Getting into sales and trading, explained straight

Guides for UK undergraduates recruiting for markets roles at investment banks. Written from my own applications, internships and assessment centres, with no filler.

Life on the desk

A Day on a Fixed Income Trading Desk in London

A day on a London emerging market credit desk, hour by hour: the 6:30 start, the morning call, axes and runs, the news that moves prices, risk and VaR.

5 min read

Application guide

How to Get Into Sales and Trading in the UK

The UK route into sales and trading: spring weeks, summer internships, graduate offers, application stages, when applications open and how to prepare.

8 min read

The basics

What Is Sales and Trading? How a Bank's Markets Division Works

Sales and trading explained: what the desks do, how sales, trading and structuring differ, how banks make money from markets, and what a day looks like.

7 min read

Interview prep

Sales and Trading Interview Questions and What They Test

The questions UK banks ask in sales and trading interviews across motivation, market awareness, technicals and brain teasers, and what interviewers are testing.

6 min read

Choosing a division

Sales and Trading vs Investment Banking

Sales and trading vs investment banking for UK undergrads: how the work, clients, skills, recruiting and exits differ, and how to decide which to apply for.

7 min read

Non-finance backgrounds

Can You Get Into Sales and Trading Without a Finance Degree?

Yes. A UK guide to getting into sales and trading with a non-finance degree: what banks screen for, how to show numeracy, and how to explain your subject.

7 min read

Interview prep

How to Pitch a Trade in a Sales and Trading Interview

What "pitch me a trade" means in a UK sales and trading interview, what interviewers are testing, and how to choose an idea worth pitching.

4 min read

The final round

What Happens at a Sales and Trading Assessment Centre

What a sales and trading assessment centre involves: how many interviews, how long they run, and what HSBC, Barclays, Goldman, JPM and Morgan Stanley publish.

4 min read