i also passed the presentation. got a call telling me to wait for the final/4th interview session probably by nx week.. anyone here knows how the 4th interview would be? and anybody from the MT itself wanna share smting regarding the 2year training program? how taf it is?

Good luck to you guys.

WIll they accept diploma holders or only degree holders?

morning all.. just came back from 1st interview.. it was a chit chat session, 1 essay writing and personality test.. so now just have to wait for call for next assessment..

i tot i would be exempted from some tests as i did my internship there last year.. but nope.. hahahaha..

hey pepper,

i'm applying for the prog as well and would like to know what are the essay questions like?

cheers

Hey. Don't know if tis has been asked before but could anyone tell me the intake dates for the program?
I will be joining the work and travel USA program and is only back around august. So I really hope I don't miss more recruitment dates as I have already delayed my graduation.
If any could tell me the dates of other banks as well that would be friggin awesome!

Thanks

Hi all,

I have been a management trainee with CIMB for close to 2 years now. Just came across this thread, and while I did not read all of it-- I did manage to kind of get the gist of the opinions/emotions/information flow that has been running through it. As a management trainee I was given the opportunity to do a 3 month rotation in Jakarta (which coincidentally is CIMB's fastest growing source of profits, way more so than Malaysia). After doing my rotations I finally found my home in the organisation as a currency trader. I'd like to think I know what I am saying about the whole career path with CIMB as a management trainee--- so if you don't mind I'd just like to chip in my comments and share my experiences with you.

1) What do you need in order to succeed in the interviews?
Pretty much standard stuff that you expect in any other interview. You need to display confidence as an individual, whilst being down to earth and not being an I-graduated-from-this-uni-with-this-degree-hence-I'm-Jesus-reborn kind of person. And that you gave a shit about the company. This means getting to know who the senior management staff are (who the chairman, CEO, deputy CEOs as well as other prominent people such as the chief economist etc), as well as how the various departments of CIMB interact and what their core functions are-- and what value they contribute to commercial/investment banking business.

2) Foreign grads> local grads
Yes this is true, to a certain extent. In no uncertain terms, a foreign graduate is generally preferable to a local graduate. While this may sound offensive to some people, it is not without justification. Firstly, how many local unis have a degree syllabus that is even comparable to that of a mediocre foreign uni? But more importantly, foreign graduates in general have acquired that ability to interact in a more professional manner as compared to local graduates (and by that I don't mean speaking English with a slang, but rather being able to communicate one's thoughts and demands clearly while also not offending the party who is listening to your oration). This is after all, a programme that is aimed at grooming individuals to fulfill management roles in the future. How do you expect a recruiter to believe that you can do so if you are unable to communicate in a professional manner? Like it or not, at the end of the day--- banking is really a client-facing profession, and thus a lot of emphasis is placed on being able to communicate well as one day, sooner rather than later you will have to face clients and your behaviour reflects upon the bank in a tremendous way.
Having said that, don't be discouraged if you are a local graduate--- the key takeaways here are to be outspoken, confident, and to be able to turn a conversation around such that it doesn't become personal. Another thing I have to add about foreign graduates, is that they generally have a wide gamut of cocurricular activities. Whether it is true or not, many of them boast a CV of having done internships in multi-national companies, serving in disaster relief funds/charitable organisations, and holding posts in various student or sports societies. The environment in a foreign country and the competition that they have faced from their peers has trained them to strive for posts like this, as compared to local graduates who are more exam results oriented (and that isn't saying much, going back to the syllabus issue I highlighted earlier). So if you can still help it, try to be involved in some side activities that are productive--- it will give a huge boost to your CV.

