Application and Selection | Barclays Early Careers and Graduates

Our Graduate and Internship recruitment process image

We’re dedicated to helping you go further – and that starts from the moment you first apply. It’s the most objective and fair way to see the best in our applicants, which means more diversity. It’s the most immersive way to show you what we do, which means realistic expectations for you. And on top of all that, it’s the most efficient use of your time.

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We’ve tailored our application specifically so that getting started doesn’t mean an unreasonable time commitment for you. Tasks will take slightly longer as you get closer to final assessment so that we can get to know you better, but we won’t ask you to complete hours of applications for no reward.

In fact, from your first application to the moment you find out if you’ve got the job, your assessments will take a total of 4 to 7 hours, plus preparation time, depending on the speed you like to work at.

What’s more, we’ll give you constructive feedback, making our process educational for everyone.

We’ve also made sure that each stage of the journey is a real chance to get to know our business and what you’ll do. We won’t demand a lot from you whilst telling you little about ourselves. This process is all about respect, and that goes both ways.

Throughout the assessment process, we’ll be looking out for particular strengths and cognitive abilities – character traits and skills you’ll find in Barclays colleagues all over the business. We come from diverse backgrounds and we approach challenges in different ways, but these are the things we have in common. They’re qualities that you might find in people from any background, and if you’ve got the skills, we’ll help you build on them.

Agile learner

You’ll show us throughout the process that you’re hungry to learn more, adapting what you know to new situations and gaining a comprehensive knowledge of our business.

Relationship navigator

You’ll demonstrate that you want to make strong and lasting relationships across teams, businesses and geographic areas. You’ll also be comfortable with calling on others for help and collaboration.

Team collaborator

You thrive on achieving goals through teamwork. During the process, you’ll show us that you can lead, make valid contributions, and leverage your group’s collective expertise and skills.

Resilient performer

You’ll demonstrate that you can work under pressure. You’re determined, you get things done, and you aren’t phased by challenges, changes or ambiguity in what’s asked of you.

Critical Analyst

You like to analyse and interpret problems and complex information. When it comes to finding a solution, you’ll think broadly and consider a wide number of information sources to reach your conclusions.

Numerical Interpreter

You’ll also demonstrate that you can understand the story behind facts and figures. You can use numerical skills to solve a problem, and you can use numerical data to build a narrative and understand a subject.

Most of our internship and graduate opportunities will require you to go through the following process. For the few opportunities that don’t, rest assured that we would be in touch with more information, which will help you to get through the process smoothly.

1. Register your interest

All you have to do to begin with is research which role suits your skills and ambitions, tell us you’re interested, and share your CV with us. That’s it. Give us a few basic details, helping us make sure we’re doing everything we can do to encourage diversity and we’ll get back in touch to let you know what happens next.

2. Business Insight Stage 1

This is our first proper introduction to your skills, but simultaneously you will be immersed into a realistic but fictitious business scenario. This will give you a real insight into the work you’ll do at Barclays, helping you understand our industry and how you can add value.

During the film, we’ll ask you some questions to find out if you’ve got some of the strengths and abilities we need. It is not a timed activity but shouldn’t take you more than 45 minutes. You’ll hear back from us shortly with a constructive strengths-based feedback report.

3. Markets & Group Functions - Business Insight Stage 2

During this next stage, the business scenario will delve a bit deeper into the business area you’re applying for. You’ll be asked specific questions relating to the project, and you’ll receive tasks that will reflect the type of work done by our graduates.

Unlike other assessments you might have tried, our innovative platform means this isn’t just an exercise in how fast you can type – you’ll find multiple choice questions and space to record video responses too. This way, we can get a fairer impression of how you work and what motivates you.

Again, we want to be respectful of your time, so this exercise should take no more than 40 minutes.

3. Banking - Video/telephone interview

If you’ve made it to this stage, we’ll get to know your individual strengths through a number of video or telephone interview. You’ll talk to your members of the team plus your potential future manager about your motivations, strengths, and values, and you’ll also have the chance to ask plenty of questions of your own.

4. Barclays Business Meeting

This is the final stage of our process, but we don’t want it to be intimidating, and we won’t spread it out over days at a time. In fact, it’ll take you a maximum of 3.5 to 5 hours.

Depending on the stream you’ve applied to, you’ll take on an immersive challenge related to your chosen area. The task will be designed not just to test your strengths but also to get you ready to dive straight in. During the task, you’ll pick up vital skills that you’ll need for any graduate programme – even if you don’t go on to work here.

5. Offer or feedback

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations are in order. If we make you an offer, the next step is on-boarding and we’ll be in touch to arrange that. If we can’t take you on this time though, our process should give you the constructive feedback to help you find a role in the future.

We want this process to have real value for everyone, so as well as a personalised report, you’ll even be offered a feedback coaching call, if you reach this final stage. That means that if you’re unsuccessful, you have a strong idea of how to improve, giving you a head start on finding your future role.

Think about what drives you

Remember our interviews are strengths-based. Rather than just asking what you’ve done, we want to know what you love to do and what drives you - even if you haven’t had much experience of it. So before your interviews, think about what you really enjoy doing, and what you’re like at your best. What are your proudest achievements? What excites you about this role? What makes your mindset right for our business?

Be ready for a range of questions

At your strengths-based interview, we’ll ask you a wide variety of question types – some of them a little different from what you might have found elsewhere. Rather than being asked to speak at length on only a handful of questions, expect a faster pace with us – with more quick-fire questions and the chance to express how you feel about different tasks and activities.

Listen to your brief

There are no hidden surprises to our exercises. At every step, from the first to the final stage, you’ll have a very clear brief to help you. Pay attention here, and you’ll find the perfect guidance to get started, even if you don’t have experience of the task.

Show us the real you

Both your interview and the Barclays Business Meeting are a chance to get to know more about the company and the role. If you enjoy the experience, then chances are you’ll also enjoy the role with us. At the same time, if you relax and show us what motivates you, it helps us to work out where you’d be best suited.

Our Graduate and Internship recruitment process

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