Barclays Structured Assessment – Candidate Guide

Working for Barclays

About Us
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and
investment banking and wealth and investment management with an extensive international presence in
Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays
operates in over 50 countries and employs 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money
for customers and clients worldwide. Please visit Barclays.com for further information.

 Personal banking
Barclays offers world-class personal banking services to customers in 20 key countries around the
world. We're on hand to help people manage their money with a range of bank accounts, products and
services to meet their savings, protection and borrowing needs.

 Premier banking
Barclays offers an exclusive and preferential banking service to eligible customers in selected countries
around the world, including International Premier Banking services.

 Business banking
Barclays is open for business and we want our customers to be too. That's why we offer so much more
than a business bank account. We support small and medium-sized businesses with specialist advice,
products and services, whether they're looking to grow at home and abroad, or are just starting out.

 Wealth and investment management

Our wealth and investment management division has offices in more than 20 countries. We focus on
private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, investment
management, fiduciary services and brokerage.

 Corporate banking
We serve more than 50,000 business clients through our dedicated relationship teams, industry
specialists and product experts.

 Investment bank
With a distinctive business model, Barclays provides large corporate, government and institutional
clients with a full spectrum of solutions to fulfil their strategic advisory, financing and risk management
needs.
Find out more about our investment banking, global markets and research services at Barclays.com.

Our people and culture

We put a strong emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. Our company is a meritocracy, where talent and
innovation are rewarded rather than simply position and length of tenure. We also invest in the training and
development of our people to help ensure this success.

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Diversity
Our people are the foundation of our success. It’s as simple as that. We want the most talented, whatever their
background, age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

As Barclays reaches further across the globe, we want our employees to reflect the diverse communities and
cultures we serve in every country where we have a presence.

Our commitment to a diverse workforce is global and is defined in our Diversity and Inclusion strategy, but we
recognise the need to adapt our approach to each local market.

You can find out more about some examples of our work by visiting our Citizenship site and accessing the
Diversity pages on http://group.barclays.com/about-barclays/citizenship#diversity

Our Interview Process

Barclays’ recruitment process is designed on the Barclays Structured Assessment model which enables us to
recruit top talent into the organisation.

There are many advantages to using a structured selection process such as Barclays Structured Assessment:

 Decisions are based upon results and not opinions, therefore removing bias
 Interviews are focussed around the most important factors of the job, producing better indicators
of job performance
 Objective scoring and a structured selection process ensures fairness
 The results will show strengths and areas for development, thus ensuring a suitable development
plan for the successful candidate can be developed
 With good constructive feedback, all candidates will benefit from the experience whether or not
they are successful
 It is a great opportunity to meet a range of senior stakeholders from the business

The selection process aims to ensure that we get the right people recruited into the right role. We want to
ensure that you have the best opportunity to display your skills and experience and ultimately have to
opportunity to excel in your role.

The interviews you will be taken through will help us:

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  develop a clear picture of your experience,
 establish your strengths and development areas, and
 explore your successes and the challenges you’ve overcome.

Typical Interview Process – will vary by role

Stag
Format
e
1 First Interview

2 Competency Interviews

3 Biographical Interview

4 Stakeholder / Final Interview (dependent on role)

The table above demonstrates the process that most candidates will go through, although it will depend upon
the level of the position you apply for. You will be advised of the format when invited to attend the first
interview. Listed below are some guidance notes on some of the assessments used by Barclays Human
Resources.

Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ)

You may be required to complete an OPQ prior to the interviews. The questionnaire should take around 20
minutes to complete and is not timed. We use your answers from the questionnaire to understand your work
preferences which will allow us to have a detailed discussion with you about the Barclays values and the
working environment of the role related to your preferred way of working.

Stage 1 – First Interview

This is an interview that can be conducted over the phone or in person. It will be a job focused meeting -
informed by both the role competencies as well as your CV – giving you the opportunity to emphasise your key
skills and experience. We will explore to a small extent your work history, education, goals, strengths and
development areas and also give you an opportunity to discuss your attraction to the opportunity.

Stage 2 - Competency Interviews

This time will focus on the skills, behaviours and knowledge that we have identified as key to success. It
enables us to delve into your skills and experience in relation to the specific skills required for the role. The
questions will be tailored to the role to which you are being interviewed for.

