I first met the staff from EmployAbility at a recruitment event, which was organised specifically for disabled people interested in investment banking. It involved networking with graduate employers and learning about their commitment to disability. Initially I was very nervous as the event involved participating in-group sessions. Sarah Denness (Senior Manager at EmployAbility) was very supportive and put me at ease and encouraged me to join in with the various group discussions. I found the event extremely beneficial as it enabled me to network with employees from the leading investment banks, in particular with the diversity managers. I also met the diversity manager from Goldman Sachs, which was really beneficial as it gave me a valuable insight into the organisation. By attending the event it also demonstrated to recruitment staff that I was committed to working for their organisation and also learning about the industry. The recruitment event improved my communication skills greatly as it was necessary to discuss complex financial issues in groups. By attending the event I developed the necessary skills to perform well in group discussions, which are commonly used at assessment centres. I also had the opportunity to meet other staff at EmployAbility and I learned about the various internships which are run by the organisation for disabled people.

After the recruitment event Sarah recommended that I should apply for internships in order to gain the necessary experience to find a permanent job. I wanted to work for Goldman Sachs as a result of the positive feedback obtained from my managers after completing the Prospects work placement and also due to the very supportive environment. I applied to three internships, at Motability, Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. I managed to get to the interview stage for both Lehman Brothers and Motability Operations. Justin (my support worker from Prospects) and I contacted Sarah in order to discuss the reasonable adjustments so that I could perform to the best of my ability during the assessment centres. Sarah negotiated the reasonable adjustments with the organisations on my behalf. We agreed that for both the interviews it would be best if she was involved so that the various reasonable adjustments could be implemented. These included providing sufficient time to answer questions. In addition, she recommended that the interviewers use closed ended questions during the interview as individuals with an autism spectrum disorder find open-ended questions problematic. The Lehman Brothers assessment centre also included an assessed group exercise. I normally find group work very problematic as I experience high levels of social anxiety. Sarah explained these difficulties to the assessors and therefore a stronger emphasis was placed on the interview. Both interviews went really well and despite the Lehman Brothers assessment centre also consisting of group work I was offered a position on both internships. This was mainly due to Sarah negotiating the reasonable adjustments on my behalf.

At Motability I completed the Business Systems Internship. The internship was six weeks in duration and I spent two weeks, in the Product Testing team, the Telecom’s team and finally the Networks and Security team. The Motability internship was really beneficial as it opened my eyes to a new avenue of work, which I had not considered previously. At Lehman Brothers I worked in Equity Derivatives in the Operations division. The internship included a number of positive elements. I improved my social skills considerably by meeting and going out with the other disabled interns. I also realised that investment banking was the correct career choice as I had proved that I could work effectively in this type of environment and finally that I now had sufficient knowledge in relation to the industry to perform well in interviews.

After the completion of the internships I arranged a one to one session with both Sarah and Justin to decide how to move forward in terms of finding a permanent position. We decided that it would be best to apply to the graduate schemes of the investment banks. We also identified a back up career where we determined that it would be best to focus on administration in particular the financial side. To expand my understanding of the financial services industry, I attended the InvestAbility event organised by EmployAbility. The event was extremely beneficial. I spoke to a number of investment bank graduate recruiters concerning their graduate schemes. A representative from Goldman Sachs also spoke about producing the ideal CV and gave practical advice concerning competency-based interviews. The staff at EmployAbility provided me with invaluable advice concerning how to complete competency based application forms. In addition Sarah also provided me with training in regards to writing covering letters and made suggestions concerning how my CV could be improved. Once my application forms were completed Sarah examined them for reassurance purposes before being submitted.

I managed to progress to the next stage of the Goldman Sachs recruitment process, the assessment centre. EmployAbility contacted the appropriate staff at Goldman Sachs and negotiated the necessary reasonable adjustments on my behalf. Sarah explained the difficulties which I experienced with psychometric testing to the diversity graduate recruiter.Before the interview Sarah also spoke to the managers, educating them about Asperger’s Syndrome and the approach which would be most suitable. EmployAbility also emphasised that the group assessment would be problematic due to difficulties in communication and social anxiety. Sarah attended all of the interviews with me and sat in on the group exercise, so that I would feel comfortable and so that if any problems arose she would be able to speak to the interviewers afterwards. As a result of Goldman Sachs commitment to disability and of taking on board Sarah’s recommendations, I was successful and was offered a permanent position on their Graduate Programme. Even after I was offered the job, staff from EmployAbility continued to provide me with their expertise and support. Sarah regularly offered me moral support and liaised with the firm in order to resolve any concerns which I had. Sarah also arranged meetings with both my team and the occupational health department to educate them concerning Asperger’s Syndrome and to provide free training concerning the adjustments which I would require to be successful in the work place.

At Goldman Sachs I shall be working as an Analyst in Equity Derivatives within the Operations division. The Operations division looks after all the support facilities that sit behind the scenes once a trade has been agreed on the trading side. Our division maintains the risk system and adjustments are made to this system to ensure that all information is correct. Our team acts as a type of control department whose job it is to pick up any errors and correct them as quickly as possible in order to reduce any potential risk. The team also ensures that what the traders believe they have traded is booked correctly in the system. Another role is to ensure that what is booked into the risk system matches the payment system. Sarah will continue to offer me ongoing support by visiting me regularly in the workplace, to ensure that the reasonable adjustments are put into practice effectively, to check on my performance and to identify any potential problems quickly so that they can be resolved effectively.

Registering with EmployAbility has been the best decision that I have ever made and has completely changed my life. Three years ago the prospect of finding a permanent job was very bleak. Without Sarah’s and EmployAbility’s support both to me directly and to Goldman Sachs, I am entirely certain that I would have never been accepted onto the Graduate Programme. By completing the internships at both Lehman Brothers, Motability Operations and by attending the Investability event, organised by EmployAbility, I developed the required skills to be successful during the Goldman Sachs recruitment process. The qualities which I acquired include communication, team working, analytical and decision-making skills. The internships also gave me valuable experience and improved my confidence enabling me to perform well in interviews. I would strongly recommend EmployAbility to disabled graduates who would like to develop experience in both the public and private sectors and also to individuals who are seeking permanent work.

Sam, Analyst in Equity Derivatives, Goldman Sachs (2007)

At EmployAbility we work with disabled university students and graduates to ease the transition from education into employment. To take advantage of these opportunities, the first step is to register with us. You can also contact us with any specific queries.