DEY-Women in Business Review

I really enjoyed the Discover EY-Women in Business programme that was held in London at the Hilton Tower Bridge. The programme was extremely insightful and covered assurance, tax, advisory and transaction advisory services. There were more than enough staff to help the 100+ students that were participating in the event, and they were very informative. The hotel in which we stayed and where the event was held was absolutely beautiful, it really was above and beyond what I expected for a spring Insight.

I felt very valued during my time on the programme, the table hosts wanted to hear from me, and get to know us all on our tables. The staff during the speed networking event were really friendly and approachable, and wanted to hear and answer our questions on the service lines that they worked in.

I received guidance on the next steps after attending the day, and how I should perform during my assessment centre in the summer through the mock assessment centre exercise. The staff gave lots of handy tips for delivering presentations also, to equip us with the confidence to deliver presentations in the future in our professional careers.

As an accounting and finance student, the skills I developed through this programme will enable me to deliver presentations in future assessments at university with greater confidence and professionalism. I enhance my team working skills through the presentation and case study exercises, improving my communication skills also. I feel that perhaps the tables should have been changed on the second day so that we got to know and work with other people, especially as the intake was so large.

The organisation and execution of the event was flawless, and you could tell that a lot of time and effort had been invested in developing this programme from start to finish, so that the participants left the event with the insight needed to pursue a career at EY. There was also regulars structured breaks so we knew what to expect, and when to be back to start the next exercise.

There was a real sense of privilege amongst the participants, staying in such a beautiful hotel, partaking in stimulating exercises for a global leader in professional services, and networking with likeminded and talented students and staff. Everybody was really enthusiastic and I already feel onboard with the company after learning of the type of working environment at EY.

The student recruitment team ensured that each exercise was targeted at developing certain skills which are key to a successful career in professional services. The presentations on assurance and tax were comprehensive and insightful, and it was a privilege to have listened to presentations delivered by senior people in the company who were passionate about the service line.

It really did help me in understanding the culture and reality of working for such a successful and recognised firm. Having a table host to each table, who was an employee at EY enabled us to have personal conversations with them so we could gain a deeper understanding of the working culture.

There were so many staff who kept talking about the benefits of working for such a flexible firm, and learnt of how EY allows its individuals to work from home when required, as they want workers to feel engaged and respected. I learnt a lot about the social events that take place as there is a great sense of collaboration with the EY offices.

The talks on assurance and tax were really informative, however having been on another spring insight for another big 4 company, I felt the talks were too long and instead needed to be replaced with more interactive games and case studies on the services lines. This would give us a better understanding of the work carried out in each service line also.

Hotel accommodations to myself was provided in the Hilton Tower Bridge for two nights and all of my travel expenses to and from the hotel were reimbursed. My only criticism is where they held the social and the fact that we all had to pay ourselves to get there on the tube.

Yes, however I was extremely surprised that there were no business representatives from the company at all in the social. It was described as a social networking event, when in fact it was a social for ourselves, but I felt that it would have been great to talk to business representatives in a less formal setting. Other participants that I spoke to were also surprised that no professionals were there.

As many free soft drinks as you wanted and we got vouchers for two alcoholic drinks. Bowling was good, however I fel the social could have been better.

Yes, the table hosts informed us of all the socials and sports that we could get involved in, and how this also improved the team dynamics.

Definitely, I feel that it has really allowed me to gain a further insight into EY.