These notes are taken from JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley events and are virtually direct quotes from HR or similar hiring people. You should follow them as best you can.

Application Notes

I took most of this from a Morgan Stanley insight event

• Most companies value passion and teamwork over grades (assuming you qualify)
• You are not expected to be fluent in programming languages or anything like that
• Apprentices usually get similar benefits to full-time employees
• You will usually be given a permanent contract to continue employment after your apprenticeship
• You can generally use predicted grades in your application, assuming you get them (some companies may let you justify not getting the grades to qualify in your interview)
• Prior work experience or having a job can be helpful but isn’t required
• You are unlikely to have much, if any, student loan debt if you commute
• What you learn at work can often help with your studies, too
• Employers cannot ask for your Date of Birth during early recruitment; don’t include it

CV Skills and Advice

Most of this is from a JP Morgan Work Experience Programme

• Content and Structure
  • An address on your CV isn’t necessary but can be helpful if you’re local
  • Put the events you attend on your Cover Letter to show your passion and commitment, but probably not on your CV to help keep it short and sweet
  • Don’t use too many numbers; make life a bit easier for the reader
  • Put essential details on the CV, not external sites like GitHub
  • List your qualifications by most recent; you can put predicted grades if you like
  • Keep your ‘Education’ section to only school exams (Highers, N5, etc)
  • You don’t need to list other grades if you already qualify for the role
  • A photo isn’t required on your CV in the UK
  • Keep your ‘Work Experience’ section detailed
  • Keep ‘Skills and Interests’ sections to things that are employable
  • Include proficiency of Microsoft (Office) 365 skills
  • A Personal Statement should be 3-4 sentences max and include:
    • 1st sentence should be about you
    • The last sentence should be why you want the job
  • Back yourself up, provide examples of proficient programming languages
  • Don’t use excessive photos
  • Put your Personal Statement between your contact info and the ‘Education’ sections
• General
  • Use a dedicated work email address
  • Employers spend 45 seconds reading CVs on average - make them short and sweet!
  • ‘Education’, ‘Work Experience’ and your Personal Statement are the most critical sections of your CV, prioritise them
  • Tailor your Personal Statement to each job
• Important Considerations
  • Use good English to help not be filtered out by CV screening bots
  • Include any musical instruments you play as extracurriculars
  • Keep your CV design monochrome (black and white) unless you’re applying for a design role
  • Quality content is much more important than a quality layout/design
  • USE SPELLCHECK (Grammarly is also very good)
  • Keep your CV easy-to-read, error-free, consistent, and relevant

Email Lynne Lockier with your CV if you want feedback: People to Talk To

Interview Skills and Considerations

Most of this is from a JP Morgan Work Experience Programme