Work Experience Candidate Review

I was placed in a local branch for 2 weeks. One week was spent behind the counters shadowing the clerks, and this included filling the cash machine and making currency exchanges. The other week was spent with the personal finance advisors, working on individual cases surrounding accounts, loans, and mortgages. While some days were more interesting than others, overall I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot about the banking industry.

I was not allowed to do much as there was understandably a lot of policy and security, so often I was observing or doing menial tasks. Therefore, while I didn't feel needed or valued during my time there, I was somewhat happy with this as it made me appreciate the dedication the staff had to following the security policies.

A lot of the work I did was small, but important tasks, for which I did receive a lot of guidance and support. One example of this would be when processing cheques - there were both electronic and manual elements which needed to be carried out and could have an impact on the processing time if errors were made.

The main skill I learned was customer service. I did not end up entering the banking industry, so the skills I learned to do with the day to day running of a bank branch were not relevant to the rest if my studies. However, this does not mean that someone who wishes to enter that industry would not benefit from this.

It was clear that this branch has previously taken on work experience candidates. There was a clear structure to what I would do each day, and every member of staff knew what they were required to show me and teach me. Perhaps too much time was spent on the person finance side as this was rather repetitive.

The staff were very friendly and clearly got along socially. I was made to feel welcome and we involved in lunch plans etc. Staff seemed to have a good relationship with the branch manager, and desk clerks and personal finances advisors also seemed friendly to one another. Overall the atmosphere was welcoming and warm.

As this was only a 2 week placement, there was no in-depth personal development. It was mostly learning whilst observing. Any training I received was purely in situ and not necessarily for my personal benefit. However, I must stress that this was a busy branch and only a 2 week placement, and I was not expecting to gain much training or personal development from this experience.

The placement did give me an insight into office life and the world of work, and this was quite an eye-opener for me. I was able to see the dynamics of a workplace, which undoubtedly help me adjust after university. Also the 9-5 hours enabled me to get an idea of working full time, which I greatly valued.

I have previously stated that the branch I worked in was warm, welcoming, and happy. I now have friends who work for Barclays in many different sectors, and by all account, the company culture is warm, welcoming, and diverse. Barclays have done well to instill these values through the entire organisation, and it must be incredibly difficult to do this considering the size of the banking company.

I did not go into banking, so the placement was not useful for helping me select my future career path. However, I knew I was not going to go into banking before the placement (there were limited options available to me) so I appreciated the opportunity to experience the world of work more than helping me decide my career path.

I lived close to the branch, so I could walk and did not need to pay for travel. The branch was also close to a Sainsbury's so I often got a meal deal from there, or brought lunch from home. Given the locality of the branch and the fact that it was not in London, I feel like remuneration and reimbursement wold have been unecessary.

Outside of the staff within the branch, there were no networking opportunities, with either external or internal employees. Again, as this was a small branch, and this was a 2 week placement, I feel like there was no need for networking opportunities. Though should one have been offered, I would have liked the opportunity to network.

This is not applicable to me as there were no networking opportunities. Considering the networking I was able to do within the workplace, I fear that this was not useful to me. I did not go into banking, and I have not kept in touch with any of the staff members. I cannot speak for the company as a whole, however, as I was placed in a small local branch.

I was aware of some charity activities which some staff participated in, such as raising money for the British Heart Foundation. I was not aware of any team building activities, or social activities after 5pm. However, as I was only there for 2 weeks, I would presume that I was not there long enough to experience any employees participate in outside of work.

If a friend was interested in this line of work, I would recommend the placement I did, as the atmosphere was warm, the staff were welcoming and knowledgeable, the structure was clear and varied, and the skills I gained could greatly benefit someone looking to go into banking, particularly in local branches.