Spring Insight Week Review

Great insight into the investment banking industry. Very comprehensive overview of the different functions, the history of the firm and its relative position in the industry, and hands-on activities like work shadowing. There were also several networking sessions organised for us to get to know employees and the firm better.

Over the length of 5 days during the programme, there were many senior employees/ management level staff who came down to speak to us. During our work shadowing rotations, most employees took the time out to speak to us and introduce us to the rest of the department. As a whole we were very valued by the firm.

All employees were very approachable with regard to any questions we had. We also had many analysts come down to speak to us regarding their personal experiences and give us advice. In addition, there were numerous sessions to guide us on developing our personal brand and learning how to pitch.

There wasn't much time to develop skills due to the nature and length of the programme, however the information would definitely be beneficial in terms of deciding future career paths and whether the industry would be suitable for you on a personal level. It also gives insight into a practitioner's point of view as opposed to theoretical perspectives in degree studies.

The spring insight week was very well structured at Jefferies. The five days were filled with a variety of activities such as business overviews of our specific divisions, case studies on deals, work shadowing sessions across 6 different desks, and a group presentation. There wasn't much time wasted on the programme and most activities really added value.

The atmosphere during the week was excellent. Most employees were really personable and open to any questions or having a casual chat over coffee. There was a lot of guidance and insight given by both junior and senior employees. In addition, the atmosphere within the intern class was collegial and not overly competitive.

It was a short programme and hence there weren't that many opportunities for personal training and development. There was a brief introduction to financial markets conducted by an external trainer, which would give the uninitiated some insight into financial markets. As a whole however it was more of an insight programme and hence there wasn't much training

The insight week definitely helped us to gain understanding on the various different teams in the firm. It definitely help that we were exposed to a variety of different desks which would be beneficial for working full time there in future. However the short duration meant that we did get to properly see the day to day life of an employee.

The spring week gave great insight into Jefferies' company culture since it was emphasized a great deal by both senior and junior employees. They spoke of it as a key differentiating factor of the firm, and throughout the week I felt really welcome despite only being there for five days.

The content of the insight week was really valuable in helping to decide my career path. Firstly, it exposed to us the client-facing and rigorously competitive nature of the investment banking industry. Secondly, it also showed us the collegial culture of the firm specifically, which would definitely be a key consideration. Lastly, it also let us experience different divisions, which would definitely help in deciding my future career.

There were plenty of opportunities for us to meet employees at the firm. There were at least 2 networking lunches were various employees from different divisions would come down to speak to us over lunch. In addition, there was also a networking drinks sessions held for us with more senior employees.