HR Summer Analyst - Campus Recruitment Marketing Review

I have had a very enjoyable time on the internship. I certainly wasn't sure what to expect at the start of the program, but I am pleased to say that I have been given the chance to undertake a range of genuinely interesting projects and tasks and, moreover, have been fortunate enough to have both a specific team and an intern cohort with whom I have been able to get on with excellently; all in all, therefore, the experience has been very positive.

Coming into the internship I was certainly anxious as to the extent to which my opinions would be taken seriously considering my lack of seniority. Happily, however, these concerns have proven to be entirely unfounded; all of my colleagues have always been willing to listen to my input on issues, and that capacity to genuinely involve myself in affairs has been something which I have really appreciated. The valuing of my input has been furthered by the nature of my team's work. Certainly, the fact that my role within a Graduate and Early Careers-facing team has meant that I have effectively been the target market for many of the products and propositions with which I have been involved has allowed me to regularly provide a unique and valuable insight into my team's work.

My manager has been exceptionally supportive throughout the internship process. She has always been more than happy to field any questions I have - no matter how silly they may be - and, moreover, has been very proactive in helping me manage my workload and develop the key skills associated work within a firm like Barclays. This assistance has been delivered both formally - we have had meetings twice a week in which we have assessed my progress relative to my objectives - and informally, that is, I have been fortunate enough throughout the 9 weeks to sit close enough to my manager to interacti with her regarding all manner of things on as regular a basis as I would like!

My team is a small one relative to the amount of work with which they are charged; that and the fact that one of the more senior team members had moved to occupy a position within a different area of the business (leaving the team depleted in numbers for much of my internship) has meant that there has been more shortage of work for me to do! Thankfully, however, my team have always been really helpful in terms of me managing my workload which has meant that the work has never been onerous. Certainly, I have been grateful to have had the chance to undertake a range of hugely interesting and challenging work; from my perspective I'd much rather that this were the case than to be sat twiddling my thumbs at any point during the programme!

I was lucky enough to be given significant amounts of responsibility during the programme. I have been able to take the lead on a range of projects with global reach, and I have certainly found it immensely satisfying to see these projects cluminate in the production of tangible advertising products and propositions which will enter into the graduate space in the coming months. Also, I have been able to enjoy high-responsibiltiy rolse which have been allocated on a rather more ad-hoc basis; the opportunity, for instance, to deliver an hour-and-a-half interactive corporate banking case study to some 60 A-Level vistiors at about a dy's notice was something which I never thought I would be doing but which definitely proved to be a real highlight!

My work has certainly been very much removed from my work at university both in terms of content (where there is very little clear overlap) and working style - the relative rigidity of office work certainly contrasts rather sharply with the often laughably flexible and freeform nature of university tasks. Nevertheless, the internship has certainly been indsipensable in helping me develop a range of core skills which I feel will be useful to me throughout my working life. The opportunity to sink my teeth into a range of stretching tasks has been hugely beneficial in terms of helping me improve my organisational and communicative skills. Moreover, this position has been very different to any other I have previously held; I have found it tremendously useful, therefore, in terms of picking up a range of basic office skills - learning how to set up calls and how to effectively run meetings, for instance - which will clearly be useful for me heading into the future.

The atmosphere in my office was really positive. People were certainly very focused on their work; nevertheless, I was pleased that the pervading atmosphere within my section of the office was relaxed and welcoming, which definitely allowed me to settle into my role far more easily than I would have done had my colleagues been colder or less enthusiastic.

I was genuinely impressed by the extent to which Barclays was willing to actively contribute to my personal development during the course of the internship. I was particularly impressed by the level of exposure I was given as part of the program to senior figures within the business. Through both formal business area learning sessions and the company's 'meet the director/managing director' initiative, my cohort and I were given the opportunity to meet a significant number of highly influential people from across the bank, all of whom did a phenomenal job of providing meaningful insights into both their roles at Barclays and work/life in general!

I will not be seeking a place on the graduate scheme for 2018 as I have decided that I would like to undertake a master's course at university instead. I have, however, definitely enjoyed my experience at Barclays far more than I expected to at the beginning of the internship, and have found the company to be an enjoyable and rewarding place to work, As a consequence, I definitely will not rule out applying for a place on a program at Barclays in future

The fact that my intern cohort has been fantastically sociable has certainly been one of the highlights of the internship period. I have been particularly close with my fellow HR interns; we have met up practically every day during the course of the program and we have regularly engaged in social events in a group. There has also been a social scene among the wider intern class - demonstrated, for instance with the existence of a very well-attended intern drinks that has taken place after work every Friday!

One of the downsides of living and working in London is definitely the cost of living and socialising. London is significantly more expensive than both my university town and my home address in rural Norfolk; it was certainly a bit of a shock for me in the first few weeks, therefore, when it came to buying food and drinks etc.

There have been adequate opportunities to involve myself in out-of work activities. Barclays have, for instance, encouraged us to involve ourselves in various citizenship activities, each of which constituted an entertaining break from regular desk work. In addition, I have been able to get involved with the Barclays tennis team, which has culminated in me represented the company's men's and mixed teams in national inter-corporate competitions.