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How would you describe your job in 2-3 lines?My job is to help with the coverage of key clients through marketing / pitches regarding potential strategic or financing opportunities and, when mandated on a specific situation, to coordinate and transact a deal (including relevant administration, documentation preparation and marketing tasks).

What do you do actually do on a day-to-day basis?There are various aspects to my job that I perform on a daily basis and these can be split into two main categories: 1) Marketing / pitching to core clients for business 2) Transaction work Within the marketing bracket, my day-to-day job is to follow key developments of the core clients within my subsector and prepare updates or pitches on potential strategic or financing business opportunities to present to the management of these companies in meetings. This advice is formed by performing a financial analysis of the company, either reviewing the balance sheet and capital structure to see if a refinancing is required or performing a merger analysis of potential targets to demonstrate the merits of a potential combination with the identified target company. I am also required to prepare updates on the current macro environment and specific sector developments depending on which client the meeting is with. With regards to mandated transaction work, the nature of the work varies depending on what kind of mandate you have. The four main types of transactions that you work on as an M&A analyst are: a) A sell-side mandate (selling the company to potential buyers) b) A buy-side mandate (representing the interested buyer) c) An IPO (bringing a private company public - driven mainly by the Equity Capital Markets team) d) A refinancing / bond issuance (driven mainly by the Leveraged Finance team but requires help from the M&A analyst as well) For each process there is a valuation analysis that has to be performed, requiring the analyst to analyse key comparable companies to determine what multiple can be assigned to the estimated EBITDA of a company to determine the Enterprise Value of the company (total valuation). The job requires you to form an opinion and give advice to the client as to what valuation they can expect to achieve from a transaction. For an IPO the valuation is determined by the public markets and for a sell-side or buy-side transaction the valuation will depend on how much the buyer can pay and how many synergies can be generated from the transaction (which adds additional value to the company). Additionally I am required to help prepare the key documentation for a transaction (such as an Information Memorandum, Management Presentation for marketing purposes or a Bond Prospectus depending on the nature of the transaction) Administrative work is also required such as coordinating weekly calls with all the team members, preparing a working group list, amongst others. Attendance at actual meetings with clients increases with seniority and involvement, especially for marketing related work. When working on a transaction you spend a lot of time with the client and will generally travel a lot and be more involved in the meetings at this level.

What are the main positives and negatives of your job?Positives:
- Very steep learning curve
- Great introduction to finance, an excellent place to start regardless of where you see yourself long-term
- Team based work with a lot of support and guidance from senior team members
- Multiple tasks to complete in a given day, a broad learning experience
- Opportunity to network and communicate with a lot of people both at a junior and senior level within the firm
- When attending meetings, you get exposure to very senior people at FTSE 100 companies Negatives:
- You do not get a great deal of responsibility as an analyst as, in general, you will be the most junior member of a four person team working on any given project
- Marketing work can be a lot of repetition, updating the same pages for changing views and market data
- The work-life balance is definitely more heavily work related, especially at the beginning

What qualifications and skills are needed to be great at this job?Bachelor degree, preferably finance / economics related.
Generally good to have prior work experience in this field to demonstrate interest and knowledge.
Know details about financial markets and the macro environment (namely by keeping up with the news eg. reading the FT).
Attention to detail.
Strong quantitative skills.
Good interpersonal and communication skills.

What are the best and worst things about your company specifically?Positives:
- Very competitive
- A lot of support within the firm if you manage to build a core network
- Communication within various groups and divisions, there is a great deal of cooperation within the firm so you can learn about many different aspects of your job and those of other people
- Great additional training programmes / teaching sessions that are available to you on a monthly basis
- Strong women's network Negatives:
- Too competitive? (depends on personality)
- Somewhat individualistic, you have to look out for yourself

Please describe your interview process and give any other advice for candidates applying for a similar role at this company (e.g Useful books etc.)Reading the Vault guide is the best way to get a detailed overview of the kinds of things you will be expected to know in an interview. It includes a background explanation of basic financial concepts including how to understand a company's financial statements, valuation techniques and formulas, in addition to advice on how to present yourself in interviews, examples of CVs, potential brain teaser questions etc.

