Women in Business Review

I enjoyed spending time at the office, and the people seemed very friendly to talk with and answer any questions I had about their work.

Although I was only there for a few days, the team made me feel very welcomed and would do their best to answer any questions I had at the time. The senior director that I shadowed also made me feel really valued as I could openly attend the client or team meetings with them.

HR were very supportive during my insight week at the office. Showing me day-to-day agendas, the office layout, introducing me to people I would shadow that day, and setting me up for my first day. Other than this, I was always given the opportunity to ask for guidance and answers to my questions from the employees working there.

I believe the insight week has definitely helped me beyond my degree studies, as I was able to experience what it would be like working in the real world. However I would expect to develop these soft skills continuously, such as communicating effectively with the client, after I start working.

Each day was varied and different, and I was assigned to shadow a different person from graduates to senior leaders. Meaning I had the experience or perspective of working with people from different sub sections, grades and knowledge. HR also guided me around, so I would never feel confused about what I was doing.

The atmosphere was great. Most people seemed to be concentrating on their work, but still had time to answer questions or go on a coffee run for others as well. At lunchtime, employees would also go out together to grab lunch, and I was also able to do so and sit with them.

I received a work laptop on the day of my arrival. There was also a learning portal that I could use for personal training and development such as learning about ethics. Other than that, I was sometimes assigned minor work by the person I was shadowing so I did not feel like I had nothing to do.

Job shadowing has helped me immensely in terms of getting to understand what it would be like to be working in the firm in a full time role. For example, performing and testing controls on client data, college life and exams, study leave, working from home, visiting the client site, working in teams and launching investigations.

The company culture is very open, friendly and relaxed. Team members seemed close and were very willing to help each other out with their work or help provide coffee for the other members. Hierarchy was not strict no matter what level you were at, and people gave their attention to the work.

It has definitely helped me discover that this is a future career path I would like to follow for a number of years. Although there lots of work and exams to do, there is a very supportive network. Such as your team members, colleagues, buddy system and your career coach.

I was paid adequately for this experience, so as to cover my living cost and travel expenses.

I was able to network with lots of employees in the assurance division, and get to know their experiences working there during lunchtime. However this may depend on who is in the office at the time.

I have not yet been to any of the social events, but I have heard a lot about the interesting ones, such as the activities they do. For instance, bowling, dining out, quizzes and office sports day. There are different social event opportunities with a team in place to plan them for a variety of holidays- Christmas, Halloween, Easter.

Outside work, there are social nights, charity events and other activities that employees can get involved in as mentioned before.

I would definitely recommend the Women in Business programme as I was surprised myself by how you can learn lots of information about the company and the role in a quick short space of time. The insight also provides larger opportunities to work in the firm, or just to try or find out what your career would be like working there if you are unsure.