eFinancialCareers

Play-acting mightn’t seem the way to start your banking career, but Macquarie Bank, for one, is prepared to put hard money into just such an activity.

It has funded a simulated trading room at Bond University, which brings the number of Australian universities with such facilities up to four: Bond, Monash, Griffith and RMIT.

Does a degree from such an institution give you an edge?

Citi’s director and head of HR, markets and banking for Australia, Sally Kincaid, says simulated trading rooms give students exposure to the fast pace of the investment banking world, so different from university work, and sharpen them up for the world of work.

The fact that you’ve spent time practising in something similar to the real thing will also help you stand out from the mass of other would-be bankers/traders.

“Having trading room experience wouldn’t be enough in itself to get a graduate a position, but it would give them an edge and differentiate them,” says Kincaid. “The more trading-like experience people have, the more quickly and effectively they will make appropriate decisions once they are employed in an investment bank,” she adds.

Rothschild’s head of HR, Cleo Higgins, confirms the appeal. She says students who’ve spent time in a simulated trading environment will be less green and should have an advantage: “Experience builds confidence,” she points out.