Discover EY Women in Transactions Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the "Discover EY Women in Transactions" event. Despite the challenges of the current situation, the event was swiftly moved online while still remaining effective. I was able to get a deeper insight about both the service line I have chosen as well as the firm and all this information was delivered by many different female professionals from the company. This experience has been invaluable and has further encouraged me to pursue a career in this company.

I felt extremely valued, especially with all the efforts made to move the event online. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, I was worried that the event may be cancelled but EY's quick response to the challenges highlighted how much they value us students and the time we have spent in applying for the programme.

We received a lot of guidance and support about many different aspects. From what is involved in the service line we have chosen to what our future steps involve, we received a lot of insightful and essential information. The most useful section of the day in terms of receiving guidance was the panel session which included five employees from different teams in the service line.

The skills developed during the insight programme will be very useful for the future. The most useful skill we were able to develop during the day was the ability to work online. Whilst it was not ideal for the event to be online rather than at the office, this mode of communication is becoming vital in the current world with more people working online and working from home. Therefore, this was a great was to experience and practice this skill. In addition, the key focuses were on soft skills and numerical skills which I hope to continue to develop and use within my degree and future opportunities. However, something I would have liked to develop further was networking which was limited on the online platform.

The insight day was very well structured as it included key sessions and I believe that adequate time was allocated for each one. The day pretty much ran on schedule with sufficient breaks spread throughout the day. In addition, every session fit well with each other and they were all relevant and informative.

Whilst the event was online, the atmosphere was very positive and productive. Everyone was respectful towards what was being said and other people's opinion. In addition, most people were pretty responsive during the day by adding messages into the chat box and also asking great questions. However, I would have like the opportunity to get to know the fellow students and also network.

The firm invested a lot of time, notably during the application process. Many aspects of the application process focused greatly on training and development and those employees who spoke during the event mentioned that this is a prevalent feature throughout every EY career. However, I believe that if the event took place in the office environment, then there would've been a greater opportunity for personal training.

There was a lot of information provided about the working life in EY. This especially became clear during the panel session. Each member of the panel has a different role and performs a variety of different tasks, highlight the range of projects and opportunities available at the firm. Furthermore, the all stressed the immense support they receive and how their well-being and interests are always placed first.

The insight was immensely useful in grasping the company's culture. A common theme that I noticed throughout the day is that the thing most valued by employees is EY's focus on people; this includes those who work in the firm, their clients and also the wider community. It is this emphasis on the importance of people which has really impressed me. In addition, staff are strongly encouraged to keep a work-life balance and also venture into other opportunities or activities available. Moreover, staff are not discriminated in relation to gender, race, ethnicity, pregnancy, etc.

The content was very useful in helping me to decide my future career path within the firm. Firstly, we received a deeper insight into the sub-sections of the Transaction Advisory Service which I did not have much previous knowledge about and this helped me decide which area I want to specialise in. The knowledge was further developed when people from different roles spoke about their tasks and responsibilities. Furthermore, there were a few sessions on future steps which outlined our journeys to progress further within this company.

As the event was moved online, we did not require to be reimbursed for any expenses and therefore this was not a problem for me. If the event were to take take place in its original format, I would've been reimbursed for my travel costs. In addition, the company would've organised my accommodation for the event and also lunch.

There was an opportunity to speak with different employees within the firm, especially during the the panel session which I found very useful. However, I would've liked more of an opportunity to network during the day. I believe it would've been beneficial is both employees and other students shared social network details such as LinkedIn usernames or email addresses. I hope to receive a greater opportunity to network in future events.

The insight day provided us with the opportunity to speak with many different employees in the firm and I found this very beneficial. However, due to the online nature of the event, it was quite difficult to network and talk to other students. Therefore, I believe it would've been better if both staff and students sent social network details such as LinkedIn usernames or email addresses.

Yes, the employees of the firm talked about their work-life balance and what they tend to do outside of work. I have an interest in volunteering and I discovered that alongside the routine work, employees are able to participate in the wide-ranging volunteering opportunities provided within the firm and they can work with the EY Foundation. Furthermore, EY strongly encourage its employees to take part in other opportunities and activities outside of work.

I would definitely recommend the insight to a friend. I believe the experience was invaluable as i was able to gain a deeper understanding about the service line, the employees and the firm as a whole. I strongly admire the importance EY put on its people and this is something I believe which helps to differentiate it from other firms. Furthermore, the constant support provided has been very useful. Overall, the whole application process and insight day has helped to develop me as a potential candidate for this firm and I look forward for the future opportunities offered by EY.