DEY - Women in Business Review

I very much enjoyed the Insight at EY. What struck me most was how well organised the event was and you could see that much thought had been put into how they could make the programme very useful to the students attending. I would thoroughly recommend this programme to others.

During the programme, I had the opportunity to speak to many people at the firm. Everyone I met was very friendly and I felt able to ask them any questions that I had about the company or their jobs. I felt very welcomed even as a student with no experience.

There was lots of guidance/support available throughout the insight. There were many people available to answer your questions and it was made very clear to whom different areas of questions could be directed to receive the most support. Also, the program was very well run so at no point did I not know what I was supposed to be doing.

During the programme, I had the opportunity to develop teamwork skills, presentation skills and to practis case studies and assessment centre-style exercises. I think that these skills will be extremely valuable to me when applying to internships and jobs in the future, as well as being transferable skills which I can apply to my university life.

The insight was extremely well structured. We received lots of information about the company and developed a good understanding of the work it does. This was complemented by discussions with people from the firm and other students on the insight as well as interactive sessions. I think the insight was very well planned to maximise the benefit of the insight.

The atmosphere was professional yet friendly. I felt that I was able to ask any questions I had without fear of it being a “silly” question. Everyone was incredibly supportive of one another and all representatives of the firm were welcoming and helpful. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this insight programme.

I think that the company invested a lot of money in the programme and that everything on the programme was beneficial to me in some way. I had the opportunity to develop many skills but more importantly the opportunity to talk to lots of people from the firm and discuss their roles.

I think that it would be very difficult to understand what it would be like to have a full time role at a firm without gaining longer experience (e.g. an internship). However, I think I have learnt a lot about the culture of the firm and what it would be like to work there just in the 2 days that I was there.

I learnt much about the company culture during this programme. There was a large emphasis on its supportive culture throughout all presentations and sessions and I felt that this was very much reflected in the employees whom I met. I feel that this is a culture in which I would enjoy working in the future.

The content was very helpful in terms of career planning. The program provided me with very clear information of the different opportunities that they offered and what skills would be required for each of them and the processes for applying. There are many opportunities in the firm which I would be interested in.

I was not paid for this experience but did not feel like I needed to be. I was reimbursed for my train tickets and I met people whose accommodation expenses had been paid over the two days. We were also provided with breakfast, lunch, tea and coffee throughout the day.

There were plenty of opportunities provided to meet employees of the firm during the programme. An employee was put in charge of each of the tables on ach of the days who we could ask any questions to and there were also people available to talk to during breaks and lunch.

There were lots of networking/social opportunities. There was a fun bowling social organised for the evening between the two days when we could talk to other students on the programme as well as employees. One of the sessions was also a speed networking session with employees from all service lines.

Whilst it was made clear that there were many opportunities for employees to get involved in outside of work, including charity work and mentorship, we were not provided with specific details. However, I am sure that if I had asked someone for more details on the opportunities I would have been given a very good answer.

I would most definitely recommend this insight to a friend. I learnt much from attending this insight, met lots of interesting people, asked any questions I had, and developed skills. The programme was very well planned and executed and I felt that this made for a really good experience at the firm.