What are your real working hours?9am to 12pm. The working day is typically about 13-16 hours depending on the work load / urgency of a project. This can vary and hours tend to improve as you become more senior.

What is the salary for this role (in £s)?£39,000 - £41,000. There is an additional bonus at the end of the year assigned based on a 360 degree grading and ranking system.

How would you rate the following?
1 = None at all; 10 = A huge amount

Would you choose to do this job again?Probably

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How would you describe your job in 2-3 lines?I am involved in developing and testing engine lubricants and fuels for all markets around the world, from heavy duty commercial vehicle engines right down to motorcycle engines.

What do you do actually do on a day-to-day basis?I have a great deal of interaction with both our suppliers, of whom we buy our raw materials and some finished products, but also marketing for whom we are developing our products.

What are the main positives and negatives of your job?I interact with a large number of people and have a broad overview of how the business system works due to my interactions with marketing, and also the logistical issues faced due to my interactions with supply chain. I am gaining a lot of project management experience too, as you are trusted with important projects fairly early on. However, I applied as a chemist, but there is not a great deal of chemistry in this job, and I do miss a seeming lack of technical requirements in the job.

What qualifications and skills are needed to be great at this job?You need to be either an engineer or a chemist, although other areas of the company employ people with many other skills.

What are the best and worst things about your company specifically?The company sponsors many events, so you can nearly always apply for free tickets to an event. The company is also flexible with office time, and they have many offices around the world, so the opportunity for foreign travel and also placements abroad is high. There is a wide range of jobs available internally, so the possibility of changing your career path is very high. The company also has a gym onsite and will sponsor activities. The company did, however, have a quota that 10% of people had to be below expectations in their work, which meant that they would receive neither a pay rise nor a bonus. However, this enforced quota has apparently now changed.

Please describe your interview process and give any other advice for candidates applying for a similar role at this company (e.g Useful books etc.)There is an extensive online application form, then a phone interview based on life experiences and 'competencies.' Then a technical interview and then an assessment centre.
For the phone interview, it is necessary to have examples of when you have used your technical skill etc or when you have led something etc. This is a difficult interview and applicants should think carefully and prepare before they have this interview.

What are your real working hours?9am to 6pm. Working hours are pretty flexible. Core office hours are 10am - 3pm. If you need to leave early to go visit a friend, then that is not a problem and people do not check up on the hours you work.

What is the salary for this role (in £s)?£33,000 - £35,000. There is a discretional bonus of around 10% of your salary, although this is dependent upon your individual performance and also the business' performance, which is not included in the above figure.

How would you rate the following?
1 = None at all; 10 = A huge amount

Would you choose to do this job again?Probably

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What do you do actually do on a day-to-day basis?Basically my job involves finding out what my client wants to achieve in the deal, then drafting and negotiating documents to make sure that happens and to try and get to a document which fully protects my client and gives it the best outcome. This means rounds of negotiating with lawyers on the other side, and going back to my client to seek instructions and advise on options. As a corporate lawyer my clients are pretty much always very savvy and well informed, so there is much less 'hand holding' and going back to basics which a high street lawyer or private client lawyer might encounter.

What are the main positives and negatives of your job?The relationship with the client is what makes the job rewarding. I also like my colleagues - most of us are friends so the office is a nice place to be.

What qualifications and skills are needed to be great at this job?Straight As, good university (Oxbridge or just below), strong degree at 2:1 level or above. No previous employment experience required - most people apply whilst still at university.

Describe the perfect person for this job.Nothing in particular really. As long as you're bright, good with people and hard working you'll be fine.

How did the job differ from your prior expectations?The working environment has been much better. Supportive colleagues, considerate bosses, nice people - none of the corporate backstabbing I thought I might encounter. I also have more control over my hours than I thought I would, so if I make evening plans I can normally make them even if it means working later the day before or after.