Depending on the level of the role, you may not be tested on all of the Barclays’ competencies. You will be
advised at the start of the process which competencies you will be assessed on.

The six competencies regularly tested by Barclays are:

 Business Skills

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 Encompasses an understanding of customer needs and priorities to provide quality services through
creative problem solving and successful task execution. Inherent within this is the ability to explain,
advocate, and express facts and ideas in a variety of settings both orally and in writing.

 Commercial Effectiveness
Encompasses productive contribution to revenue generation, as well as effective time, resource, and
budget management. Includes an understanding of the business and its drivers and strives to
contribute to the reputation of the firm.

 Control Environment
Encompasses the awareness of, adherence to and compliance with governance and risk policies and
procedures and compliance policies. Includes the ability and willingness to escalate breaches of
policies and procedures and to maintain appropriate documentation.

 Management and Leadership

Encompasses the ability to develop and implement a vision that integrates key goals and priorities.
Inherent to this is the ability to balance change and continually strive to apply management principles
and approaches to increase workplace performance. It includes the ability to make timely and effective
decisions and produce results even in the face of adversity.

 Personal and Interpersonal

Encompasses integrity, initiative, and commitment through interactions with colleagues and clients.
Includes the ability to collaborate and work within a team. Is aware of personal development needs and
works to gain the experiences and training necessary to progress professionally and remain current.
Contributes to the company’s wellbeing and culture.

 Technical Knowledge
Encompasses in-depth understanding of relevant and up-to-date technical knowledge, applications
and techniques required for successful performance in the position.

Stage 3 - Biographical Interview

The Biographical Interview is a structured interview, which enables you to explore trends in your strengths and
development areas and motivation as you have progressed throughout your career.

Why do we use it?

We have found that using this approach as part of our selection process gives real benefits to both us as a
potential employer and to you as an individual potentially joining our organisation.

It gives you a chance to spend some time exploring your approaches and styles with one or two senior leaders
who you will be working closely with if you are successful. It enables you to get a good sense of the
organisation’s values and so you to get a sense of your own cultural fit with the organisation.

If you are successful, you will use the feedback data to build with your line manager a robust development plan
to look at how you can best use your strengths and build on your development areas in the early stages of your
career with Barclays. It will also help your line manager work with you to understand what any challenges may
be on integrating into the organisation, and to agree any specific actions you need to take to ensure that your
onboarding is successful.

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You will find in the supplementary documentation a form to complete prior to the biographical interview. This
asks you for your work history and also some detail of your experiences throughout those roles. Spending
some time to think through your experiences will help you to prepare for the interview and also may help you
gain some insights into your career and your successes to date prior to the session.

Process
The format of this interview is based upon your completed work history form that you will be asked to fill in
prior to the interview. Please complete and submit the form to Barclays no later than 48 hours prior to the
interview. The form can be found at the end of this guide.

At this stage, it is likely that you will also be asked to prepare some paperwork supporting an offer of
employment, should one be made. At the end of this pack you will find the Compensation and Contractual
Terms Data Collection Sheet. We request that you complete and return this sheet prior to your final interview,
along with the Legal Right to Work and Proof of Residency documentation detailed at the end of the pack.

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Stage 4 - Stakeholder/ Final Interview

A stakeholder/final interview will only be carried out in some situations and will be conducted by a stakeholder
other than the Manager/s that that have already interviewed you. The format of this interview can vary.

Other Assessment tools

Other tools which may be used as part of your assessment process include; presentations, case studies, role
plays or numerical/verbal psychometric tests. If you are required to undertake any of these assessments,
further information will be provided as part of your interview confirmation.

On the day
You will be advised of the interview date, time, location and names of those who will be interviewing you.
Please advise of any special requirements for the interview itself when the interview is booked in order to give
them sufficient time to make the necessary adjustments.

The interview team will typically consist of one or two members of staff who will work as a team throughout
the interview – both asking questions and making notes.

This is also your opportunity to ask questions about the role, and what it means to work at Barclays.

Feedback
Once your interviews have been completed, all the interviewers will meet to discuss your suitability for the role.
A decision will be communicated to you by the recruiter as soon as possible after the selection event.

Should you have any questions about the process, please contact your recruiter who will answer these for you.

The Offer Stage

Should you be successful and are offered the position, your recruiter will relay the details of the offer to you.

