Play your way to a new job

University undergraduates and MBA students searching for jobs in banking and finance this year could find themselves landing a full-time graduate job without even filling in an application form.

eFinancialCareers.com, Europeís leading website for jobs and careers in banking and finance, is offering five lucky graduates the opportunity to go straight into a second round interview for the Graduate Analyst or MBA Associate programmes at Bank of America. Success at the second round stage could then result in a full-time job offer.

In order to be selected, students are simply required to play eFinancialCareers.comís new fantasy trading game. Each player is allocated an imaginary 50,000 to ëinvestí in UK listed shares using the eFinancialCareers website. Players can trade as frequently (or infrequently) as they wish. And with live market data from the London Stock Exchange, players will be able to react to events as they happen and get a real feel for how the markets work before embarking on their career. The top five players will be fast-tracked in the Bank of America interview process.

In a fiercely competitive recruitment market, the game is a radical departure from normal practice for recruiters. The milkround recruitment process often requires the completion of a lengthy application form and then attendance at two or more interview sessions, but with the fantasy trading game, players will be able to prove their potential in a more interesting and enjoyable fashion.

Joe Bolger, of eFinancialCareers, said: ìWith so many well qualified students applying for vacancies, finding a job this year is likely to be a difficult task. Our fantasy trading game is something a bit different. You donít need to have led numerous societies, been union president, and achieved sporting megastar status to win the game. This is a test of ability not CV points.î

Kamini Persaud, Head of Campus Recruitment at Bank of America, said: ìAs Bank of America develops its Europe franchise, it is committed to expanding its talent pool by hiring graduates of the highest calibre. Our sponsorship of the eFinancialCareers.com fantasy trading game is aimed at helping to identify some of these graduates and developing closer ties with them.î

Competition prizes also include a laptop computer, Personal Digital Assistants, and DVD players.