3) Investment banking vs Commercial banking
This world is a competitive one. Thank your lucky stars that New York and London are opening graduate hiring posts again after the 2008 crisis. What this means for you is that you face less competition from the graduates who have failed for jobs overseas and are thus coming home competing for the same CIMB/HSBC management trainee job that you are aiming for. The job market, just like any other market works on the concept of supply and demand. Less demand for fresh graduates in NY/Ldn means that a dirth of foreign graduates will come in thus saturating the market and giving employers the edge in the bargaining chip when sourcing for new employees. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, how tough the competition is really depends on the timeframe that you are looking at. However, what I can definitely tell you is that losers will fail miserably and winners will achieve success immeasurably here, as in any other competitive organisation.
Also recognise that it is very much less likely that a person that succeeds will share an Utopian story than it would a person who failed to come to a forum to rant. There is plenty of space in the Investment Banking arm of CIMB, and it is really up to yourself to prove that you deserve to be given a spot in the IB division, compared to CIMB leaving that position vacant for someone better who may come along some unknown time in the future. The various departments will have requirements for new graduates in two forms: A)frictional changes--- due to current employees leaving for other firms. B)structural goals--- due to wanting new employees because they are embarking on bigger and better things and thus need extra people to help out with the work. CIMB is continuously growing and we still have a lot of ground to gain especially in the ASEAN countries (you should know all the countries in which we have a presence in otherwise don't bother applying), so there is a lot of space to be filled from (B). If the department rejects you despite having the need to grow their staff headcount, that means that they want to wait for someone better to come along. That means that you're plainly simply not even close to being good enough. And that means it is in no way not your fault, period. This is not a charitable organisation, there is no space for incompetence, excess fat or pity--- if you gotta go, you gotta go. Bear that in mind wherever you are applying for so that it gives you the motivation to work harder/smarter/more cunningly than your peers in order to proof that you're worth your damn salt.

4)CIMB v HSBC?
This is a delicate question which I will attempt to answer without offending anybody. The short answer is that there is no answer. However I can tell you that the HSBC management trainee programme is a lot narrower-- they focus solely on commercial banking and you aren't really given the opportunity to be exposed to the various parts of the banking sector as much as you are in CIMB. Your pay in the initial years is definitely higher in HSBC, yes, but the recognition you get from other firms will not be as profound as compared to if you were working with CIMB (this translates to a higher rate of change of pay). But of course HSBC is more renowned since they have presence in almost every country in the world (which may translate to opportunities to be transferred over to work in the commercial banking sector in other countries). At the end of the day it is a personal prefence, but I can say that I had the chance to start over again with all the hindsight I have, I would still choose CIMB over HSBC as a first organisation to start my banking career with.

5) Tips
Aside from the wealth of wisdom that has been imparted over this whole thread, I have a few things to add.
CIMB has intakes 4 times a year, at the beginning of each quarter. Roughly 15-20 people are admitted to each intake, out of which I reckon 60% or so make it to IB. I have seen many incompetent people who have somehow 'sneaked' through that filter to make it to the TCB programme--- that makes up roughly 20% of the fresh graduates so if you really do think you have what it takes then I don't think you should have a problem getting into IB if that is what you want.
Best times to join CIMB, in my opinion is during 3Q or 4Q. This is because bonus tends to be in February, and many people will choose to leave after receiving that bonus payout. This means departments will be more hungry than normal for new staff, and it so happens that when you join CIMB in 3Q or 4Q, your final rotation (the one that ideally would be where you would end up in) would start sometime in March or June, which coincides very well with this sudden surge in demand for new employees.
Don't take it personally. Whether it is your encounter with the interviewer, or not being called up as soon as you would have liked to be, or if you think the management trainee programme has been abusive--- this is all part of the experience that will make you a wiser person. Being able to think positively is one of the key attitudes that can really bring us far in our lives.

That's about it--- I do realise that I didn't give much tips for the interview processes, so I'll just end by saying that you need to know what your edge is (whether it is technical competency, salesmanship, ability to communicate well, having good work ethics etc) and place extreme EMPHASIS on that. Applying a job is no different from wooing a girl. Amplify your strengths and hide your weaknesses will appearing to be a genuine, honest and confident person. It's easier said than done of course, but what in the world isn't?

Good luck to all of you.

This post has been edited by obloni: Mar 17 2011, 01:35 AM

thank u so much for information. I am applying internship in cimb, but nothing had confirm yet as incharge person oli ask me to write a written assessment...

obloni, i think i know who you are. great tips btw.

