Product Owner Review

This internship was my first proper chance of working and I thoroughly made the most of it. I got to work at the cutting edge of the company in the most exciting area. The project I was working on will be implemented across the country so I'm glad I was a part of it. I gained opportunities to work shadow people doing various roles around the company and gained a lot of insight through the numerous opportunities to network with colleagues across the firm. Furthermore, I got to raise funds and awareness for Mental Health UK in a variety of ways like bake sales. A big sign of having fun is when time flies by and I can't believe the internship is already coming to an end which shows I've really had a great time here.

At times I did feel that as I am an intern who is only here for a limited time period, I couldn't be assigned the highest priority work. I was also set a lot of individual tasks like conducting research so I wasn't really adding much to the team which is why I felt a tad neglected but the group did really try their best to involve me in things and I did feel integrated. I know that if I had a lot of meetings or a day off they'd regularly ask about me. We've gone on social events and lunches together. I believe had I been an actual employee I would've been more valued but I was still valued as a young intern nonetheless.

I received excellent support from all areas during the internship. Lloyds Banking is set up in a way that ensuring support and guidance is provided is second nature. I had weekly meetings with my line manager who I could ask anything I wanted/needed and would also give me useful tips and suggestions on the way I worked. Additionally, I could approach anyone in my team for help whenever needed. Everyone really was understanding and cooperative which meant there was no reason to be nervous or shy.

With my team setup for an agile workflow, there was an abundance of meetings that I'd have to attend regularly. I constantly worked on tasks that had been assigned to me and when I was running low on work I would take it up with my line manager to ensure that I wasn't left with nothing to do - especially when on certain tasks I had to wait to receive data or for a colleague to reply back. There were certain times where there wasn't much work going on so I was left with not much to do but they were few and far between.

The project I was working in was running behind schedule for a number of reasons mainly due to lack of team members hence there was a lot of pressure to deliver on time. This meant that I was given a lot of tasks to do to help the team meet the deadline. For example I was put in charge of sorting out the teams' Scrum Board on JIRA to reorganise the teams schedule and prioritise the most essential tasks. This directly led to an increase in tasks completed the following sprints. I was also made to manage the weekly risk assessments which was crucial to the project as a severe risk could derail or even cancel the whole project if overlooked.

My role in the internship was not very technical however I do a very technical degree (Computer Science) so I didn't really pick up much on the technical side that I didn't already know before however I learnt a lot of important business skills and have drastically improved my communication skills. I hadn't really considered working in the business sector but this placement has opened my eyes to this area. I've sent emails, had phone calls and held meetings hence feel much more confident in the working environment in a way that University cannot prepare you for.

Overall it was a positive environment. Everyone got on with everyone and was focused on their work which meant a lot of people were at their desks or in meeting rooms. We were serious when we needed to be but otherwise calm and relaxed. In my office you could where what you wanted to work and eat at your desk. In our team we had a good amount of banter and despite a lot of pressure on the team to meet our deadlines we still had a laugh.

There were routines and genuine attempts for the placement to be organised but there were hiccups along the way. Initially my work pass hadn't been set up so I had to use a visitors pass to come to work for my first week. My laptop arrived a day late, its battery wouldn't charge and my account hadn't been fully configured. Also my work phone came a few weeks late. However I could work around a lot of these issues and they were addressed promptly. As for the actual placement scheme, it generally stuck to the schedule. I had my placement reviews on time and events generally occurred as planned.

The company had given access to Lynda.com to every intern on the scheme which is a paid service to learn and develop skills both work and non-work related which I found extremely valuable. I got help to set up a LinkedIn account and was shown how useful it is to have. I got many opportunities to work shadow people in different areas such as Engineers, Mortgage Consultants and people in the Secure Lending Team. I also got chances to work at home or travel to different branches and run my own meetings.

There are many roles and opportunities up for grabs at Lloyds Banking Group. I have the chance to get on the Graduate Scheme on completion of my internship. With it being the biggest bank in the UK, there is a large scope of areas and teams you can work in. I was working in Mortgages department but I could easily approach someone from the Risk department and discuss with the different positions I could take up.

I believe there was a good social scene amongst the placement students however in my building there were very few students so whilst we went on lunches and occasionally played table-tennis in our free time there weren't many events that occurred here. There was a lot more going on for the students living in accommodation provided by the hiring team however I commuted from home so didn't get time to attend many events with them. My team did setup a few good social events like going out to watch the World Cup matches, to play darts or for a team lunch but they could've been more frequent.

With my building being located in London, costs were bound to be high but they were manageable. There are many chain restaurants like Nando's and Wagamama's around with set prices and if I was socialising with many others we can order things in bulk for a lower price per person. As I lived at home, I didn't have to pay rent so I could spend more on food and drinks etc. I travelled using my Oyster card so that was the standard rate.

I know the nightlife in my area is quite good, as excepted of London. I didn't really explore the options as I don't really go out but there are a good few places around. I did go to a few pubs and screen areas to watch some World Cup matches in the evening and that was a great vibe. Everyone was socialising and enjoying the football in the nice heat from this 2018 summer.

There weren't many activities occurring around my place of work. I had a lengthy commute to go home so I wasn't really available to do activities outside of work hours unless it was pre-planned. Throughout London there are a plethora of things that people can take up however from Martial Arts to Cooking.