The psychometric tests were “Numerical reasoning” and “inductive-logical (clx) reasoning”. I found it incredibly useful to practise the second one on psychometric test prep sites, as an hour or two of practise can lead to a very good score, as you start to recognise patterns.
The initial video interview (through Sonru) had the following questions:
* What are your passions outside finance that might help you succeed in your business area at UBS?
* What has been your biggest achievement? Describe how you got there, the outcome and how it made you feel
* Describe a situation where things did not go as planned. How did you react to recover from that situation?
* Can you think of a situation where innovation was required of you to solve a task? What did you do?
* What differentiates a good trader from a bad one?
* What is the next big industry or product of the future that you would like to invest in if you had the money? How much and why?
* Tell us about a recent current affairs story you have found interesting and why.
* You now have 2 minutes to add any further comments you may have.
After this, I was invited to the assessment centre, which consisted of 2x 30-minute interviews: one commercial (with a trader) and one competency (with two HR representatives). Competency interview questions:
* Name a time you’ve led a team
* Name a time you’ve let someone down
* What would you do if someone admitted they cheated on a test? The “what would you do if someone cheated” question was important, as they linked it back to UBS’s values of integrity after I answered. They wanted to hear an answer where you would do the right thing, and tell the relevant person about this cheating. They gave an example of if someone cheated on one of the psychometric tests, and said that it is unjustifiable to give someone a second change once they have shown they lack integrity. I would recommend brushing up on UBS’s values before this interview, to ensure that your responses align with their values.
Commercial interview questions:
* Describe a recent news event that has affected the markets. What impact did it have and why?
* Pitch one area of investment opportunity (with a specific company), and why have you chosen this?
* What could the government or central bank do to ease the current European energy/gas price crisis?
My tips for this interview would be to be very up-to-date with current financial news, key theme and macroeconomic drivers, and also to prepare the investment opportunity pitch beforehand. Knowing an industry, with its key drivers, regulatory changes, key market players and where the company you choose sits within this market is crucial. In my opinion, choosing a more niche industry works well, as the interviewer is less likely to know the industry in-depth, and thus you are less likely to get lots of questions or be pressed on your idea. I did this, and I think the interviewer found it both memorable and interesting, since it was new to them. Also knowing the risks and disadvantages of this industry or company is vital, to show you know it well enough.
All interviewers were very friendly, and the markets-based questions in the second interview were quite open-ended, so it was easy to talk about the things that you are stronger with.
The culture seemed good, especially as the second interviewer had a conversation about how large organisations can support their employees mental health, and asked for my opinions on how this could be improved.