If you require further information about the offer, benefits that Barclays offer, or have any other questions then
please do request a call with the Hiring Manager to discuss the offer in more detail.

Once you have accepted the verbal offer, we will require some personal details from you that we will request
either directly or via your agency. This information will enable us to send your Conditional Offer and Contract
of Employment to you.

Employment Screening
All offers of employment are conditional upon the satisfactory completion of our Employment Screening
Process. Please note that some offers of employment may be subject to approval by external regulatory bodies.

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Disclaimer
This document has been prepared by Barclays Bank PLC, acting through its investment bank (“Barclays”), for information purposes only.
This document is an indicative summary of the terms and conditions of the securities/transaction described herein and may be amended,
superseded or replaced by subsequent summaries. The final terms and conditions of the transaction and any related security will be set out
in full in the applicable transaction confirmation, offering document(s), pricing supplement or binding transaction document(s).
This document shall not constitute an underwriting commitment, an offer of financing, an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of an offer
to buy or sell any securities described herein, which shall be subject to Barclays’ internal approvals. No transaction or service related thereto
is contemplated without Barclays’ subsequent formal agreement.
Barclays is acting solely as principal and not as advisor or fiduciary. Barclays does not provide, and has not provided, any investment advice
or recommendation to you in relation to the transaction and/or any related securities described herein and is not responsible for providing
or arranging for the provision of any general financial, strategic or specialist advice, including legal, regulatory, accounting, model auditing
or taxation advice or services or any other services in relation to the transaction and/or any related securities described herein. Accordingly
Barclays is under no obligation to, and shall not, determine the suitability for you of the transaction described herein. You must determine,
on your own behalf or through independent professional advice, the merits, terms conditions and risks of the transaction described herein.
You must also satisfy yourself that you are capable of assuming, and assume the risks of any such transaction. Neither Barclays nor any of
its subsidiaries, affiliates or ultimate holding company, nor any of the subsidiaries or affiliates of such holding company (the“ Barclays
Group”), nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives or agents, accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct,
indirect or consequential losses (in contract, tort or otherwise) arising from the use of this document or its contents or reliance on the
information contained herein.
Barclays does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information which is contained in this document and which is stated to have
been obtained from or is based upon trade and statistical services or other third party sources. Any data on past performance, modelling,
scenario analysis or back-testing contained herein is no indication as to future performance. No representation is made as to the
reasonableness of the assumptions made within or the accuracy or completeness of any modelling, scenario analysis or back-testing. All
opinions and estimates are given as of the date hereof and are subject to change. The value of any investment may fluctuate as a result of
market changes. The information in this document is not intended to predict actual results and no assurances are given with respect
thereto.
Barclays is a full service securities firm engaged in a wide range of businesses and from time to time, in the ordinary course of its business,
Barclays and/or other parts of the Barclays Group may hold long or short positions and trade or otherwise effect transactions for their own
account or the account of their customers in the securities referred to herein and/or the debt or equity securities, assets or loans (or any
derivatives thereof) of the companies referred to herein. Additionally, Barclays and/or other parts of the Barclays Group may have
investment and commercial banking, lending, asset management and other relationships with parties which are or may become involved in
the transactions referred to herein and/or which may have interests which could potentially conflict with the interests of the recipient
hereof. Barclays and/or other parts of the Barclays Group have in place policies and procedures to restrict the flow of information and to
identify, consider and manage such potential conflicts of interest. Accordingly, you acknowledge and agree that no part of the Barclays
Group is required to restrict its activities as a result of the provision of this document, and that all parts of the Barclays Group may
undertake any activities without further consultation with or notification to you. Barclays shall not be required to account to you for any
revenue or profits obtained in connection with any activities of the Barclays Group as referred to herein.
Barclays’ research analysts and research departments are independent from Barclays’ investment banking division and are subject to
certain regulations and internal policies. Barclays’ research analysts may hold and make statements or investment recommendations
and/or publish research reports with respect to any company referred to herein, the transactions contemplated herein or any person
involved therein or related thereto that differ from or are inconsistent with the views or advice communicated by Barclays’ investment
banking division.
Barclays Bank PLC is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Services Authority and a member of the London Stock Exchange.
Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England No. 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Copyright Barclays Bank
PLC, 2012 (all rights reserved).
This document is confidential, and no part of it may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted without the prior written permission of
Barclays.

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