Graduated in Liberal Arts with a focus in Economics, Vassar College, USA, 2011

For most liberal arts students, investment banking may not seem like a natural career choice. I was initially skeptical as well. Although an analyst position provides the fast-paced working environment with high expectations I was looking for, I was concerned that my limited finance knowledge compared to students with a business-related degree would hold me back. However, as I went through the recruiting process, I realized that investment banks are looking for more than just the right answers to technical questions – they also value the diversity in thought and depth of communication and interpersonal skills that liberal arts graduates can bring to the table.

While the first few weeks as an intern or analyst can be daunting, especially for those without a finance background, Nomura has structured a training program that accelerates the learning curve. With a comprehensive curriculum and warm and consistent mentoring to support one’s learning, the only other necessity is a passion to improve and to deliver high-quality work.

There were two things I was greatly appreciative of within days of joining Nomura: the strong team spirit and the willingness of my colleagues to consider all opinions and ideas. Even as an intern, I was integrated immediately into and considered part of the team. My responsibilities and contributions grew along with my capabilities, regardless of my title.

Having served in both capital markets and corporate finance sides of investment banking, I’m grateful for the in-depth exposure to a wide variety of financial products and companies across Asia. In my current role as an analyst in the corporate finance team, I’m constantly juggling different deals with different clients, deliverables and deadlines – what excites me especially is when the work my team produces benefits our clients’ growth strategies.

Nomura continues to expand rapidly. Building on our significant momentum, we continue to generate new business opportunities. This is the place for graduates looking for a stimulating and intellectually challenging environment and who want to be an integral part of an exciting future.

BSc in Banking, Finance & Management, Loughborough University

The opportunity to be given real work and responsibility from day one impressed me and was a key reason I applied to Nomura. As an intern in the Fixed Income Product Control team I was responsible for producing daily profit and loss statements, which included reconciling various data feeds, comparing desk estimates and communicating any discrepancies to the traders. This gave me great exposure across the desk and with the traders. As I became more confident and efficient, I was given additional products and traders to cover.

Nomura excels at providing real opportunities to interns and graduates. In the current economic climate there are many challenges but also opportunities to get more involved. I have increasingly been given more responsibility, while some of my friends are still doing similar roles to when they started.

The graduate training included technical and soft skills sessions. The soft skills "Delivering powerful presentations" training was particularly valuable - our pitches were recorded and then replayed, which was really helpful and informative.

My responsibilities have steadily grown since joining the rotational graduate program. I have been heavily involved in several insightful pieces of analysis for senior management. In Cost Management & Analytics I developed an internal cost allocation process, improved the content and insight of internal Management Information (MI) and worked on delivering several cost saving initiatives. In the Regulatory Reporting team I have taken ownership of several key processes and reports and recently played a key project role in the delivery and reporting of the new CRDIV Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) to the UK Regulator (PRA).

My top tip for future interns is flexibility and networking. You have to be flexible in your approach to work. Be ready to take on new projects and tasks that may be outside your remit. Be proactive and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo.

Majored in Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Route to Nomura: The summer before my senior year of college, I interned with Nomura and at the end of the summer, I received and accepted an offer of full-time employment.

To prepare for my interview, I read up on current events and the markets, and I considered in advance the personal experiences that had led me to applying. I also researched Nomura itself, so that I understood the firm’s role in the global finance landscape. My advice is to stay calm during the interview. You may be asked some technical questions that are difficult to prepare for ahead of time. Give the questions your best shot, but don't let them overwhelm you or cloud the rest of your interview.

During my internship, I was given the opportunity to work on projects with very senior people. I was trusted to take responsibility for projects and expected to contribute in a meaningful way right from the start. Because of this, there were high expectations for development throughout the program, and I felt as though my mentors were pushing me towards goals in my product knowledge. This challenging yet supportive environment proved to be an excellent learning experience, and I learned more in my summer with Nomura than I had in any previous internship.

Having never worked in financial markets before, I was very unsure of what to expect going into my summer internship. I walked into training knowing only the basics of finance, and I expected the experience to be overwhelming and highly competitive. However, I found my peers and mentors to be extremely helpful throughout my summer at Nomura.

I believe the key to a successful internship is to express a genuine interest in the products. Interns should work to understand to the best of their ability, the products of the desks they rotate through. You can demonstrate your knowledge by showing real curiosity and asking intelligent questions. While meeting a lot of people is of course important, the value of this is increased tremendously by having high quality conversations and leaving a positive impression on those you meet.

