Summer Insight Review

This insight was really useful in terms of finding out about different parts of the bank, personally it showed me that the division I wanted to work for was not in fact the one that was best suited for me and I was able to find out more about what Investment Bankers did through a day, as well as their thought processes through a deal.

There were many people including HR that spoke and presented to us. They were from many areas of the bank and some were very senior, including Managing Directors and Vice Presidents. They all seemed genuinely interested in speaking to us and did not seem as though they were forced or wanted to be elsewhere.

There was a networking skills session that was really useful and fun. It helped me to be better prepared for the networking sessions and to make the most of them. I was less afraid of talking to very senior people and was able to have better conversations and learn more from them.

The information developed was not very useful for my degree, chemistry. However, the networking skills session helped me to be able to speak to my lecturers more confidently and to approach them. This will help me to gain more from my studies and also help me when I am making presentations as part of my assessments.

There was a timetable issued at the start of the insight. This had all the necessary timings on and there was a good balance of presentations and networking sessions. There always seemed to be enough time for a good number of questions to be asked by us and further opportunity to speak to people after their presentations.

Everyone on the programme seemed very competent, keen and friendly. This meant that it was really nice spending time meeting new people and getting to know their backgrounds. I was able to learn a lot from the other people that attended the insight as well. Initially everyone was rather tense, but the ice-breaker exercise particularly helped in relaxing the mood and making it more open.

There were many hours spent by multiple people from all lines of business dedicated to informing us about their roles. We spent a full day split between two divisions work shadowing, receiving presentations and going through case studies. This, on top of the networking skills session by a professional comedian reflected the amount of investment that was made because this knowledge can be transferable and useful elsewhere as well.

I personally enjoyed shadowing some electronic traders on the trading floor, not only did they teach us a lot about their function in the business but we could also experience the atmosphere of the floor. The different representatives were all very happy to tell us the structure of their "normal" and "execution" days.

From meeting the vast amount of different people from different background I feel that I got a good sense of the diversity that is in BAML. There seems to be a strong competitive professionalism that exists among all the employees irrespective of the division. The merger of the two legacy banks before BAML has meant that there are benefits from the cultures of both banks that are present now.

Initially I was unsure about what I wanted to do and just picked what sounded good on the website, but after spending time speaking to people from that department I was able to understand more about the type of work that they produce, which was different from what I had imagined. Moreover, I was able to find out about the work of a different division and realised that it suited my skill set and interests better than the other.

Travel expenses were paid, accommodation was also offered but I did not need it as I lived in London.

There were plenty of opportunities to network with employees, either at breakfasts, lunches or dinners. People from different networks and backgrounds were invited so we were able to see a variety of people in the bank.

There was always someone to talk to at the networking events. The employees were all interested in telling us about their jobs and finding out about our careers aspirations and backgrounds.

We were given a presentation from the Corporate Social Responsibility division and I learnt about the art collection that the bank had and the exhibitions that it held. We were also able to speak to the different employee networks at breakfast and learn about the diversity in BAML and the events that they hold.

Definitely, for those that are unsure, this will inform you a great deal about whether BAML is for you. For those that are sure, this will help you to learn much more about your specific division and what they do.