Rebecca Pitt
Accounting / Finance
London

My responsibilities have changed daily since I arrived at ICAP. As soon as you are familiar with a process or database you are entrusted with more challenging tasks. I have been responsible for checking the accuracy of the company's interim statement, generating revenue models, analysing costs and creating reports for a diverse range of people. A typical team at ICAP consists of a student or graduate, more experienced personnel and a department head. The brilliant thing is that everyone interacts in the same way, you don't feel like you have to behave significantly differently with anyone.

Interaction with other parts of the business purely depends on department. In 'Group Finance' liaisons were mainly between the department and the CFO and CEO for London, whereas desks within 'London Finance' require much more broker contact because they are reporting broker revenue figuresfor example.. I have met many people on the broking side of the business through my fellow graduates and this has definitely helped me when dealing with the front office on a working level.

I first saw the ICAP's Graduate Programme advertised in Prospects Finance magazine, which I picked up from my business school. I went on the website to investigate further and after days filled with doing final year work and looking at other companies websites, I found the set-up of ICAP's website and in particular the graduate recruitment pages really engaging and inviting.

ICAP operates a fairly flat management structure, where everyone is hands on. This means that I have found myself talking to or working for very senior people in the company, which I wasn't expecting to be able to do for years! Everyone seems to be genuinely pleased to be working here, which makes for a very special and welcoming working environment.

I decided on pursuing an Accounting role after university because I had enjoyed and easily engaged with the finance modules I had undertaken as part of my degree, so it seemed like the natural career choice. I also appreciated how many opportunities would open up to me if I gained a professional accountancy qualification. I was attracted to the interdealer broking industry because of the fast paced nature of it. At university I was used to being busy, balancing work, sport and friends and I didn't want to slow down. It was because of this that I chose not to practice accountancy within an accounting firm; I didn't want the work to be monotonous or to find myself pigeon holed because of my department selection.

ICAP specifically appealed to me because they appeared to be genuine about wanting staff to achieve a work life balance. The people I met in the interview stage were really friendly, they appreciated how stressful interviews are and tried their best to put me at ease, which showed a level of understanding that I hadn't always experienced. The graduate recruitment team were brilliant. They knew who I was as soon as I said my first name and were familiar with all the correspondence I'd had with them. They never made me feel like I was one of thousands of applicants or just a name on a piece of paper. I also would like to travel with work and I know ICAP are happy to try and facilitate this. And of course, I love saying that I work for the biggest interdealer broker in the world!

Success is completely self-made here. Everyone will give you the resources you need to complete the tasks asked of you but you need to be self-motivated in order to complete them. Everyone is busy, so someone who is able to work well in a team, communicate efficiently, learn quickly and make astute observations is essential.

In my current rotation in 'Customer Analysis' we are producing business reports for brokers, desk heads, relationship managers, clients and I've even sent one to the Bank of England. These reports are often fundamental to meetings, negotiations and the interpretation of the economic environment so it is vital that they are accurate, presentable and produced quickly. The difficulty comes with balancing several important requests.

I wouldn't say that the current market conditions effects Accounting within ICAP directly except for perhaps business financing negotiations, which I have not have contact with yet. However, there is extra pressure on the brokers and that can definitely throughout the firm. . Whilst job security is not necessarily an issue, everyone is extremely conscientious in the work they are carrying out.

I have made some great friends in my ICAP graduate class and we often arrange to go for drinks to catch up with each other. I also spend a lot of time seeing university and school friends in London and around the country. I've found that being busier has made me much better at making an effort to see friends. I haven't continued with playing hockey this year because I wanted to settle into my new job and London life but I hope to play again next season. I know that the support network ICAP offers will allow me to do this no matter how busy I am at times.