Spring Insight Week Review

The employees at Citi and the other spring interns have made the week really enjoyable. There was several talks focusing on technology and innovation at Citi. The week has been mainly work shadowing with approximately 8 hours each day. We were given a Citi pass, which gave us the freedom to meet with other employees and explore other divisions.The overall experience is dependent on your willingness to meet employees and to ask to work shadow them.

We were allowed to work shadow a division of our choice. There was also the flexibility to select another division for the assessment centre. The employees on my desk were supportive of me changing division and were more concerned about me finding a division that I enjoy. It can be difficult at times to work shadow when the people in your team are busy.

I was given a introduction to my team and an overview of the business. During the rest of the week it was dependent on me to make sure I found people to work shadow. There have been some employees in Citi that explained their team very well and provided additional reading material about their work. There was a session on how to read the FT that was useful.

The insight into my division has been very useful. I started the week with limited knowledge of my team and have ended the week with a deeper understanding of the work my team completes. I do feel more confident for interviews as I can talk confidently about my division and the deals that they have worked on.

The structure of the insight was mainly business work shadowing. On the first day we had an introduction to Citi and our business team. The following days were 9am-6pm work shadowing. During lunch we would have talks on topics such as innovation, diversity and interviews. There was 2 evening networking events. The work shadowing could have been more structured as it could be difficult at times to find somebody to work shadow.

The people in Citi are very friendly and are willing to explain their role to you. The networking events were really enjoyable as you get to talk to analysts/senior employees in a more informal atmosphere. The people at Citi were very passionate about their work and shown a willingness to retain good employees through mobility in the organisation.

Through work shadowing you really get a deeper understanding of the work your team completes. You have the opportunity to read through the different deals they have been involved in. You also could see what type of daily tasks each employee would complete. It was also useful to compare the different teams in the same division.

The work shadowing has allowed me to decide what career path is for me. I decided that the division was not for me and the insight allowed me to make a more informed decision about which other division I would like a career in. It has allowed me to understand how the different divisions in the bank work together.

I was provided with accommodation in Greenwich, which was located near a DLR station and was approximately a 20 minute journey to Citi. I was reimbursed for my train tickets, week travel card and for the meals not provided by Citi. Most of the meals were provided by Citi and there was breakfast at the hotel.

The whole week was an opportunity for meeting people in the firm. You get to meet all the people in your team, meet other employees in your division and you had the flexibility to meet other Citi employees for coffee. There was also two networking events, one with senior employees and the other with juniors.

During the corporate social responsibility and diversity talk, we were introduced to the volunteering and fundraising opportunities at Citi. The Volunteer Africa project was very interesting to hear about. We were not told about sports or other activities Citi has to offer outside of work. You could talk to employees during work shadowing to ask them what they do outside of work.

The insight is very focused on work shadowing. This is positive as you get a deeper understanding of the work the division completes. However, the structure of the week is dependent on you. The week can be really useful if you find good employees to work shadow and if you ask for work to complete.