Spring Intern Review

I found the insight week highly enjoyable. We worked as groups on various challenges, including one which lasted all three days; this helped us to network and meet like-minded students. It was helpful as the 3 days were structured with different days being spent learning about different divisions of UBS, some of which I am keen to learn more about.

I felt exceptionally valued. Both the organisers made the effort to circulate through all forty of us on the Talent Academy, and asked us about our thoughts on the program, and whether it had affected our thoughts on going forward. We were given talks by well chosen speakers from all different areas and stages of the career ladder to enable us to gain a well-rounded view of UBS.

We received significant support throughout the insight. Throughout the week we were able to work as small groups with the help of a recent graduate who continually guided us through the task. All of the employees we spoke to were keen to give us their contact details for future advice.

In addition to the information received about the different business areas I am keen to aim for after leaving university, the Talent Academy aimed to really prepare us for the Assessment Centre and any interviews needed to join UBS. This has encouraged me to expand my knowledge of the financial sector and hone my interview skills to match their criteria. Hence despite not being directly relevant to my degree, attending this program has helped given me an insight into the skills I need to develop to gain a position at a company like UBS.

After each talk on a given business area within UBS we were divided into small groups and given a task while a recent graduate assisted us. This gave us a good mixture of learning about the type of factors necessary to consider and then getting some practical experience to get a feel for the type of work at an investment bank.

The atmosphere was extremely positive, with all the students being inquisitive and comfortable asking multiple questions, both to the speaker and the helpers during the succeeding workshops. We were able to network with employees of UBS at the end of the week, all of whom were happy to stay in contact.

We were taken through all the business areas relatively thoroughly so we would have a better idea when we came to apply for internships in future, and given mock interviews. I also find it useful that the Assessment Centre is now at the end of summer to give us sufficient time to hone our interview technique to suit UBS.

The insight week gave me a relatively good understanding of a full time role at the company due to the informative talks about the different roles available and the workshops, without actually involving any work shadowing which would most likely have been less time efficient and require more resources on UBS's part.

Much of the first day was spent discussing the aims and ideals of the company CEO, and comparing UBS's values to its competitors, which was helpful as it is a difficult thing to gauge from the website alone. Also we had significant contact with employees from all levels which gave us a good feeling for the company culture.

The three days haven't helped me decide on my career path, just given me significantly more information to go on. I would still like to spend time within different sectors to enable me to have a broader understanding of different work environments. However, UBS did make it clear that opportunities for rotations within the company were very common which was appealing to me.

I didn't require expenses, although other students were able to claim travel and a hotel for each night. We were also not paid, although this was to be expected since the three days were solely aimed at educating us and giving us invaluable insight into gaining a role within the company.

There was a drinks event at the end of the week to network and meet with employees at UBS, and during the workshops throughout the week we were able to network with recent graduates who were assisting us. In some cases the speaker also circulated the room and we were able to ask them further questions.

The networking opportunities were well thought out, both between us students and employees at UBS. Our group projects gave us a good opportunity to meet almost all 40 other students, and the drinks with UBS employees was helpful to ask any questions we thought of throughout the week and take any contact details.

We were able to hear about some, for example a scheme in which 2 hours a week are able to be dedicated to whatever volunteering project the employee chooses. During a tour of the company, we were also shown facilities such as the gym which are available for use outside of work.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend.