Matthew Hill

Why did you choose Amplify Trading?
I was first exposed to Amplify Trading when I took part in a taster weekend course that took place while I was studying for a MSc in Investment and Finance at Queen Mary’s. The weekend was a brief introduction into some of the trading simulations that Amplify Trading have developed, and gave me a chance to get some practical experience in a variety of different roles, such as market making and fund management.
As I was coming to the end of my MSc, I was still unsure exactly what I wanted to do and which are I wanted to focus.
Amplify Trading seemed like the perfect opportunity to gain some experience and a better understanding about what role would be the best fit for me.

What course did you do with Amplify Trading and when?
I attended the 4-week Summer Internship in August 2018.

What part of the course did you find the most beneficial?
The best aspect of the Summer Internship is that it is so varied. You gain a large exposure to all kinds of different topics and areas, which really helped me to identify the areas that I found interesting and wanted to pursue further, as well as, highlighting the areas that were maybe less for me.

The simulations that are used are incredible, and really help demonstrate the different skills required for each of the different roles, and offer a very unique look into these roles that you wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.

After completing the internship, did you find you had more clarity on what role in finance you wanted to pursue?
The problem with the finance industry is that it is such a massive industry and can be incredibly confusing to determine where to start.

Amplify Trading really helped to clarify the industry for me, in particular, they helped me understand that everyone has different personalities and skill sets that might be perfect for one type of job, but not good for another. They really helped me see what roles were a good fit for my strengths and weaknesses, and I could now properly target these jobs by tailoring my applications and CV to fit with what these roles were looking for.

How has the experience at Amplify Trading helped with your applications?
The team at Amplify Trading offered invaluable advice when it comes to improving and tailoring your CV and preparing for job applications, which really helped me to secure interviews for the jobs I was aiming for.

The internship is also a huge talking point in interviews, as it is such a unique experience, not many other graduates will have experience in market making, or trading futures. Another bonus is that the Amplify Trading alumni are all over the place, it is really useful being able to ask previous interns questions and gain an insight into companies they are currently working for.

What are you doing now?
I am now working for Columbia Threadneedle Investments as a Corporate Actions Analyst.

I ended up taking what could be seen as an unconventional route as I didn’t go through any graduate program. This was actually a point highlighted on the internship that I found to be incredibly useful: tens of thousands of applicants try and get a place on some of the graduate programs, the odds are not always in your favour. If you are unsuccessful, there are hundreds of other roles out there that allow you to gain essential experience within the industry, and graduate programs are not the only career path that you have to take. Sometimes the unconventional route can pay off more.

You can view Matthew’s LinkedIn profile HERE.