Technology Industrial Placement Review

Like working at any large organisation, there were times where I was extremely busy and other times where I did not feel I had that much work to do, which I found frustrating. I enjoy the culture at Fidelity, there is a laid-back attitude at my office (kingswood) and I am very much able to manage my own time and resources. I do not feel like I am being watched or that there is any significant pressure in regards to my work.

During the early stages of my placement I felt like I was not being utilized as much as I would have liked, this has changed since I have moved teams, where the work aligns more with my interests and skillset.

Early careers and upper management have been extremely supportive throughout my time here. Any time I have had any issues they have been there to support me and ensure my issue gets resolved. My line manager in my first department was very senior, and so did not really have much time to provide me with feedback or get to know me. My advice to Early careers would be to assign interns/placements to a line manager who has the time to sit down and cover these topics.

As stated in previous answers, the workload has been very up and down so far. There have definitely been more times where I have had not enough work compared to too much work. Much of my down-time was spent on self-development, picking up new skills which I felt would help me in my role. However, as somebody who benefits from practical learning, I would much rather learn these skills on the job instead of through independent internet research. I suppose how busy you are depends on how much your team utilize you. My first team did not utilize me very much at all, but my new team do, so my workload since my move has increased significantly.

I am responsible in the sense that I manage my own time and work-load. I have not had an opportunity to lead a team or a project, however that is understandable due to the scope of the projects that are happening within the company in combination with the fact that I am an intern.

The role within my first team was a more business-oriented role, which I felt wasn't relevant to my degree. Fortunately, due to the size of Fidelity, I was able to move to a different team where the work and role was much more aligned with my degree and what my interests are. I had to take ownership for this myself, and have honest conversations with early careers and my line manager. Once I had those conversations, my move to a new department was taken care of and I am now in a very exciting team working on projects that make a significant impact across the firm.

Everybody that I have met at Fidelity is very friendly and accommodating. There is a laid-back attitude with a flat hierarchy, so I have had the opportunity to work with, and network with people from all different areas of the business

I did not receive a job description until after I had accepted the offer, and the description that I did get did not match the role that I first started in. I would recommend to really chase your recruiter/early careers to ensure you get a detailed job description, including the department and line manager, before you accept an offer. I turned up on my first day in the office and work was not prepared for me. My computer and applications were not yet set up.

During the first 8 weeks of my placement, the company hosted lunch and learns, where we would be able to learn about various areas within the business (mainly financial) from highly knowledgeable and experienced employees. In addition to this, the company have paid for me to study for and gain the CISI IOC certificate, which is very good for your CV if you want to work within financial services. You may also be given the opportunity to sit further CISI qualifications during your placement, depending on your time commitments.

None of the placements from the previous cohort were offered graduate roles (from technology) which I am a bit concerned about. I would appreciate further transparency from hiring managers/early careers in regards to why this was the case and how the procedure works in regards to grad scheme offers.

The social scene in Kingswood is rather dead due to the fact that the office is in the middle of nowhere. From what I have heard, the social scene in London is significantly better due to the location and there being much more things to do. The company run networking events and socials frequently, but these are always in London, and are not always the easiest to get to when you have been working from Kingswood on that particular day. Depending on your line managers attitude, you may be able to work from London on that particular day or from home so that you attend. When this was the case for me, I often left work at 4PM so that I could get to the social on time.

Going out in London is not cheap. At company events the food and drink were provided free of charge, which was great. The company run a free coach service from Sutton station to the office in Kingswood, if you miss the coach then an taxi/uber is really the only way to get there without waiting a significant period of time for the next coach and then subsequently being late for work.

No nightlife in Kingswood. London nightlife is obviously great, however I am not based there very often.

I see a opportunities to get involved in various activities all the time, I have not personally got involved in them though.