Careers at Citi
Citigroup is an American investment bank that offers global financial services. Established in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, Citigroup now has a multinational reach from headquarters in New York City.
Citi serves 90% of all Fortune 500 companies and is the number one credit card issuer globally, available to 100 million plus consumers in 160 countries. Citi has more than 200,000 employees around the world in the following business areas:
- Capital Markets
- Corporate Banking
- Commercial Banking
- Consumer Banking
- Compliance, Risk, Audit and Legal
- Treasury and Trade Solutions
- HR
- Finance
- Markets and Securities Services
- Operations
- Technology
- Private Banking
- Specialised Programs
There are more than 240 career programs for students and graduates as well as a wide range of options for experienced professionals across all business areas. Citi actively recruits to find the smartest minds in the industry, focusing on diversity and inclusion to take advantage of the unique backgrounds and experiences of their workforce.
Working at Citi is an attractive option for many people because they offer a number of global benefits aside from a generous salary and rewards package. Employees can take advantage of extensive health and wellness programmes, paid parental leave, help to save, extensive learning and development resources and support for volunteering.
Early careers options are suitable for undergraduate and Masters students looking for summer internship, as well as graduate, Masters, MBA and even JD and PhD students.
Citi Application Process
The Citi recruitment process is comprehensive as there is often a lot of competition for their programmes. This means that it is always best to apply early and complete any assessments as soon as possible, even if you have to wait for a while to know whether you were successful or to find out about how the next stage in the process works.
The exact nature of your application path will depend on the programme, role, department and location - but you can expect to follow the same basic steps no matter what role you apply for.
Citi Online Application
The first step is to find your preferred role or programme. Once you have an ideal position in mind, you will need to create a profile on the job portal. This will be the home of your application, and where you will receive important notifications about progress.
The application form itself is straightforward; asking for basic contact information as well as the usual experience and qualifications. You might be asked a few questions about why you want to work at Citi, too.
The recruitment team will be in touch for a quick pre-screening call which will outline what comes next if you are selected from your application form. This might include some online aptitude tests.
Citi Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests are a way for the recruitment team to assess your inherent skills and learning ability. They aren't skills tests, but instead they look at your ability to extract information and come to a reasoned conclusion based on information given. These tests are taken online in your own time initially, although they might need to be completed again later in the process.
Citi Numerical Reasoning Test
As every role in Citi is primarily about finances, it is expected that all applicants will have basic numeracy skills. The numerical reasoning test is not an assessment of mathematical ability, but it is looking at your ability to read, understand and apply data from tables, graphs and charts in order to answer a question.
The operations used in the questions are based on GCSE-level maths knowledge, such as percentages, ratios and fractions as well as basic functions (multiplication, division, addition and subtraction).
The Citi tests are published by Talent Q, and consist of a table or chart followed by a question with multiple choice answers. Each question is timed; you will have 12 questions to answer with 90 seconds allowed for the first question and just 75 seconds for the following, taking the total assessment time to just over 15 minutes. The short time allowance makes this assessment challenging, rather than the mathematical content.
Citi Logical Reasoning Test
If you are pursuing a role in operations or technology, amongst others, you might be asked to complete a logical reasoning assessment.
This test will present you with a sequence of shapes that follow a pattern or rule, and you need to find the missing shape by applying the rule. Several shapes will be presented as a possible answer in a multiple choice format.
You will have limited time to select the right shape so this needs quick decision-making and an eye for patterns - both speed and accuracy are important. Candidates will have 15 minutes to complete 12 questions, meaning that there is only 75 seconds for each sequence. The shapes and the patterns might not be too complex, but the time limit makes this type of test very challenging.
Citi Interview
The number and type of interviews that you might have as part of the Citi process will depend on the role you have applied for, but it is likely that you will have at least one face-to-face interview in person at a Citi office and/or virtually via video call.
In these interviews you might be asked questions by a member of the recruitment team, or you might have a panel of interviewers that includes senior team members too.
During these interviews you will be asked a series of competency and skills-based questions related to the business area and this is where you can demonstrate that you have both the soft skills and learning that Citi are looking for in their employees.
You might also be asked questions regarding your commercial awareness (how the financial markets work, any big news that involves Citi or other institutions, and how Citi fits into the global financial picture).
Interviews should always be seen as a two-way process, so during your interviews make sure that you ask questions too. The questions that you ask can help demonstrate that you have completed extra research about the business, but also that you have thought about your future in the company too.
Citi Assessment Centre
In some cases, candidates might be invited to an assessment centre. These are held at a Citi office location, and a number of applicants are invited to take part in a number of exercises under constant assessment by the recruitment team.
Assessment centres can last a whole day, and at the beginning you will be provided with a case study which will form the basis of all the exercises completed. This is usually an information pack with data and descriptions of a hypothetical business that you are expected to solve problems for.
At the assessment centre you will take part in a group exercise which will demonstrate your communication, teamwork and leadership skills. You will have a specific scenario to deal with and find the best solution.
You will also be expected to prepare and deliver a short (five minute) presentation on the case study to the recruitment team. Here you are being assessed on your presentation skills as well as how well you work on your own, and you can expect to answer a few short questions about the material you have presented.
It is worth noting that in some cases the assessment day might also include further interviews as well as a retake of the aptitude tests.
