The brightest and the best employees are not only those who have the academic smarts and the critical thinking skills required to be successful, they are also demonstrated leaders, Nikki Davies, Human Resources Director at Credit Suisse, says to finews.asia.

Ms. Davies, why should aspiring bankers opt for Credit Suisse?

Credit Suisse is an attractive choice for potential recruits in Asia Pacific for a number of reasons. Not only are we a leading global institution spanning a 160-year history, we have a separate division for Asia-Pacific (APAC) which is fast growing, supported by dedicated capital and is led by a regional management team that can execute quickly and strategically.

Beyond our strong global and regional footprint and award winning business, one of the main reasons why many of our employees join and stay with Credit Suisse is because of our people and culture.

Could you elaborate a bit on your culture?

Our culture globally is entrepreneurial, yet friendly and collaborative; we have a flat, non-hierarchal structure and welcome people with creative ideas and different perspectives.

«Virtual recruiting is a strategic, digital-based approach to campus sourcing»

The bank wants people to start and build their careers here, and we strive to nurture our talent. If you look at our Asia Pacific Management Team you will see that most have worked with Credit Suisse for many years.

Have your «virtual recruiting» initiatives taught you anything new about the hiring process?

Virtual recruiting is a strategic, digital-based approach to campus sourcing, through which we are able to successfully target highly talented students from schools where we do not maintain an on-campus presence. By using virtual, web-based methods such as webinars and online career fairs, we are able to access more schools and more candidates, thereby considerably supplementing our on-campus recruiting initiatives.

«I can confidently say that they are incredibly smart, confident and capable»

Virtual and traditional recruiting methods are in fact fairly similar, in that both facilitate connecting and interacting with the right talent following a marketing effort, helping us reach students who have the passion and ability for the roles for which we are recruiting.

With young people today being very tech-savvy and willing to embrace technology, virtual recruiting is a no-brainer for Credit Suisse. It provides a way for students to connect with us through the devices and platforms that they are comfortable using, and we are more easily able to tap into a culturally diverse pool of candidates across the region.

Could you give us an example where you have used virtual methods in attracting talents? Yes, have a look at our online INSPIRE Women In Banking educational series. We connect virtually with high potential females from campuses around Asia Pacific that we are unable to visit in person, widening the net and broadening our access to this talent pool, while inspiring female candidates to consider banking and a career with Credit Suisse.

Does Banking still attract the brightest and best candidates?

Absolutely; the financial services sector, and in particular investment banking, has always attracted the brightest and the best candidates. Interacting every day with candidates who are passionate about joining the industry upon graduation, I can confidently say that they are incredibly smart, confident and capable.

«Credit Suisse’s campus recruiting team is global»

For us, the brightest and the best are not only those who have the academic smarts and the critical thinking skills required to be successful at Credit Suisse, they are also demonstrated leaders, inspiring loyalty, as well as self-starters, articulate communicators, adaptable team members and principled individuals with the highest standards of ethical behavior.

How does the hiring process in Asia differ from other locations?

Credit Suisse’s campus recruiting team is global, which means that we operate very much in an interconnected way by sharing ideas and concepts across regions, as well as collaborating on projects and aligning on processes. For example, all potential candidates must apply through our global website, irrespective of the location for which they are applying.

Our recruiting team has a shared vision and mission, and we join together to look at the effectiveness of our marketing strategies and events and also constantly review our processes and procedures to ensure that we are providing the best candidate experience.

«We want our candidates to feel that they have learned something when they spend time with us»

Our Asia Pacific campus recruitment team is unique in that we recruit not only from our own region, we also travel to the U.K. and across the U.S. to find strong talent from overseas campuses who have a desire to work in this part of the world. When we do travel to other regions to source candidates, our global colleagues lend considerable on the ground support, which further strengthens our connectivity and really galvanizes our entire global team to support our business objectives in Asia Pacific.

What are the most significant challenges to the recruitment process in 2016?

We want our candidates to feel that they have truly learned something when they spend time with us, from getting a flavor of what the roles we advertise actually entail to meeting the people that they could be working alongside.

«Recruiting the ‹new generation› so to speak, is critical to the success of our business»

Our bank-wide approach to recruiting is based on the recognition that recruiting the right graduates, the ‹new generation› so to speak, is critical to the success of our business in the long-run. Our challenge is to design and execute events that will allow both us and our candidates to determine if we are the right fit for each other.

As a global campus recruitment team, we provide the platform for such decisions to be made and we continually strive to improve this platform year after year.

Nikki Davies is Director of Human Resources, Branding and Communications and Head of Campus Recruiting Asia Pacific, at Credit Suisse, based in Hong Kong. Since joining Credit Suisse in October 2012, she worked with the global Talent Development Team. She currently manages a team of recruitment and marketing professionals sourcing interns and graduates from across the globe to build the talent pipeline for Credit Suisse’s Asia Pacific Division and the Business Development Centres in India.