Overview
The Bank of Nova Scotia is Canada's third-largest bank by assets and the parent of Toronto-based Scotiabank. It provides a range of retail, commercial, corporate, investment and wholesale banking services. In 2009, it announced an acquisition of a majority interest in asset manager Five Continents Financial Ltd. Scotia Capital, the company's corporate and investment-banking arm, has offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston, and the bank has a presence in Asia and Central and South America. In 2008, the bank bought the Canadian operations of struggling online brokerage E-Trade Financial Corp. and a 20% stake in Scotiabank Peru.
Scotiabank has a reputation for being tight-fisted and old-fashioned, but its approach to business may have helped it avoid the troubles currently facing many of its U.S. rivals.
Recruiting
Scotiabank offers several interview tips for candidates. For example, when interviewers ask you to talk about a specific past experience, you should:
- Briefly describe the situation you found yourself in
- Summarize the actions you took
- State the outcome based on your actions
...And at the close of the interview, state: “I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together in the future.”