Fortis Investments is an active recruiter of high-quality graduates. Given the dynamic nature of our business, it is an exciting time to be considering us as your first employer. We take around 6-10 graduates each year and put them through an intense and challenging international training programme that lasts two years. Following this period, each trainee successfully completing the programme is placed in a key role in one of our investment centres, where they will continue their rapid career development. As a global business, we are keen that we take on individuals with a truly international mindset, and who are comfortable working in any of the countries in which we operate.

At the same time, we are recruiting for our future. We want to find those individuals who wish to progress quickly in their career in investment management and will become the analysts, portfolio managers, product CIOs and business leaders of the future. We believe in the merits of “building our own” as we develop a strong, performance-oriented business culture. In this section we provide details about what we expect of our Associates, how their early careers with us will progress, and how to apply to the scheme. We also urge you to think about the other organisations that you are considering working for, and to compare them against Fortis Investments via our checklist. So, if you are looking to develop your career with one of the most forward-thinking asset managers in the industry and to work amongst a group of truly exceptional people, please take the time to explore our site.

Reward & recognition
Our reward philosophy is quite simple. It ensures we have a reward structure and process that:

• Drives individual and team performance through a direct link between results and cash compensation
• Enables employees to share in the success of the business
• Provides market-competitive remuneration that allows us to recruit and retain talented professionals at levels that make economic sense for the business
• Are based on principles of clarity and transparency, to foster a high level of trust between the firm and each individual
• are backed up by a high-quality performance management culture

Therefore, Fortis Investments offers each of its employees a highly-competitive employment package that includes:

• A generous guaranteed salary benchmarked to the market
• Participation in our Global Discretionary Bonus Plan, which drives individual bonuses, based on each employee’s personal contribution to our achievements each financial year. This ensures everyone is motivated to perform to the best of their ability
• Selective participation in specialist incentive arrangements that directly relate to certain areas of business activity or taxation regimes
• A structured benefits programme that typically includes a generous holiday allowance, a significant company-funded pension contribution, private medical insurance and extensive life insurance cover.

 
Career development
Fortis Investments believes investing in its own talent is crucial. Therefore, we have established an environment that places great importance on ongoing learning, training and personal development, backed up by a performance management culture that ensures each employee follows an active learning plan designed to enhance their short-term performance, and build their long-term capability.

Some examples of our activities in this area include:

• Our CFA programme, through which we encourage as many people as possible from across the business to build deep industry and technical knowledge by taking this flagship investment management qualification
  extensive sponsorship of relevant professional qualifications for specialist teams
• Our e-Learning programme, which provides all our staff with unlimited access to over 4000 hours of online training courses that cover topics such as investment, management and leadership, advanced technology skills, languages and a CFA study programme
• The Fortis Investments Associates Programme, designed to rapidly develop high-potential graduates into the leaders of tomorrow
  a strong focus on internal appointments to new roles to provide internal career growth wherever possible.

Our main aim is to ensure we provide all of our people with the opportunity to fulfil their potential within the firm or within the Fortis group.

Investment training
The most effective graduate programmes within our industry all involve giving new graduates broad experience in all facets of business before providing them with the opportunity to specialise in their chosen field. We feel it is vital that our Associates experience how each link in our value chain works, enabling them to be more effective and team-oriented as they progress up the career ladder. Our Associates Programme has been designed to provide each of our trainees with a first-class learning agenda that will give them the capacity to undertake a key role in an investment centre at the end of their traineeship. Each Associate will have their own Personal Development Plan, which includes the following:

• Professional education with sponsored study to attain the CFA qualification.
• Active experience of life in asset management within several investment centres to provide ‘hands-on’ skills and understanding of our investment processes.
• Short placements: as an Associate you can expect to undertake a number of placements across the company within the first two years of your career. These will provide you with broad experience of our various business divisions.
• International assignment(s), coupled with the placements above, will give you an appreciation of asset management on an international scale. You will work in at least two of our offices for a period of six months.
• Project assignment: along with the other Associates from your intake, in your first year you will be given the opportunity to run an absolute return portfolio, assuming full responsibility and accountability for its performance. This will provide you with invaluable experience of all aspects of the investment process, from research and analysis, to decision-making, to placing orders.
• Participation in several technical and behavioural business skills courses, which will help develop your vocational skillset.