But to slightly disagree on your point about the ample vacancies in the IB arm. From the past few batches of TCBs, the syllabus shift and the training hours, it's very obvious that it's now moving towards the CB division.

The marketing of this program is NEVER on the IB side but you get the feeling during the classroom training that if you're not an IB material, you're inferior. I think the shift is already happening and not to put (you future applicants out there) your hopes too high, you're already labelled a CB or IB the minute you start your training.

So just bear in mind that this is NOT a program for you to be in IB but a program that'll equip you to be a "complete banker". And hey, I've seen capable trainees and very intelligent bosses in CB so it's not all over if you're not in IB. After all, this is not the only bank in world, if you know what I mean

lol let me help to reply on that CIMB Management Trainee Vs HSBC Management Trainee Part...

I dont know much about CIMB, that one you can refer to obloni but yes, HSBC's RMT (thats what they call the management trainees) gets paid higher.. starting salary is 2900+1200 (lifestyle allowance) = 4100/month

So what is this Lifestyle Allowance? Well its the allowance that all Executives (assistant manager and above) in HSBC enjoy because they dont get the normal housing allowance loan benefit (rate 2% per annum like other banks)

Well bear in mind when u graduate as an RMT, u will automatically become an Assistant Manager, and the benefits are awesome. I've been in several banks, and by far the benefits in HSBC is incomparable to other banks!

Ok so where are you going to be posted after u finish your RMT program? You may be posted to any of the departments in the bank, except for Global Markets (Treasury) or Global Banking (Corporate and Investment Banking)

Why as RMTs you are not given the chance to go to these two departments? because these 2 departments are the cream of the crop in HSBC...so U need to have experience before u cam move to these departments

Another thing, HSBC will send you for RMT Training, 1 month in Bricketwood, UK and another few weeks in HK

Apart from above, the best thing is that, you can go up really2 fast in HSBC... you come in as RMT then graduated as Asst Manager...In 2 years you can be promoted as Manager.. It is THAT fast if you perform..and they dont have the thing like Maybank where u have to be of certain age to become a Manager..in HSBC if you are capable u will go up up and up

Hope this helps u young grads ok! Cheers

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Added on March 21, 2011, 9:11 pmOh and another thing that I want to clarify...

I quote Obloni

"Your pay in the initial years is definitely higher in HSBC, yes, but the recognition you get from other firms will not be as profound as compared to if you were working with CIMB"

I beg to differ.. When u come from a foreign bank, you will have a higher recognition compared to if u were to come from a local bank

For example, how many ex-CIMBians are in HSBC or Std Chart or Citi? compared to how many ex-HSBC/Citi/Std Chart in our local banks? Working in foreign banks will give a boost to your career profile..

Why? God knows..Market Perception..Same thing like Foreign U/Local U scenario


This post has been edited by boingboing: Mar 21 2011, 09:11 PM

oblong and makakeke, would like to ask these two veterans can u tell me any IB is offering intern and which of em are doing well ? what in my mind is cimb ib, am ib, rhb, osk, n hongleong.

hey anyone knows if they are hiring management trainees right now? I applied thru the virtual career fair website and few days later accidentally clicked on "terminate application". :S I have then requested for reconsideration. is there another way that i could reapply? :S

they are but the programme is in a revamping stage so they're not taking in for the next 2 months or so.

Hi guys. I might be getting an offer for CIMB internship but im holding an offer from a private equity advisory/capital placement firm in london. The firm in London is quite small though. With CIMB, they havent told me which department i am going to join although they asked me my preference. I just hope i dont get placed with Commercial Banking. I just kinda handed in my CV when they were down in London. I didnt do any numerical or assessments.

Anyone care to advice on whether CIMB IB internship is worth it? What is their pay like? or should i rather go for the private equity advisory firm?

3k starting salary is quite less considering other countries dont u think? I mean everyone is talking about brain drain and here we are missing the main point.

But then again its the MT programme. Anyone know about salaris in IB after MT at CIMB?

