Focus on the General Inspection in banks

Focus on the General Inspection in banks

Louis DETALLE

In this article, Louis DETALLE (ESSEC Business School, Grande Ecole Program – Master in Management, 2020-2023) explains the General Inspection in banks.

What is the General Inspection?

The General Inspection (GI) path is a 3-to-9-year training program used to identify and develop the banking leaders of tomorrow. Indeed, during this extensive Gradutate Program, the General Inspectors (GI) will experiment many divisions of the bank (retail banking investment banking, asset management) and approach their functioning from different perspectives.

The GI’s tasks can be cross-cutting, specific or regulatory, and they change approximately every 6 months, allowing General Inspectors to work on new subjects each time. For example, they may relate to the global strategy of the retail bank or to the foreign exchange risk control process in the trading room. For a French bank, the assignments may take place both in France and abroad and therefore involve a lot of travel. During their missions, the GIs will meet regularly with senior managers, and by training, enabling the GI team to submit its recommendations, also known as the audit report.

What banks recruit General Inspectors and how does the recruitment process go?

Banks such as BNP Paribas, BPCE Société Générale, and La Banque Postale in France, organize competitive exams each year. Candidates are mainly freshly graduate students from business schools and sometimes from engineering schools. Foreign banks like HSBC recruit also inspectors with a few years’ experience.

This exam consists of a written test, followed by an oral test, and finally a presentation in front of a grand jury.

The written test lasts about four hours and consists of strategic and operational cases in which you will have to demonstrate your ability to analyze financial data by using relevant indicators.

The oral test consists of a group interview of about eight candidates in the form of a simulation during which you will be observed by a jury. You will then take part in a traditional motivational interview with former managers of the General Inspection who will ask you questions about your career objectives.

Finally, if you pass these two stages, you will be invited to an HR interview which will allow you to debrief on a personality questionnaire, before taking part in the grand oral in front of a jury composed of the bank’s managers.

What are the main exits for General Inspectors?

After completing the General Inspection track in a bank, a General Inspector may move into management positions (like in the retail division of the bank) or more operational and hands-on positions (structuring, trading or financing).

There are also opportunities in support functions such as the Risk and Compliance Office departments, as well as in the Middle Office, given the appropriate training provided by the General Inspection. Exits to the Front Office as well as to Trading and M&A are relatively less easy given the lack of operational experience.

Related posts on the SimTrade blog

▶ Louis DETALLE A quick presentation of the M&A field…

▶ Frédéric ADAM Senior banker (coverage)

Resources

BNP Paribas Job description: Inspector

BPCE Job description: Inspector

Société Générale Job description: Inspector

La Banque Postale Job description: Inspector

About the author

The article was written in November 2022 by Louis DETALLE (ESSEC Business School, Grande Ecole Program – Master in Management, 2020-2023).

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