Joint Honors Bachelors degree in Biology and Management, Imperial College London

What impressed me about Nomura was the structure of the internship program. From a non-finance background I was keen to complete an internship in a bank where I would have the opportunity to learn as much as I could about the industry and to understand where my skill set would be best suited. Before the internship I thought I would be most suited to an Equities role, however, rotating between Equities and Fixed Income helped me realize my skill set and interests were much better suited to a role in Fixed Income.

As an intern my typical day started at around 6.30am. I was responsible for summarizing key points in our trading meeting and updating the team. I attended desk-specific meetings to organise the day’s tasks before the markets opened for trading. After trading, I would review the days' trades with the settlement teams to ensure they had been booked correctly. On the FX Sales desk I also built an Excel model that was used as a platform to structure sales strategies.

As an Associate my typical day starts around 7.30am with a morning meeting call. I then put together a summary of the news highlights from Bloomberg relating to the companies that we manage in our loan portfolio. During earnings season, I will put together earnings summaries and circulate these to the relevant teams and people within the bank. If there is a 'live' deal being assessed by the desk, there will often be a series of meetings with colleagues across the Investment Banking, Finance and Risk Management divisions to discuss and analyse the merits of the deal before it is sent to the necessary approval committees.

A highlight for me was the Management Buy-Out of Iceland Foods – it was the first deal I was responsible for from start to finish and it was a thrill to see it announced in the news upon completion!

As a graduate I have been involved in a number of well-known EMEA / Americas transactions. I find the investment banking industry fascinating and am looking forward to gaining more experience and progressing at an even faster pace with my career over the next few years.

Graduated with an MA in Mathematics of Finance, Columbia University, 2010

I returned to Asia after working and studying in the US for a number of years. What motivated me to join Nomura when I moved back is its reputation - it's the best bank in Asia, with a growing global reach. The people here also influenced my decision: from my first interview they gave me their time and expertise so that I could find the best role to match my skill set. They wanted me to maximize my career potential, as well as match me to an area that would benefit them - it was a two-way decision.

What sets Nomura above other investment banks is the culture. The rapidly expanding global operations are making us a leader in the industry, and this momentum gives the bank an entrepreneurial feel. It's a place where smart people work together and encourage each other to develop their own creative ideas.

I am part of the Prime Services team, financing and structuring hedge funds for our sales people and traders. From day one I participated in so many aspects of the business and my manager was keen to get my input and opinion on our projects. In fact, he still is! I've learnt never to be afraid of bringing ideas to the table, because the managers here always give you the chance to excel. If your ideas are good, they will use them.

I'm looking forward to forging a successful career at Nomura. It's a place where you can learn and absorb knowledge quickly, and use it to move up to higher levels of responsibility. If you have the right attitude and a passion for investment banking, this is the place to be.

Bachelors Computer Science degree, City University London

Route to Nomura: I took a third year industrial placement with Lehman Brothers, which later resulted in a role at Nomura.

I was impressed by Nomura as it appeared to be constantly growing and adapting. This meant I would be involved in new projects and new and evolving technology to cope with the greater global demand. This was (and still is) an exciting prospect!

As an intern I gained vast exposure to the variety of roles I could pursue. I attended networking events, panel discussions and lunch & learn sessions. The thought of working in an investment bank was initially quite intimidating, however I was surprised at how freely I was able to interact with colleagues of varying seniority, allowing me to build a strong network and experience a range of outlooks and perspectives.

The graduate training was really useful. With a background in IT, I had limited understanding of banking, so it was useful to gain a more detailed understanding. We have had further product specific training and personal development sessions since then, which is great for understanding how you are being perceived by others and how to present yourself in different situations.

Every day you learn something new; I could be holding discussions with the desk, brokers or development team, or discussing new ideas, projects and enhancements to our current systems. My responsibilities span from kicking off and looking after projects for the desk, managing system upgrades and testing, as well as ensuring trade flows are being handled correctly. I am learning about option trading directly from the desk and the management of the trades through testing on our FX options platform. As banking evolves and changes, I have the opportunity to learn about the new technology on offer, scope out new requirements and see the projects through from start to end.

Since joining as a graduate I have progressed to the position of Senior Business Analyst within FX Options technology; I have led the delivery of global high profile projects for both regulatory and business purposes and I have improved the quality of deliverables by implementing a thorough suite of testing.