Name: Niek de Neijs
Track: Finance/ Risk
Studied: Finance and Investing + Behavioural Economics
Trainee year: 2019
What type of profile do we look for?
Hi all,
My name is Niek and I am a current Finance and Risk Trainee. In this blog, I answer the question: What are we looking for in a candidate for the Finance and Risk traineeship at NN?
The NN traineeship is designed to deliver the leaders of tomorrow including in the fields of Finance & Risk. This is the stick by which we measure: “Do you have the potential to be a future leader?” As such, we are looking for recent graduates who are eager to learn both in terms of the content of finance and risk, but also eager to learn about themselves and the way they behave. Besides, we are looking for good communicators. Having good ideas only goes so far as your ability to communicate them. There will often be times where you will need to use your communication skills to convince, explain, or align.
Furthermore, we look for people with a quantitative disposition. Math, statistics, or complex finances doesn’t scare you, in fact, you want to learn more about it.
A core element of the traineeship will be different rotations, each year you will rotate to a new team with new assignments and new responsibilities. This will require the ability to adapt quickly to changing environments.
Do I have the right background?
In general, the above-mentioned elements are more important than your study background. So what if you don’t have any finance experience but have a background in e.g. math, engineering, or natural sciences? Quite a few of my fellow trainees have a background in engineering and natural sciences, so we are definitively also looking for you. If you do, it is important for us (and yourself) to know why you want to work in the finance and risk field.
Aside from your study background, we can really appreciate candidates that have a healthy dose of life experience. Maybe you did a Board year at an association, studied or lived abroad, started your own company, or practiced sports at a high level. Or maybe you have other personal or professional life experiences that made you who you are today.
Should I know how to code?
As a current Finance & Risk trainee, a question I often get is if I need to have coding/programming experience for the traineeship. No, you don’t have to but it is definitely useful to have. Many assignments within Finance & Risk don’t require coding skills, however, we see that understanding and knowing how to handle data becomes more and more important in our jobs. Knowing how to code is therefore an excellent skill to have.
Got any questions about what its like to be a Finance & Risk Trainee? Feel free to reach out to me by email to niek.de.neijs@nn-group.com or send me a message on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/niekdeneijs/.
