Insight day Review

I really enjoyed the day it was a brilliant insight into M&G and the speakers and networking events were the main reason for this. All of the M&G staff were friendly and approachable making it easy to find out more about the various roles and what the entail. In addition the day was very well structured.

The employees running the event were very engaging and made everyone fell comfortable. I was initially worried I would be a bit intimidated as this was the first type of these events I had attended but I had no need to be. The employees who took part in the networking were all interested in us as much as we were in them.

I felt like I could ask questions anytime I want and at the end of each talk/section of the day there was time allocated for questions. In addition there was specific talks on the recruitment process as well as an employability skills session run by those who carry out the recruitment process.

It was a good learning experience in terms of finding out what the different roles and funds are in M&G and this was achieved through talks from various professionals who were all very good speakers and made it very interesting. The day would definitely assist me in applying for either the internship or graduate scheme in the future.

There was a tight schedule and a busy day overall but there were scheduled breaks as well and refreshments to keep you going. This also gave opportunity to meet people also attending the event as well as employees. We were given a timetable in advance as well as on the morning of the day so we always new what the next session entailed.

It was fun and not as ‘corporate’ as I expected which made learning about the company so much easier. All the employees greeted you with a smile and would talk about subjects not specifically work related which made a change. In addition, the speakers were charismatic and sometimes funny which made what could have been a boring talk into something much more fun.

The insight was only for one day so there is little that the company could have done in that respect. However, when speaking to a more senior employee he explained that M&G invest in graduates the same if not more as more senior members of the company and they offer lots of support and training initially on the internship and the graduate scheme.

Significantly, M&G achieved this through the former and current graduate panel/discussion when we were able to ask questions about the recruitment process, how their roles have changed over their time at the company and what the culture is really like. In addition if someone did not want to ask a question in front of all of those who attended then they could have spoke with the graduates 1 on 1 in the networking session.

Of course at these events none of the employees would ever say anything bad about the company culture but they all seemed very genuine about what it would be like to work at the company speaking to employees about how M&G differs from other financial institutions. So overall the insight did help gain an understanding of the company culture.

The talks from the different employees were useful in helping me decide on my future career path. They explained what the do and what it would be like starting a career in that area. In addition, all the employees I spoke to said there was opportunities to shape your own path and move about the company learning different skills and meeting different people.

There were opportunities for networking and meeting other employees in the specific speed networking session which took place over lunch time which was good. In addition to this there were often employees in the area where we had a break to talk to then as well. The speed networking event had lots of employees from all different departments and levels of seniority giving the opportunity to speak in much smaller groups and occasionally one on one which made a change.

They were good the employees were approachable and interested in those attending the event. The answered all of the questions I had and if they personally did not know the answer or there was a better person to answer they would introduce me to the right person which was very helpful.

The employees all said there was a good work life balance and some have the opportunity to have flexible hours allowing them to make time for other things. In terms of events and activities the employees can get involved in outside the company there was very little information on this and would be an area for improvement in my opinion.

I probably would because it was a fun and busy day, whilst still informative and the insight was good in helping to decide whether or not the company would suit you as well as which role would best suit you. In addition, the opportunity to meet employees of a company is always valued as there are something that you just cannot read online