: MA Business Studies, Edinburgh University
• 2005: Joined AEGON HR function supporting the Employee Wellbeing team
• 2007: Began part time Masters in HRM at Napier University to work towards CIPD qualification (sponsored by AEGON)
• 2008: Appointed to AEGON’s HR Graduate programme
• 2010: Appointed as HRC current role

Current role as an HR Consultant:

Susan works within the Human Resources (HR) function for AEGON UK, part of the AEGON Group, one of the world's largest providers of pensions, life insurance and investment products.  HR’s role is to help the business attract, retain, motivate and develop the right people in the right roles.  
As an HR Consultant Susan supports the creation and delivery of an HR Operating Plan for the aligned business area – Sales, Partnerships and Distribution.  She works closely with senior management teams to support and lead HR projects with the ultimate aim to support the business in meeting its objectives.

Working Week:

Monday  

As my customer area is widely dispersed throughout the UK, my role involves regular travel.  Today I am in London attending the monthly management team meeting with my aligned business area.  Our discussion takes a focus on Performance Management and in particular how we can encourage the right behaviours and ensure that performance objectives recognise the importance of treating customers fairly.

Tuesday 

Back in the Edinburgh office today.  Meet with my colleagues in Employee Relations to gain their input on a consultation paper I am preparing for our trade union.  Employee Relations is an expert area within HR who provide advice on technical HR matters and manage the relationship with our trade unions.   

Wednesday 

Today I am in Manchester supporting the delivery of a Diversity and Equality workshop.  The aim of these sessions is to raise awareness of what the law says about diversity and equality and what this means for us.  Luckily the participants are really engaged with the session and we have a great debate on some of the issues.

Thursday

Today I have a project meeting with my HRC team to check up on each of our progress against key deliverables.  This is also an opportunity to get an overall update from the project manager and escalate any key issues or barriers. 

In the evening I attend one of the local Employment Law seminars which provide a really useful update on the key legislative changes we need to be aware of.

Friday  

Another full diary today – my first meeting is to discuss the results of our latest employee survey.  This involves colleagues from across the organisation including our Internal Communications team.  We discuss how we will communicate the results of the survey and how we can best support our customers in responding to the key messages. 

 Reasons for entering the financial sector:

• Opportunity to work within a large organisation with a wide spread of customers
• Importance of securing talent within such a competitive sector
• Like the challenge of supporting my business areas in delivering their objectives so that we can be successful in adapting to our changing market conditions.

Top Tips:

• Do your research – find out more about the industry and how it operates.  This will also help you identify which area of financial services you would like to work in as the industry is quite broad ranging.
• Think customer – customer service is exceptionally important for our industry and so this skill is key
• Look for opportunities to get into the industry e.g. Graduate programmes or school leaver opportunities 
• Look at the qualifications you can undertake to give you a head start - CII is a good source
• Get as much work experience as possible, test the water  and see where you could use your skills

For more information and case studies on careers in the financial services sector visit re:think. The website includes details of the wide variety of roles available and provides information from people who work in the industry regarding how they got into their role and what the work is really like.