Spring Analyst Review

I really enjoyed learning more about the various Functions within Barclays. There were plenty of talks and opportunities to ask questions. The experience has made me keen to secure an internship where I can get involved in the day-to-day role and projects. I also enjoyed meeting other students from various backgrounds and I hope to see many of them in my future career.

During networking, speakers were happy to talk and answer general and specific questions so I felt like I was being listened to and appreciated as potential new talent. A senior manager reached out to me on LinkedIn after he was unable to talk in person, which I really appreciated. I felt that employees were keen to talk about their own positive experiences.

The group project was quite open-ended but when we asked questions about the scope of the project we were given some guidance. However I think projects aren't always clear cut in the workplace so it has been useful to have the flexibility to work as a team to produce something we have thought about ourselves. There was clear guidance and support in terms of the schedule with structured activities.

The group project skills will help me since during my degree I don't necessarily come across group project modules, however I will need to demonstrate those skills in interviews and be able to apply them in the workplace. I found that at the beginning of the group project we had no clear direction as a team so I found it useful to take the lead when making sure we all had specific topics to research rather than overlapping.

The insight week was well structured with clear breaks and the app enabled us to see our schedule in advance of the program. There were clear networking events so we were given a good platform to make connections when senior employees were at an event dedicated to them talking to potential new talent.

Overall the atmosphere was good. I think it would have helped to have a clear ice breaker activity at the beginning of the week so everyone interacts to some extent. Fortunately I was able to make friendships and connections with most of the other Spring Analysts over the course of the week. The name badges helped so we could approach new people with confidence. Some of the presentations were better prepared than others, which is a shame because sometimes the presentation didn't showcase the potential within that Function.

The company invested 5 full days with employees from a variety of Functions and with varying levels of responsibility. The firm organised two work shadowing sessions of our choice and also arranged an interview with our chosen Function to fast-track onto the Summer Internship. We had opportunities to network, helping our development.

The Insight Week gave me a general understanding of the various Functions. However due to confidentiality and the complexity of the work it is difficult to gain a true appreciation of the day-to-day work within a full time role. The Spring Week is a good stepping stone to the Summer Internship where the full time role would become more clear.

We had talks with colleagues who mentioned they have been involved in the Women's and LGBT networks, as well as employees who have had good experiences returning after maternity leave. Also seeing the offices being calm during the work shadowing, it showed a positive side regarding the work-life balance. I also appreciated that the harder you work, the more you can achieve, however senior employees also want to make sure you feel able to do your job within the working hours.

I already had a strong interest in Risk so it has reconfirmed my choice. Speaking to employees with positive experiences emphasised that banking, particularly within a UK based firm, is a good career path. Being able to ask current graduates why they chose risk within banking rather than insurance emphasised the scope of the role with a variety quantitative and qualitative roles.

The hotel was paid for and my train ticket was reimbursed. The standard additional weekly allowance for living was greater than my actual expenses for the week.

There were opportunities during the day and evening to network with a variety of employees from different Functions and with different levels of responsibility. Also during work shadowing we were able to speak directly with graduates from the areas we were interested in and chose to shadow. We were able to obtain contact information which will be useful if we have any further questions.

The networking events were useful as we were able to make connections during a specific event where a variety of employees were present and were pleased to talk about their own experiences and have good conversations with potential new talent coming into the business. There was one evening event which enabled us to achieve a good balance between enabling us to have time to reflect before the next day and having more opportunities to network.

We learnt about sport opportunities like football as well as team building activities like volunteering, escape rooms and meals.

I would recommend this Insight Week to a friend who is struggling to decide between different Functions or who would like to gain a broad understanding of how the different Functions work together to help the bank.