1st Year Analyst

The interview process for Smith and Williamson is much like that for other firms that have standardised Graduate Schemes in London.

Obviously first you apply online and answer a series of questions on the company, what sets it apart etc. You then do numerical and verbal reasoning tests

If you are successful you are invited to an assessment center. This consists of another numerical test (if you fail you are sent home) and in the afternoon you do a group exercise and a written test. Obviously here they are looking for people who work well in a team in the group exercise and technical knowledge in the written exercise. Both are relatively simple.

If you get through that stage you are invited to a partner interview. You are asked several questions about your CV, but the main focus is on pitching a stock to partners and also on describing what your asset allocation would look like in current market conditions. A general awareness of macro/recent business news and ability to articulate the effects of this news on the economy is more important (in my opinion) than a very technical knowledge of individual stock prices.