Barmaid to Banker - Career Path Advice please?

SeerPusher

It's interesting that no-one has mentioned the recruiting agencies. Does no-one use them anymore?

If you go back to 2006, I was you. I graduated with a 2.2 in engineering in 2005 and wanted to work in Investment Banking. It took time but I found a job in mid 2006 by pestering every banking recruiter that I could find. I hounded them and got interviews for jobs rather than grad schemes. This put me right at the bottom, rather than on a fast-track like a grad scheme but banks are meritocracies and I went from back office nostro reconciliations to front office prime brokerage in 4 years through hard work. It is much easier to shine in recs given that you are surrounded by career temps simply there to collect their (sizable) pay packet and little more.

However, that was 9 years ago. Most banks have now outsourced their recs to India or Singapore (I helped Barcap to do theirs in 2008...) so there may not be so many similar jobs around anymore. However, I would still try agencies such as Nicoll Curtin, Robert Half, Michael Page, Badenoch and Clark, Robert Walters, and I'm sure that there are others that I can't think of. Make sure that your CV is good, have a good reason why you've spent a year not doing this, and then hound them. They are not in the business of messing about so if they reckon you are any good they'll shove you into interviews whenever they can.

Hope this helps and good luck!

ViolentFridays

Thank you lovehackney, very helpful answers.

I have struggled with some personal problems and sorting my finances out, toying with numbers and playing with demo trading accounts are the only things to have kept my interest and kept my mood up in recent months.

robatwork

Approach the TV companies.

"Barmaid to Banker" sounds very Channel 5.

rachhh

Like you, I graduated with a 2:2 in Business in 2013, from an ex-poly.
I now do account management for a large investment bank.
After university, I worked in a call centre and a bar for a year. Through my call centre work I got a job as a customer service advisor at an estate agency. I was made redundant after 6 months.
Michael Page were one of the agencies that I sent my CV to and they offered me an interview for a 6 month contract doing account management for the bank.
I was offered this job, and after 4 months there I impressed enough to be offered a permanent role.
I plan to stick at this role for a year before transferring to another job within the bank, or the industry which is more involved in the trading process.
One thing you should note though, is that everyone within the industry carries out credit and background checks, so if you have a poor credit score or history of debt etc, they are unlikely to take you on.