Banks hunt for top candidates

Competition for the “highest calibre graduates” is fierce in Australia, according to the ANZ’s Mark Jankelson.

Last year the bank received more than 7000 applications to fill about 140 positions across Australia and New Zealand in this year’s graduate program.

“We’re in an environment of growth and this means the graduate market is very competitive,” says Jankelson, ANZ Group’s general manager for organisational effectiveness and human resources centres of expertise.

“There is a strong level of competition in the banking and finance industry for the highest calibre of graduates. We’re looking for graduates who can show they have strong leadership potential and can work collaboratively to deliver results.

“We’re seeing that more and more employers want to recruit graduates and build graduate development programs.

“Competition for graduates is not limited to our industry, it’s across all industries and sectors such as engineering and IT.”
ANZ invests in training and development opportunities to ensure graduates remain engaged and can go ahead in their careers.

The bank has a rotational graduate program, comprising three to four rotations in different areas of the bank, each about four to six months long.

“This kind of exposure allows graduates to experience a variety of roles while giving them the opportunity to explore various career paths,” Jankelson says.

“This is a long-term focus for the future and a long-term investment for us to help build a strong pipeline of talented leaders.

In the fight for talent, Australia is a reasonably small market with recognised skill shortages, so it’s important to put ourselves in the best position to attract, and then retain, talented staff.”

ANZ wants graduates who are driven to perform and achieve excellence, he says.

“People who are innovative, work collaboratively and are accountable. Graduates who have achieved good academic results, demonstrated life experience such as work experience, interests or hobbies, and well-rounded individuals. They must also be passionate about a career in banking.”

ANZ’s graduate program next year will offer about 140 positions, and will be expanded into Asia and the Pacific, where local graduates will be recruited.

“This is a natural progression of our graduate program as we are focused on recruiting and developing local in-country talent who have knowledge about local industry, culture and markets in which we operate,” Jankelson says.

Article from The Australian, April 2011.