Women Immersion Programme Review

The insight programme was incredibly useful in giving me an idea what it would be like to work in Nomura. I managed to speak with people of different teams and background. I also grew exponentially in terms of my technical knowledge. The two weeks of desk work was in particularly helpful.

I feel very much valued because I can see the amount of resources that has been poured into the programme. The programmes lined up are wide-ranging and helpful even for personal development beyond the internships. Employees of various level of seniority are all really approachable and willing to share their experience.

The buddy I was assigned to is incredibly competent and lovely to work with. She was really nurturing and understanding when she spent many hours going through content knowledge with me. The rest of the team was also really friendly and also tried to give me as much opportunity to learn as possible.

The programme has a nice mix of theoretical learning and on-the-job desk job experience spread out over the course of two weeks. We managed to get a wide understanding of the firm through different departmental overview. It was also rather hands-on (e.g. debate training, presentation, case studies, assisting the team you were assigned to, etc.).

The firm employed very experienced professional vendors (in finance and public) speaking in order to train us. There were also online introductory programmes given to us beforehand to allow us to have some basic knowledge. The analysts are extremely willing to share their expertise and always there when I needed help.

I was working alongside full-time employees at the firm for a week. I was able to see first-hand their workload, working hours and interactions with each other. I was also given the opportunity to speak to all levels of the firm, ranging from analysts to MDs, to gain a better understanding of what it is like working in the firm.

I learnt about the firm's history -- it is heavily shaped by the merger with Lehmann Brothers. There are some Japanese roots, even though I was at the London office. The people here are very diverse, ranging from Italians to Singaporeans. The firm also has a strong focus on giving equal opportunities to women.

I spoke to an MD who shared very heartfeltly about his personal career journey and provided me a very useful framework as to how I should approach job-seeking and career development. His wisdom and willingness to share really shone through,. He inspired me to find the career that fit me.

There are many opportunities in the sense that you are encouraged to reach out and speak to anyone. Most people would make time for you amidst their busy schedule and that was very lovely. There are less formal networking session but it was a great learning experience of stepping out of my comfort zone.

The insight week goes beyond just receiving information through presentations. It gives real experience working at the desk but at the same time provides adequate theoretical training through various mediums (online or workshop style). It is an excellent learning opportunity regardless if one eventually decides to work in the firm or not.