Course Overview

This 10 hour course is intended to give a comprehensive overview and demonstration of the financial risk management industry, with real life example of what a daily routine of a risk professional looks like, and refreshment of all necessary knowledge required for the field to the interested students. The course is composed for five lectures which will provide learning for financial instruments, financial modelling, update-to-date risk industry trend, introduction of different roles in market risk, and job application/interview tips etc. Assignment will be handed out for students to gain some hands-on experience and real-life interview questions will be discussed. At the end of the course student will not only gain a solid understanding of risk management but also insights to the current status of the industry. Common interview questions and practical interview skill and tips is also covered in this course to help students land on desire job in financial risk industry.

Each one of the 5 sessions has a duration of 2 hours.

Session 1 – Introduction to risk management

• Introductory presentation of risk management, and explanation of the key concepts frequently used within the industry
• What risk management is, what type of role the industry plays in the financial market, and why it is in high demands etc. will  be discussed in the session
• Students are expected to gain the fundamental knowledge of risk management after the lecture, and the initial impression of the career path and opportunity of the industry

Session 2 – Financial Instrument and risk sensitivity

• Introduction of variety of financial instrument available on the market including equity, bond and derivatives etc.
• Student will be given real examples of how financial institutions like banks use these financial instruments to attract revenue, hedge risks and make profit
• Other asset classes that play a smaller role will also be discussed
• Virtual risk management tool such as Greek letter related to financial product will be taught in this lecture in combination with how they are used practically in daily job

Session 3 – Measuring, managing, and modelling market risk

• This lecture digs into the specifics of how risk is quantified in the industry as well as how risk is modelled and controlled
• Popular risk measure methods such as downside risk will be discussed and real example of their applicability to banks performance will be explained
• Student will be given a small assignment at the end of the session using current market data, and solution will be discussed in the next lecture

Session 4 – Roles in risk management

• This lecture looks into what the daily life of a risk professional is like, what career path in the industry offers, and the current and future market trend 
• Different roles in market risk department will be explained thoroughly with knowledge required for each role in order to help student find the best potential fit for their career
• Further discussion on any specific role is welcome in the session

Session 5 – Summary and interview examples

• What have been covered throughout this course will be reviewed together, and will discuss on the best ways to get into this industry on an individual level
• How to best prepare for job application and interview will be discussed in combination with real technical and behavior interview examples and resume tips

Course Highlights

Being practical is the main highlight of this course! Most interview related questions will be discussed during this course, and professional advice on resume and assessment of each individual student’s background will be provided. In just 10 hours of time, you will learn all fundamental knowledge of financial market risk, and get professional illustration on the daily work life of the industry with real life cases, which will serve as a valuable project experience both for preparation of interview and first month at work as well as a highlight on your resume.

Qualifications

This course is suitable for all levels of students interested in financial industry especially financial risk function. No previous experience is required, and this course is highly recommended for students with analytical background such as statistics, mathematics, economics, engineering, finance etc.

Mentor Profile

Mentor for this course has been working in market risk industry for over 10 years and have helped many students without any related experience gain their first offer in risk management department in famous financial institutions. Graduated from Mfin, schulich school of business while also holding a bachelor’s degree in engineering from UW, the course mentor is currently working in BMO risk department on a managerial role. With his abundant work experience and accumulated network from various financial institutions, our mentor would love to share with students his past and current experience as much has he can and aim to provide the best guidance to students to achieve their dream offer!