Why Apply to UBS?
UBS is the largest banking employer in Switzerland with over 70,000 employees worldwide and approximately 25,000 in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, the bank consistently recruits in IT, compliance, risk, wealth management and investment banking.
Salaries are among the highest in the sector: a senior developer earns between 130k and 160k CHF, a risk analyst between 100k and 130k, and investment banking positions regularly exceed 200k CHF with bonuses.
The UBS Application Process
UBS uses Workday as its ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for 100% of its recruitment. This means every application goes through a standardised Workday form with specific mandatory fields.
Process Steps
The full process at UBS typically consists of 5 stages:
- Workday Application — Online form with CV, cover letter, questions
- Phone Screening — 20-30 min with an HR recruiter
- Technical Interview — 1h with the hiring manager (for IT roles: live coding)
- Assessment Day — For certain roles: case studies, presentations
- Offer and Negotiation — Average timeline: 2-4 weeks after the final interview
Completing the UBS Workday Form
The UBS Workday form is one of the longest on the market: 45+ fields spread across 3-4 pages. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete manually — or 30 seconds with the Kandidat extension.
Critical Fields
Some fields have a greater impact than others on automatic filtering:
| Field | Importance | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Current Job Title | Critical | Must match the job posting title |
| Years of Experience | Critical | Minimum required in the posting |
| Technical Skills | High | Use the keywords from the posting |
| Cover Letter | High | Formal Swiss banking format |
| Work Permit | Medium | B/C for non-Swiss nationals |
| Salary Expectations | Medium | Realistic range in CHF |
Common Open-Ended Questions
UBS systematically includes open-ended questions in Workday:
- "Why UBS?" — Mention the culture, digital transformation, Switzerland's role
- "Salary expectations?" — Provide a realistic range based on the Zurich market
- "Availability?" — The standard notice period in Switzerland is 3 months
The Swiss Banking CV Format
The Swiss banking sector has strict conventions for CVs. Ignoring these conventions can eliminate your application before a human even sees it.
Rules to Follow
- Professional Photo — Required in Switzerland, business portrait on a neutral background
- Personal Details — Nationality, work permit, date of birth
- Formal Tone — Formal register, classic structure
- 2 pages maximum — Concise, no padding
- Languages with levels — FR C2, DE B2, EN C1 (European format)
- Certifications — CFA, FRM, ACCA prominently displayed if applicable
Automate with Kandidat
Kandidat automates the most time-consuming parts of the process:
What Kandidat Does for UBS
- Daily Scraping — UBS positions are detected twice daily on jobs.ch and ubs.com/careers
- Smart Matching — Each position is scored 0-100 based on your profile
- Tailored CV — A UBS-specific CV is generated with the ATS keywords from the posting
- Personalised Cover Letter — Swiss banking format, UBS references, formal tone
- Chrome Extension — Fills in the Workday form in 30s: all fields, uploads, questions
Apply to UBS in 30 Seconds
Create your profile, let the AI find UBS positions and apply via the Chrome extension.
Get Started for Free →Tips for the UBS Interview
If your application passes the ATS filter, here is what to expect:
- Know UBS — Recent financial results, "One UBS" strategy, digital transformation
- Prepare STAR Examples — Situation, Task, Action, Result for each key competency
- Technical Questions — For IT roles: system design, algorithms, cloud architecture
- Dress Code — Business formal for banking, smart casual for IT (but err on the formal side)
- Post-Interview Follow-Up — A thank-you email within 24 hours is appreciated in Switzerland
Conclusion
Applying to UBS requires specific preparation: Swiss banking CV format, mastery of Workday, ATS keywords, and knowledge of local conventions. Kandidat automates the technical side — you focus on interview preparation.
With a matching score of 90%+, optimised documents and the Chrome extension, your chances of passing the first filter increase dramatically. Your next UBS application could be the one that lands the job.