I just want to find out whether the internship really allows us to learn stuff and contribute to live transactions and deals(i believe we should be give the opportunity). Or is the internship just the 'get my coffee photostat print' sort of thing?



To the guy who said HSBC is better because of the name, i beg to differ. I think if u wanna get into IB experience counts more than just name. I mean if you are a HSBC commercial banker and say u wanna get into CITIGROUP IB, another guy from CIMB IB is also competing with u. guess who is gonna be favoured more. obviously the guy from CIMB. Simply put. the guy from IB knows his stuff. DCFs and LBOs.. Pitchbooking thru the night. That counts more.. Just my two cents worth..

cheers

This post has been edited by markfrancis: Apr 25 2011, 03:53 PM

it depends actually what do you want to do with your life , when i left blackstone in london by the way! to come back for good because of family reasons i was lucky because i was offered manager position for just 4 years of experienced of working in london but i must admit working in blackstone was so much fun and people in london is like you're playing football in premier league and suddenly go back to 3rd division you have to be prepared for that culture shockness especially if you're used to rough and edges of vibe in london it can be pretty slow here in KL , i was born in london speaking with west london accent it can be a little bit of both good and bad it's hard to describe CIMB is fine company but it ain't goldman or JP or even blackstone salary,compensation,exposure etc i could go on forever .

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Added on April 25, 2011, 6:14 pmplus HSBC investment banking is not that great they only strong in fixed income and debt offering other than that they still in outside top 20 of M&A equity ,structure finance etc. like i just mentioned you have to know what do you want to do with your life if you want to pursue investment banking in KL pick CIMB if you want to stay in london pick private equity .

This post has been edited by Winehouse: Apr 25 2011, 06:14 PM

Nice. What were the recent deals u worked on in Blackstone? I'd like to know! U must be oxford cambridge lse sort of graduate i am guessing. cz blackstone is rather exclusive.

Thanks for the info anyway.

By manager position what do u mean? Is it equal to VP Level? cz in any other investment bank it takes around a good 5-6 years to rise to vp level after starting as a freshie. If u've worked for 4 years in BLACKSTONE I am pretty sure u should be offered vp position right away in KL mate.. I do know of many bankers who rose to vp level with a pay of 20k or slightly lesser per month.

ahaha it's hard to say what kind of deal i did but because the nature of working in private equity with not many people really create environment where you have to adapt to all different kind of scenario so it's a little bit of everything, i actually graduated from UCL some years ago haha yeap i'm very fortunate to be given managerial position it's just slightly below VP infact i have to report directly to VP but i declined the position after couple months it was hard to fit in to big bank culture in KL it's way way different than in london or wall street , they offered me 12 k actually as basic but now i'm in another mid tier private equity hopefully to become partner in 2-3 years which much much better working in big bank in KL , like i said you have to know what do you want to do kl is not as bad but it can make scratch your head a lot of times so good luck .

Lol.. I would think that blackstone working culture was rather tough. Wall street and london working culture is way way tougher compared to working culture in malaysia mate. Why is it hard to fit in?

haha oh and i meant wat were the recent deals as in wat projects or rather transactions. e.g buyouts.. floatation.. did u work on..

Applied TCB program at their iRecruitment site, before noticing that I did something wrong in the cover letter, terminated the application, wanna edit and re-apply, which turns out i couldn't edit anything, all I can do is request for reconsideration. Requested for 1 week plus d, but my application status is still under terminate application. Any idea is it system error or they've viewed my application?

I googled everywhere and just couldn't find the phone number for HR of CIMB bank. Anyone kind enough to pm me the number and who to refer for the TCB program? Thanks a lot!

I sent the number, please check your inbox.

Anyway I was short-listed for TCB's first assessment on this Monday. I hope it'll be okay.

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Added on June 3, 2011, 6:19 pmWow, the TST test was quite tricky! haha i didn't managed to answer all questions. There were 5 tests, and for each test I missed out like 5 to 10 questions. What do they expect ;P 60 questions within 3 minutes? Haha.

This post has been edited by daxvilo: Jun 3 2011, 06:19 PM

what's that tst test? is that for the first asssessment?