If you’re involved in early careers recruitment or graduate training, you’ve likely used role-specific simulations to attract, assess, or develop future finance talent.
Simulations aren’t new, but their impact has grown as firms shift toward skills-based hiring. They offer a practical way to identify high-potential candidates and fast-track them into roles where they can perform from day one.
That was the driving force behind AmplifyME’s inception. Our Co-Founder Will de-Lucy saw first-hand how traditional, theory-heavy routes into finance failed practical learners. But on the trading floor, immersed in real market dynamics, he thrived.
And students agree. When asked how valuable they find role-specific simulations for enhancing learning and development, they gave an average rating of 86/100 — a clear signal that simulations are now a core part of preparing for real finance careers.
AmplifyME now delivers 50+ role-specific simulations, customised to each partner, helping financial institutions find talent fast, build real-world skills, and hire with certainty.
In this article, we explore how top firms are using simulations at every stage, from attraction to graduate onboarding, to gain a competitive edge in recruitment.
To stand out from the competition and simultaneously attract a more diverse talent pool with less pre-existing finance knowledge, incorporating an immersive, engaging educational experience at the attraction stage is key to success.
This is where tailored simulations can work to your advantage. We work with countless partners to host tailored simulation attraction events - both in-person and online - for their specialist roles, which provides:
Our partner, Evercore, a world-leading investment bank, worked with us to implement tailored banking simulations into their attraction events. The Head of US Campus Recruiting explained:
"The benefits for our trainees were substantial. Instead of mere observation, they actively engaged in trading and broking activities, gaining a realistic perspective of these roles. The simulation also helped them assess their compatibility with the broking environment and identify their strengths and areas for improvement. The interactive sessions facilitated bonding among internship cohorts, combining learning with social engagement."
Chelsea Herritt, Head of us campus recruiting, evercore
Spring weeks help institutions identify high-potential candidates very early in their university careers. Firms make extensive efforts to educate these candidates about their lines of business and test their potential and suitability.
By incorporating a simulation like our flagship Initial Public Offerings (IPO) experience at the right difficulty level, for example, students must showcase their technical skills by building a financial model and valuation for an IPO prospect. Later, they work in teams, preparing a roadshow presentation before managing a bookbuilding process.
This simulation tests candidates’ technical skills while also challenging them to work in a team, synthesise information, present clearly, and respond to difficult investor questions.
By incorporating the right interactive simulations with the correct level of difficulty, these young students get a chance to demonstrate those skills in real time and are offered a reprieve from more passive activities.
In fact, we asked our student community which components they would find more valuable, and networking and interactive learning scored the highest, demonstrating a desire to engage actively rather than passively.
Spring weeks help institutions identify high-potential candidates very early in their university careers. Firms make extensive efforts to educate these candidates about their lines of business and test their potential and suitability.
By incorporating a simulation like our flagship Initial Public Offerings (IPO) experience at the right difficulty level, for example, students must showcase their technical skills by building a financial model and valuation for an IPO prospect. Later, they work in teams, preparing a roadshow presentation before managing a bookbuilding process.
This simulation tests candidates’ technical skills while also challenging them to work in a team, synthesise information, present clearly, and respond to difficult investor questions.
By incorporating the right interactive simulations with the correct level of difficulty, these young students get a chance to demonstrate those skills in real time and are offered a reprieve from more passive activities.
In fact, we asked our student community which components they would find more valuable, and networking and interactive learning scored the highest, demonstrating a desire to engage actively rather than passively.
The ‘Keep Warm’ period refers to the time between an intern or graduate accepting your offer and starting at your institution. Because issues may arise when the internship begins, ranging from initial struggles to potential poaching by competitors, it’s essential to prepare and keep interns engaged and supported during this time to mitigate these.
Most Programmes consist of a mix of components ranging from assigning mentors to wellbeing check-ins and crucially: interactive, engaging learning to help them get desk ready. This is where simulations come in.
By incorporating tailored, assessed simulations as part of a holistic programme, you engage your incoming interns or graduates at the highest level, allowing them to learn and have fun whilst simultaneously, your team can track their performance data and progress.
This will help with role allocation, and identify any possible interventions needed to provide further training and support.
Many of our partners have specific programmes dedicated to help increase under-represented talent and diversify their internship cohort.
The Royal Bank of Canada's (RBC) renowned Capital Markets Women’s Advisory Programme, is open to women in their first year of university who have had either very little or no exposure to finance or the corporate world in general.
As part of the programme, the Early Careers Team at RBC needed to upskill participants in three global locations over short timeframes spanning from just a few days to eight weeks. They needed to enhance skills, confidence, and readiness for internships and full-time roles in the industry.
Additionally, they aimed to assess individual strengths and weaknesses for optimal division placement, ensuring retention and performance.
We embedded a tailored series of immersive simulation experiences in markets and banking, with participants role-playing as Junior Investment Banking Analysts, Traders, and ESG Investment Managers. Over eight weeks, difficulty levels increased, culminating in the most challenging scenarios.
Individual performance data was provided, and the programme ended with a review session where performance profiles and team observations were shared.
The result?
90%+ of participants in Canada, the US, and the UK advanced to final round interviews for RBC Capital Markets’ global summer internship programme, with a high majority earning summer internship offers. Learn more about the programme by watching the video below.
"Our goal was to elevate our upskilling sessions, ensuring that the trainees were well-prepared for the demands of internships and full-time roles in the industry. AmplifyME’s approach was exactly what we needed. Through the immersive simulations, participants step into the shoes of various industry roles, from Junior IB Analysts to Traders to ESG Investment Managers. These scenarios provide an unparalleled understanding of the industry's intricacies, strategies, and challenges."
Marc Caporiccio, Global Diversity Lead, RBC
Simulations can also be leveraged for internship and graduate programmes because they launch participants into specific roles, adjusting the difficulty as required across the 8-9 weeks.
A strategic combination of subjects form the perfect way to simultaneously develop and assess candidates over a sustained period, often in different global locations.
Because they launch interns into specific roles, adjusting the difficulty as required across the 8-9 weeks, they form the perfect way to simultaneously develop and assess candidates over a sustained period, often in different world locations.
Given that internship programs typically consist mainly of desk-based work, shadowing, and passive observation, institutions are increasingly incorporating simulations periodically throughout the duration to:
A typical simulation-based programme starts during induction week and then takes the form of weekly immersive events touching on different areas of finance and different specialist roles or mix of roles.