Graduate interview: Franciska - Financial Management and Services

Meet Financial Management and Services graduate, Franciska Nimskov and learn about her journey from studying at Cphbusiness to starting a career at Danske Bank.

When did you graduate?
I completed a professional bachelor in Financial Management and Services at Cphbusiness in January 2015.

How old were you when you graduated?
I was 24 years old when I graduated.

What was your personal goal when you graduated?
I had a goal to continue my work as an adviser in the financial sector and develop my academic skills in that area.

What was your career goal when you graduated?
After graduation, my goal was to gain more experience in all areas of the financial sector, in order to be able to provide the best advice and really get into all aspects of the customer experience.

When did you get your first job after graduation?
In relation to my internship in the 5th semester, I was hired as an intern in private counselling at Danske Bank.

After my internship, which lasted 6 months, I was offered a student job for a year. I had my student job during my 6th and 7th semester and because there were no scheduled classes on Thursdays and Fridays, I had a lot of time for the job.

This was a really good opportunity to continue my relation with the company and it provided a good opportunity to gain more inside knowledge, which I used in my bachelor thesis.

When I graduated from Cphbusiness, I was hired as a full-time private advisor trainee.

What did you do as a trainee?
As a private advisor trainee, I attended several different courses on various issues within banking. The year was spent on training and acting as a private advisor and, when the year was over, I was a skilled private advisor.

What were your thoughts about the job?
I really liked the job and I quickly found that I felt comfortable amongst my colleagues and customers. The job has very been challenging at times, which has really helped to develop me and my skills.

How was your first month?
The first month was good. For me, it was very positive to be able to continue in a branch office, where I already knew people. There were plenty of new tasks and new challenges.

How long did the job last?
After my one year as a trainee, I have worked as a private advisor for more than a year now. I have been in a few different branch offices since I started my internship period.

I still work at Danske Bank and look forward to taking on new challenges as personal advisor from March 20th, 2017.

Was the job like you thought it would be?
Yes, is was – and more. It was hard to have expectations about what kind job you are going to do and what kind of challenges you might experience. I have only been positively surprised and the continuous challenges have only increased my experience.

Are you happy with where you are now?
Yes, I really like my work place today. I am really excited about this Spring, because our branch office will merge with another office, so we will be very busy with new tasks and co-workers.

What is your plan for the future?
My future plans are not set yet, but I am sure that I will keep seeking new challenges within the financial sector.

Do you use the Cphbusiness Alumni network?
Unfortunately, not. It is a network that started after I graduated from Cphbusiness and I haven’t been introduced to it properly, which is why I don’t use it.

On the other hand, I have participated in multiple events at Cphbusiness, such as educational fairs at Bella Center. Furthermore, I have participated with Danske Bank at a company event at Cphbusiness City.

Do you have any advice for Cphbusiness’ new graduates?
It is all about finding your own area of interest within the financial sector. You should not be nervous about not knowing the sector, based on your first couple of years during your studies. I first realized that I should continue my path within banking right before I had to look for an internship.

You don’t know if you are in the right place, before you start working. I know many former classmates that have changed directions within the financial sector at times. It is about finding a job that you like and where you feel challenged.

Do you have any advice for our graduates, who haven’t gotten their dream job yet, or have difficulties finding a relevant job?
Find out which skills you have and in which jobs you can use them. It doesn’t have to be academic skills; it could also be social skills.

Use the opportunities you get – you never know if your next job is the dream job. Use the challenges you get and expand your experiences.

Use your network. It is a great way to create job opportunities. Make sure to create a broad network for yourself, use your fellow graduates, friends and former lecturers.

This interview was made by Rebecca Siert, who is currently studying BA in International Sales and Marketing Management at Cphbusiness. In 2016 she graduated from the AP degree in Service, Hospitality and Tourism Management.