Please describe your interview process and give any other advice for candidates applying for a similar role at this company (e.g Useful books etc.)Don't lie on your CV, try to relax in the interview and get a good flow of conversation with the interviewer, don't try and blag your way through questions you don't know, don't be too serious (they want lively people not people who just seem like intellectuals)

What are your real working hours?9 to 7

What is the salary for this role (in £s)?50k-70k

How would you rate the following?
1 = None at all; 10 = A huge amount

Would you choose to do this job again?Definitely

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How would you describe your job in 2-3 lines?ABF operates in four categories: grocery; primary food agriculture; ingredients; and retail. Global turnover for ABF is circa £8.2 billion with over 96,000 employees.
Westmill Foods, part of the Grocery Group, has grown to become one of the largest flour, rice, spice, sauce, edible oils and noodle suppliers to the UK and European ethnic wholesaler market, food service, industrial sectors and the grocery multiples, with sales in most major EU countries.
I currently work within the Logistics department of Westmill Foods, based at our Head Office in Enfield. Within this role I have been working on project to relabel and reorganise the warehouse racking location system, with the aim of improving order fulfillment efficiency. Past placements have included projects to: Complete an RFI to find a new Retort pouch supplier - a rapidly expanding part of our business.
Co-launching the marketing campaign for our Amoy brand "cook off" in Paris.
Establish the feasibility of establishing a presence within the Spanish ethnic food market.
I also spent 2 months working in our Planning Department, where is was responsible for the supply and demand planning for our Bought in Goods.

What do you do actually do on a day-to-day basis?No day is the same, I have traveled all over the country for different training courses and placements, spending time at all our UK sites in London, Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and our European Office in Rijswijk. I am often given a project to pursue that I am then allowed "free reign" of. Update and progress meetings help ensure work stays on track. You are able to work as independently as practically necessary and because of the varying challenges the role has diverging levels of interaction and collaboration.

What are the main positives and negatives of your job?The ABF Graduate scheme has provided the opportunity to work in all elements of Supply Chain, from Logistical operations, Purchasing, Manufacturing and Demand Planning.
Unlike many Supply Chain schemes the programme allows exposure to our commercial operations, including placements within the retail sales team and both the Chinese and non-Chinese marketing departments.

What qualifications and skills are needed to be great at this job?Application requirements state a 2:2 or higher and a high level of self motivation, enthusiasm and drive. A 'can do' attitude will help perseverance in difficult situations. A willingness to learn and an interest in Food is essential.

What are the best and worst things about your company specifically?In 2005/2006 Westmill acquired BE International (Amoy, Rajah, Green Dragon, Vitasoy and Lotus Brand) and Pride Oils PLC. These have been added to our Tolly Boy, Asli, Habib, Guru, and Lucky Boat brands. The expansion of our brand portfolio which appeals to the Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Afro-Caribbean, African, and Chinese communities, has meant that the business has gone through an enormous amount of change in recent years, with operations growing, markets and brands expanding. Because of this Westmill is a truly exciting company to be a part of, the people and culture of the business have evolved and grown as our portfolio has.
The people I work with make the role even more enjoyable, the fact that no days the same keeps momentum behind the Scheme, you get excited about what is coming next and the possible impact you can have on the businesses development.
One down side would be the lack of a access to our products, which is something that other ABF businesses have. I have - since joining the company - been working on setting up a staff shop, so watch this space!

Please describe your interview process and give any other advice for candidates applying for a similar role at this company (e.g Useful books etc.)Each of the ABF businesses have websites - so to see whether the scheme would be a good fit for you its worth visiting the websites to learn a little about each company. The Graduate scheme facebook page is great if you would like to ask questions about specific roles to those that are in them or have been. The interview process is focused on seeing if you would be a good fit for the business, which is considered more important than how much you already know.

What are your real working hours?9am to 5pm. I have yet to start my placement within Manufacturing which is the role that will require Shift work. Therefore my working hours have been quite regular, however this is reliant on the fact that you are able to mange your time well.

What is the salary for this role (in £s)?£25,000 - £27,000

How would you rate the following?
1 = None at all; 10 = A huge amount

Would you choose to do this job again?Definitely

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