Operations analyst Review

It was absolutely invaluable in order to gain more insight into the Operations department at Barclays as I did not realise at first that it was such a large department with a vast range of tasks and specialties which allow a variety of people to flourish in the area they choose to work in.

I really felt that the team wanted us to have an amazing experience and look at Barclays as somewhere to start your career post university. It was a very unique opportunity and I felt extremely lucky to be there. It was well put together as well and did not feel like a rush job.

We had a variety of managers, directors and staff talk to us about their journeys and what their job entails, and the HR Lead James was with us almost every step of the way so we could ask questions and refer to him for knowledge. The guidance and support was a lot better than expected.

I now have a detailed idea of what Operations is like and if I would enjoy it as a career. The information I’ve received has definitely made working at Barclays a very likely choice when I graduate. I do however wish salary/bonus/benefits information was not confidential as that can really help students decide if it is a viable career option.

The days were structured well and James did his best to ensure that the talks were interactive and not boring, however some employees forgot that we did not all automatically know some abbreviations which made their talks hard to follow. We were kept up to date quite well of the schedule and timings which was important.

Really lovely. The other interns were friendly and we were all in the same position. The staff were very welcoming and helpful and Barclays seems like a nice place to work with a warm atmosphere and vibe. It didn’t feel unnatural or scary to speak to someone in management.

It was clear that a lot of time and resource went into planning and putting on this week. Barclays is definitely invested in us and our development so we are the right people for their graduate positions and so that we actually want to work for them which is important.

I was not too sure whether banking was for me as an English student, but after this week I absolutely see myself working for the company in a full time role. And they aren’t restrictive at all in regards to your degree background, the ability to learn and develop is more important.

Company culture is very important in my opinion as you a great deal of your time there and if it doesn’t align with your values then it may not be the best fit, for you or the company. Spending a week at the company really gave me insight into what the culture was like and if it was suited to me.

By understanding most of the departments in operations we got a unique understanding of the position and if it fit into what we see for ourselves as viable career paths in line with our interests and strengths. One point to improve on would be more work shadowing in my opinion, seeing the people at work helped me understand their position more rather than just being talked to.

The pay for one week at Barclays was really good, especially as I wasn’t expecting us to be paid at all. They also gave us a daily breakfast and lunch allowance which really helped me in particular as I didn’t have to use my own money for lunch which would have made it quite tight moneywise.

We had a networking evening which allowed us to meet and talk to quite a few employees in the same department and it was nice to hear from a variety of people from different backgrounds. We also met other employees everyday of the insight week from all over the country which was useful.

The social and networking opportunities were good as we had two hours to mingle and speak to employees, which was definitely useful especially as the week has been so busy and it enabled us to be able to talk to more people at one time which is harder when we’re just sitting in a room.

Only a couple people we talked to mentioned opportunities outside of work such as charity and being able to speak at worldwide conferences for LGBT operations employees. A greater emphasis on opportunities specifically for BME people would have been useful to me as well as only women and LGBT people were mentioned and someone people fall into all three of the above categories.

I absolutely would. It was an amazingly unique opportunity and I feel lucky to have been a part of it. Providing you are successful at the interview for a summer internship in the following year it is a great way to get a head start and your foot in the door with graduate opportunities.