Colonial First State

Looking for a career in Wealth Management?

Would you like to help people secure their financial futures? Are you interested in investing and in fund management? 

If so, you may be interested in the Colonial First State Graduate Program at Commonwealth Bank. Take a look at the following sections to find out more:

 About Colonial First State at the Commonwealth Bank

• What we do
• Our people

Is Colonial First State for you?

• Roles and responsibilities
• What we look for

Where can the Graduate Program take you?

• Success story

About the Graduate Program

• A day in the life
• Benefits

What we do

Colonial First State is part of Commonwealth Bank’s Wealth Management business unit, and has been helping Australians with their investment needs since 1988.

Over the years, we've become one of Australia's leading wealth management groups, with more than A$145 billion under management globally.

Our commitment to performance, service and innovation has made us one of the most consistently awarded fund managers in the country. From 2008 to 2012, we were the winner of Best Platform and the Best Fund Manager categories in the Wealth Insights Service Level Survey Awards.

Over the next 12 months, our team will focus on remaining the number one provider of service in the industry, by making some exciting innovations and by continuously helping our people grow.

As a team, we are responsible for:

• Providing investment, superannuation and retirement products to individuals as well as to corporate and superannuation fund investors.
• Maintaining our FirstChoice product, which offers over 100 investment options. Some of these options are managed by us, and others are managed by well-known investment managers and specialist boutique managers.
• Providing value for money for our customers, and offering a choice of retail and wholesale investment products.
• Providing exceptional customer service, in every instance.

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Our people

We currently employ over 2,600 people nationwide. Approximately half of these are financial advisers.

Service is at the heart of our business, which is why we don’t outsource our customer service expertise.

As a team, we are also very passionate about what we do - and dedicated to the financial wellbeing of our customers, regardless of how big or small their investments may be. Most importantly, we never lose sight of the fact that we’re responsible for other people's money.

Collectively, we speak over 50 different languages, have a strong representation of women on our Leadership Team and support individuals at different stages in their lives by providing the option of flexible work arrangements.

This is part of our ongoing commitment to create an inclusive workplace.  Our corporate values are key to our success and at Colonial First State we do things with:

• Respect for relationships - We value people and are committed to our customers and employees.
• Accountability - We take ownership and actively contribute to all that we are involved in. We are always proactive in our approach.
• Passion - We approach every aspect of our business with enthusiasm and unconditional commitment.
• Integrity - Our integrity demands honesty, transparency and being up-front in everything we do or say.
• Down to earth approach - We are proud of what we do, we believe in straight talking, keeping things simple and being easy to do business with.

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Roles and responsibilities

When you’re leaving university, choosing the right career path is a very important decision! Knowing which role or job best suits your skills and experience can be a challenge.

Examples of roles that previous graduates have moved into within our business unit include:

• Product Analyst
• Investment Analyst
• Business Development Associate
• Business Analyst
• Marketing Specialist
• Research Analyst

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What we look for

We are looking for graduates that have a wide set of skills, and who are keen to experience the many different areas of an end-to-end business. Specifically, we look for graduates who are skilled in:

• Communication
• Relationship building
• Customer service
• Leadership

When you become part of Colonial First State, teamwork is essential. At the same time, you will be given opportunities to work independently and take a proactive approach to your career.

To be successful in our program, you will also need to be an innovative, creative thinker who is able to contribute fresh ideas and perspectives. We look for graduates who are eager to learn new things, who can make a real contribution, and who are prepared to challenge themselves.  Preferred degrees include:

• Commerce
• Business
• Economics
• Finance
• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Management
• Marketing

However, graduates from all disciplines are welcome to apply for the program.

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Success story

Take a look at what some of our recent graduates have to say about their experience:

Success story: Nabeil Allam

“The Colonial First State (CFS) graduate program is an excellent way to gain exposure to the wealth management industry. There are numerous areas within CFS that a graduate can choose from. Over the past 12 months I have rotated into the operations and investments side of the business. Throughout this time I have built on my qualitative and quantitative skills, grown my networks within the industry – both internally and externally to CFS, and have begun developing important leadership skills essential for graduates.

My experience as a graduate has been enjoyable. There are many social events, workshops and opportunities to make friends and meet new people. As a graduate we are provided the opportunity to steer our careers in the direction we desire.”

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A day in the life

The Colonial First State (CFS) Graduate Program is a two-year program, designed to develop your business knowledge of our entire business.

Through structured rotations, you will experience different areas of CFS, and have the chance to develop your management skills and leadership capability. This will help you take on an analyst or managerial-level role upon completion.

You will complete four rotations in different areas of Colonial First State, working in areas such as Product & Investments, Distribution, Strategy and Marketing. You will also be given the opportunity to interact directly with our customers, financial advisors and key industry bodies, and to work with senior leaders in our business.

During the program, you will receive formal and informal training through a series of programs and workshops, learning forums, and networking events. We will support you if you want to focus on your individual training needs or undertake further study relevant to your role. You will also be paired with a mentor to help with your professional development. 

Through the Bank-wide Graduate Program, you will also have the opportunity to interact with other graduates from different areas. You will take part in formal learning sessions and can also enjoy socialising with other team members.  We also provide all our graduates with learning sessions aimed at providing a better understanding of our business. This includes call listening with our contact centre, hearing from key leaders in the business, and informal networking functions. You will also have the chance to personally meet our Wealth Management Group Executive, Annabel Spring, on a number of occasions throughout the year to get a first-hand perspective on the direction of the business.

As our program allows you to work in many different areas of our business, the work that you will be completing will vary greatly in each rotation.

This means that, in the following rotations, you may do any of the following:

• Product & Investment rotation - gain exposure to our successful FirstChoice product, and have the chance to contribute to the research, design and strategic input into the CFS product range.
• Marketing rotation - see first hand all that happens in putting together campaigns, from idea to execution. This will give you exposure to how a big brand is managed, through online, email, direct mail, live events, brochures, sponsorships, conferences and webcast marketing.
• Strategy rotation- assist in managing market research with investors and advisers, evaluate small market research projects and online surveys, and undertake analysis based on survey results, including preparing presentations of key findings.
• Distribution rotation - provide support to one of our sales areas, using conduct analysis and produce reporting to support management decision-making and the overall team’s sales strategy.  You may also have the chance to liaise with CFS’s alliance fund managers, including Acadian and Generation, as well as CFSGAM.

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Benefits

Why choose Commonwealth Bank? After speaking with many of our past graduates, there are several things that stand out about our program. These include:

• Training and development. Our people strive to be passionate, accountable, proactive and respectful, and we actively promote these values through training and management.
• Ideal foundation for a long-term career. Many of our leaders and managers have had long career paths at Colonial First State and we seek to develop and challenge our team members in all they do. Along the way, you will receive the mentoring and training opportunities that you need to help you get there.
• Working with a diverse team. We also celebrate diversity, and understand its importance from both a business perspective as well as providing a culture of inclusiveness for all employees.
• Community involvement. We care about the wellbeing of our customers and employees, as well as the community as a whole. We have introduced a number of initiatives that benefit those in need, including the Staff Community Fund, the Inspire Foundation, Carers Australia, and more.
• A smart environmental choice. Colonial First State aspires to be a sustainable company, from the way we invest, to the way we communicate with our customers through our working practices and environmental impact.  One example of this is our support of Earth Hour where the lights are switched off in all Colonial First State offices for one hour in an effort to help overcome global warming.

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