Women in Technology Insight Week Review

The insight was extremely useful to gain an insight into the areas within KPMG's technology division. I enjoyed meeting people from all over the business area as this allowed me to deduce which areas I may look into further. I particularly enjoyed the Business and Charity challenges - by the end of the week I felt much more secure in my delivery of presentations.

During my time with KPMG I felt part of the team and the staff were approachable. I felt that the people are KPMG were always willing to devote their time to help you learn more about the business areas and give advice on their experience of a career here. The firm valued our participation in the programme just as we valued being part of the team for the week.

During the insight we received much guidance on presentation skills and the application process. The guidance was very prevalent and this is similar to the type of guidance graduates ay receive in their very first few weeks at the firm. On top of this, we received guidance from many of the individuals within the firm informally through networking events and drinks events.

The presentation skills we have been taught are extremely applicable for any presentation task required. I felt this was extremely value in addition to the skills we learnt through work shadowing in data analysis. I feel I can bring many of the skills taught to me forward to any future job or interview as they are transferrable.

The insight was structured well. We started the week with presentations on the formal areas of the technology department and skills sessions on personal brand, presentation skills and what we would look for in a career. We spent the day work-shadowing a member of the technology division in the middle of the week and then moved onto an assessment to determine our places on the technology vacation scheme.

The atmosphere during the insight was lively and there was a clear sense of drive in the people I met on the programme. I feel this reflects the lively atmosphere at the firm, ensuring a balance between working hard and enjoying working with many different types of people to create a diverse working force.

The firm spent a lot of time teaching us about ways in which we can adapt to new methods of working and being agile in our working style. KPMG brought together many different members of the firm at many levels which allowed for a holistic development and training opportunity.

The insight was extremely useful for this. Spending one week at the firm allows you to get a feel for the working hours, style and requirements that a full time role would entail. One week allows you to make many connections, some stronger than others, which reflects how personable and approachable the team is.

I left the insight programme with a clear view of what KPMG sets out to achieve. The firm is one which prides itself upon its people and connections and this is extremely clear from when you first join.

The insight week left us with many take-away lessons such as knowledge about the different areas of technology as well as transferrable skills like maintaining a personal brand. Learning about technological consulting was extremely useful in helping me decide on my future career because I saw just how fluid the job can be. The projects vary in most aspects.

I was grateful for both the pay and reimbursements provided to us.

We spent one day work shadowing various members within the technology department ranging from first year graduates to senior partners. This was the main opportunity for networking and was an aspect many viewed as the highlight of the week. Because of this, it may have been useful to have done more networking and work shadowing to explore the division further.

The opportunities were extremely useful. The graduates available for networking drinks were great to talk to and they gave a real sense of how it is to work at KPMG.

After speaking to a few of the graduates it is clear there is a social focus outside of work. There are many sports teams run by KPMG including rugby, football and hockey.

I would recommend this insight to a friend who is interested in consulting as a career. Technological consulting is much wider than I first imagined therefore it is definitely worth looking into.