Interview with Christian Green

Christian Green graduated from Leeds with a degree in Spanish and Iberian Studies in 2015. He now works in Commodity Sales for Bloomberg in the United Arab Emirates.

What does your job entail?

I work for Bloomberg – a financial technology company. I have been the Commodity Account Manager for the UAE since October 2017. Bloomberg has had an office in Dubai since the early 2000s, but the company hadn’t explored commodities in the region until I moved here and effectively started running my own area of a business at 24, which was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down!

How did you get to where you are?

Whilst studying at Leeds, I got an interview for one of Bloomberg’s ten-week internships. After the day-long interview in London, the firm rang me up and told me that they’d liked me, but couldn’t accept me because I wasn’t graduating until 2015. However, they offered to fly me down to Madrid (whilst I was doing my year abroad in Santiago de Compostela), for another round of interviews, after which I was offered a ten-week internship for the following summer, from which I was offered a full-time job.

After working as an ‘Advanced Specialist’ for a year, my boss asked if I was interested in working in Dubai, and I then had a round of interviews for a position in the UAE. I got the job and moved out here at the end of October 2017.

What challenges did you face when moving to Dubai?

Dubai is not the kind of place I’d typically visit on holiday. I like to be able to explore the culture and history of a place, but there isn’t really the opportunity to do that here. There were also a few, odd, everyday things that I hadn’t expected, like the fact you pay your rent annually, rather than monthly, and the fact it’s very bureaucratic.

It was quite easy to make friends, because the team in the Dubai office is relatively small. I was also lucky that a friend of mine had been living here for thirteen years. We now share a flat, and meeting his friends and family has helped me to settle in.

What are your tips for moving abroad?

Definitely do it – international work experience is dynamite on any CV. Also, when you work abroad, you’re often given a lot more responsibility and exposure to important individuals than you may have been in the UK. You might feel homesick at times, but just focus on the amazing opportunity you have!

How did your degree help with your job?

Being a language student means you’ll know how to analyse theories, language, and behaviour, which is vital in the financial sector. You also learn how to organise and strategize, which has been useful for me, because I never know what each day will throw my way. Writing essays also helps you to evaluate multiple viewpoints, which will help in meetings, when you hear lots of different opinions.

During my degree, I was also part of lots of sporting societies, which helped me to build my communication, networking, and confidence skills, as I now have no problem walking into a room of strangers and starting a conversation with someone new.

What are your tips for language students, who are considering going into the financial sector?

Do your homework! There are lots of great resources out there, from books like ‘All You Need to Know About the City’ by Christopher Stoakes, to online resources such as Investopedia. These will give you a good understanding of basic terminology, which you can then build upon. Also, keep up with the news by watching Bloomberg Surveillance, or reading the Economist, which both help to break down complex concepts.

Do you have any last words of wisdom about the world of work?

Start thinking about careers early on, and get some experience, even if it’s in a small, local business, or a placement you get through a family friend. You need something to fill out your CV, and a story to tell in an interview.

Also, go to some careers events for inspiration, and try to do some research beforehand, so you know who to speak to and what to ask them. If you get some good insights at these events, be sure to mention them on a cover letter (which should be tailored to every application) to really impress a potential employer!

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Have the interviews in the Alumni Voices Abroad series been helpful to you? What insights would you like to gain from future interviews with our alumni? All feedback on the series is welcome, please send this via email to lcsalumni@leeds.ac.uk