We are an active developer of talent, and spend a significant proportion of our profits in this area. Your development at Fortis Investments will not cease at the end of the programme – rather, this will just be the start of your career.

Associates profiles

We look to take on graduates with a number of important attributes:

• A first-class academic track record. They will have a high-quality degree from a leading university or business school.
• The ability to demonstrate a strong 'drive' to achieve, coupled with a focus on quality. We seek evidence of success in challenging environments.
• A strong team orientation. We want individuals who are strong on their own but who can demonstrate where they have successfully worked with others in a team situation.
• High-quality communication and influencing skills.
• A strongly analytical and numerical mind. We want individuals who can demonstrate their ability to question a position or issue, analyse the facts and make practical decisions and implement them.
• Commitment to a long-term career in asset management. We look for geographically-mobile individuals but, more than that, people who can accept a working style that transcends geographic boundaries and cultures.
• The potential to become a portfolio manager within six years.
  Commercial flair.
• Entrepreneurial and proactive spirit.

If you graduate in 2007 and think you meet this profile, we are very interested to hear from you. Please note that Fortis Investments is an equal opportunities employer and seeks to ensure there is no unfair or discriminatory bias in our selection process that results from race, sex, age, gender or physical ability.

Recruitment process & application

If you feel you match our profile and wish to apply for our 2008 Global Associate Programme, please email us your CV and a detailed covering letter outlining why you feel you are suited to working with us and making the case for us to meet with you.

Our assessment process
Many people may feel that getting a job is easy. Let us assure you that it is not! Yes, your training will be challenging as you build your technical skills and business knowledge, but so too will the first hurdle as you have to prove your worth ahead of the thousands of other applicants who wish to join us. Our selection process is based around one simple principle – we only hire the very best talent available, and only those we believe will be capable of holding senior positions within our organisation in the future.

How do we do select the most suitable candidates? As you will note from our target profile, we are looking for intellect, communication skills, drive, team orientation and a global mindset. Our recruitment process is designed to test this fully. Those strong enough to be offered a role with us will have made it through the following steps:

Phase 1: Pre-Screening
In your application we ask you to explain your interest in working for Fortis Investments and to provide extensive details of your education, background and career ambitions. In any year we receive thousands of applications from high-quality candidates, but our screening process leaves us with a vastly-reduced number that we will meet in person. Competition is tough!

Phase 2: Competency based assessment Interviews
Candidates who successfully come through pre-screening will be invited for a competency-based interview at one of our offices. At the interview we will assess your competencies, test your knowledge of the asset management industry and your desire to work within it, and ask you to tell us what drives you as an individual. We expect you to test us just as thoroughly in these discussions, which are very much two-way. Bear in mind that our time is valuable, and no more than 25% of candidates will pass this stage in a typical year. At this stage, we will provide both successful and unsuccessful applicants with feedback to assist them in future job searches.

Phase 3: Assessment day
Candidates who successfully come through the first two phases will be invited to an assessment day at one of our offices. Here, you will be asked to perform a case study, which will involve analysing a company, writing a report upon it and presenting your findings to a panel. You should expect a challenging discussion. This exercise will enable us to assess a number of skills: your powers of analysis, communication, presenting, influencing and decision-making. During the day we will also ask you to complete a group exercise and final interview. Again, while the assessment itself is tough, the day is designed to be just as informative for you. You are making a big choice at the start of your career and we are aware that any candidate passing our assessment is likely to have a range of choices available to them.

Candidates that successfully come through all of these assessments will receive a competitive offer and will have the opportunity to visit the location of their first placement and meet team members before making their decision whether to join Fortis Investments.