Case Study - Farida, JP Morgan Chase

Personal Profile

Name: FARIDAH SHUAIBU

Nationality NIGERIAN

Your Job

Job title: IT ANALYST

Employer: JP MORGAN CHASE

Typical Day

My typical day involves working on projects that get assigned to me periodically. My job involves developing software, mostly enhancements and fixing defects on computer applications used by fund managers, traders, for generating reports clients etc..

Some of my work spans across different teams, departments and sometimes even the continents! So from time to time, I’m in contact with colleagues abroad to get information regarding projects I’m working on.

There’s usually the odd meeting here and there, some which I have to dial into if it’s not in my location.

Typical Projects

An example of projects I work on is a Performance project to monitor the performance of Fund Managers.

Training and Development

I attended a 3 week training and induction course in London when I started my job. This covered several subjects like Project management, Presentation & delivery, Accounting, Introduction to Investment banking etc…

For my technical skills like Software development, all the training I have was from working on projects at University.

Application Process for Current Employer

1. Filling application from online and sending CV
2. After passing this stage, I had to take an online aptitude test
3. Interview stage
4. Job confirmation.

Keys to Success
It’s important to know what each company wants as well as what you want, this would help keep your application in perspective. Tailor your experiences & skill set to suit the role you are applying for. Lastly be clear about why you have chosen that particular company and role, because you’d most certainly be asked that during interviews.

Your University Experience

Qualifications BEng Micro Computer Systems Engineering

Year of Graduation 2007

Use of Careers Service
I attended Career Fairs and obtained lots of useful materials including employment magazines and booklets from the Career service resource centre.

I also took advantage of help given by Career advisers especially to get advice regarding my CV and application forms.

Work Experience whilst at University

Mostly contact centre experience, part time during term time & full time over the summer. I worked with O2, Sky Digital and Scottish Power.

Your Job Seeking Strategy

 I got a lot of information from the career service and spoke to employers during the Career Fairs. Having decided what industry I’d like to work in, I proceeded to research the relevant companies by getting details from their websites. I was particularly interested in those that offered an internship program, had a structured graduate program in the industry of my choice and were willing to apply for a work permit on my behalf.

Advice to Current International Students

First of all believe, in yourself. Coming from a different country, you probably have a wealth of experience which you can draw from when applying for jobs. Be sure to sell yourself, show employers why you are outstanding. Most of the application forms take a long time to fill because they require so much information, so start filling them early enough. Remember that employers want to know that you are well rounded, so when giving examples of your skill sets for instance, don’t just talk about work & your studies. If you play a sport, are in a music band, were a prefect in high school, did voluntary work at some point, lead a group in your church etc… talk about that too.
Take advantage of the help of the University’s Career advisers, they can have a look at your CV or application form and give valuable advice. Remember that an accepted form of CV in your home country could be different in the UK, so get some advice.
All the best!!