Spring Insight Week Review

The spring insight week was great, as whilst it was intense, we got to learn a lot about our chosen divisions of the investment bank and gained a lot of exposure to both junior and senior members. The experience wasn't all technical as we got to develop our soft skills such as teamwork and public speaking from the very first day.

No matter the seniority of the employee, someone was always open to talk about any questions you may have, and the emphasis placed on diversity and inclusion as well as volunteering at Bank of America was definitely prominent in their culture. The chance to expand your network across EMEA was there daily.

Guidance and support differed depending on the line of business, however there were always representatives who would guide us on the task at hand, so we could always ask questions when we found ourselves stuck. However for some tasks, it was relatively ambigous as to how we were supposed to carry out certain exercises.

The opportunity to work on soft skills such as teamwork, public speaking, presentation and networking meant that we attained and developed skills that are vital for any profession. Also, depending on your degree, the financial knowledge that we were introduced to can definitely be applied and can aid those studying for technical degrees.

The insight week had relatively long days, but they were packed with only about 1.5 hours total break every day excluding travel time. The recruitment team gave clear instruction on where we were supposed to be every day and how to get there, and there was a good balance between seminars and networking events.

Most seminars were interesting and thought provoking, and representatives did their best to make their talks engaging and accessible to all knowledge backgrounds. The students on the insight week were from a good range of different universities, providing great variety, and whilst the assessment day was always an underlying topic, it didn't supersede the importance of the spring week.

We had the chance to ask many questions to almost everyone we came into contact with, so factors such as hours, workload, client interaction etc helped us to understand what the average day would look like in various departments. Also the work shadowing was great as we got a closer look.

Whether in seminars, at networking events or in work shadowing, the company culture was an overarching theme of the bank, emphasis was placed on their charity work, philanthropy, volunteering, diversity and inclusion and how all employees are encouraged to contribute to this in one way or another, which shows a great company culture.

The spring insight week unfortunately was not paid, but travel expenses to and from your place of study were reimbursed, as well as some students being provided hotel accommodation which was near the venue, so not all students would have to commute all the way from home which was useful.

On the Wednesday there was a networking dinner in which we had the opportunity to network with both junior and senior members of the bank, where there would be a rotation after every course of the meal. This was great as we got a broad insight into different roles in a more relaxed setting.

I would recommend this spring insight week to a friend who was very keen and inquisitive to find out more about the ins and outs of working in an investment bank, the week was relatively intense so those who think they may have a passion for IB would benefit more from the week.