Interviewed with head of CS in London and one of the team managers. The interview was conducted late, with no acknowledgement or apology for the 30 minute delay. The structure of the interview process was very much to test knowledge on the business, with such questions as 'tell me how a trade clears' and 'explain what the Client Service team does' rather than competency or skills based questions. The interviewers didn't seem to have much interest in my CV or my previous experience and I wondered why I was there, It was difficult to build a rapport with the interviewers and I got the impression I was wasting their time as well as my own. All in all, it was quite a bizarre experience. A point to note if applying via an agency, Newedge apply an agency retention programme, where if an agency represents you at the firm, even if they can't secure an interview, they own you as a candidate for up to 6 months. If a second agency inadvertently forwards your CV and secures an interview and a job, the original agency will be paid out.

Submitted an application online via a job board (monster, career builder, yahoo, etc.). Then I received a call back from their HR and had a brief screening interview that was a basic overview of my resume and background. What I had done in my past and what I was doing now and why I was looking to change. Then they told me a little about the role and advised that they were looking to get someone in right away and that the hours were a little bit odd (10am-7pm) and that I would also have to be available to work on Holidays. After still being ok with that I was then asked to come in for a face to face with the Supervisor of the department and with her Boss. The face to face interview turned into a group interview due to time constraints on Newedge's part. Both the supervisor and the Director were both present. They again outlined the role and that they were looking for someone who could hit the ground running. Someone who was proactive and could manage things independantly, as they would be working with one of their top tier clients as the main point of contact during the late hours. I provided examples of how I had handled clients in the past, how I had utilized multi-tasking in my job and worked independantly. As well, as how I had worked with a team and how I had prioritized tasks on the fly, in a fast paced environment. The only "negative" feedback that I received in the interview - when I asked for feedback from the director as to what he saw as any skillsets of mine that I might need for the role - he said - none - his only concern was that I might be too "over qualified" and he was concerned that I might not be challenged enough in the position. So this role may be best for someone with minimum 3 years client service, but no more than 7 years, and definitely no management experience or front office/sales experience.