Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight into Jefferies and am extra appreciative of the time and effort placed into the program considering COVID 19 made it impossible to run a normal spring insight week. The insight was run virtually through zoom calls, in which representatives from the firm from all levels and divisions spoke. I know of other firms canceling these opportunities due to COVID 19 and as a result, commend Jefferies ' efforts.

Jefferies left significant time at the end of each speaker to allow us to ask any questions we may have had, unfortunately due to the changed nature of the program (virtual because of COVID 19) there wasn't enough time to answer everyone's questions however Jefferies went to the effort of sending a follow up email to collect the unanswered questions. I was appreciative of this and as a result definitely felt valued.

The reason I applied for the insight program in the first place was to receive guidance as to which career path to go down and Jefferies facilitated this by organising speakers to describe their divisons and their time at Jefferies we also had the opportunity to ask these speakers questions.

The main skill I can take away from the insight program is a better understanding of the financial times, Jefferies ran a segment titled "How to read the Financial Times". We were taught the importance of keeping up to date and how to extract and summarise information. While this will obviously benefit my understanding of Finance as I read the FT more I think this skill is extremely powerful and can be transferred into day to day life.

The insight was structured and detailed, there was a clear plan sent out a few days in advance allowing us interns to familiarise ourselves with the program and prepare accordingly. There was significant time for questions and a broad range of topics were covered. (Overview, division breakdown, workshops etc)

The atmosphere on Jefferies' side was brilliant, speakers came prepared and enthusiastic they were also open to answering questions and lending a hand where needed. Unfortunately due to the virtual aspect of the program there was little to no time to network and/or interact with your peers.

Jefferies ran a workshop during the day on how to read the Financial Times, it was insightful and I have used the skills I learned since. The ability to summarise paragraphs into a few keywords is extremely powerful and will not only help with my analysing abilities but with public speaking too.

There was a multitude of speakers, each talked about their jobs and experience with Jefferies allowing for a solid understanding of the nature of their jobs. All speakers were open to questions meaning you could quiz them about their role in the company. Furthermore, Jefferies also gave insight into some of the programs staff can involve themselves in.

Throughout the day I gained insights into the culture of Jefferies. We were taught about Jefferies' core values and given an overview of the firm itself. Speakers spoke about programs in the firm employees can involve themselves in, all of which had powerful motives behind them (e.g. "jWin" -gender equality).

I gained an understanding of a few divisions in Jefferies. This brief insight has certainly piqued my interest however the insight alone is not the main deciding factor on my career path. Jefferies did, however, put the interns in contact with people willing to answer questions about the industry and division they are in which hopefully will prove invaluable.

The insight was previously a week-long program in London but due to COVID 19 and social distancing measures, the insight was moved online. As I live in Ireland Jefferies had, when the program was set to take place in London, offered to reimburse me for my travel and accommodation however this didn't happen when it was moved virtually.

Due to the virtual nature of the insight, there was no point where an intern could chat one on one with an employee from the firm. This also was the case for speaking to other interns in the program. However, every employee from the firm was happy to chat and a few offered to meet for coffee if any interns were in town.

Due to the virtual nature of the insight, there was no point where an intern could chat one on one with an employee from the firm. This also was the case for speaking to other interns in the program. However, every employee from the firm was happy to chat and a few offered to meet for coffee if any interns were in town.

Yes, six speakers from three different programs at Jefferies came and spoke about their experiences with each. Each program had a strong motive behind it and was certainly impressive. I am quite a sporty and sociable person and so would have to liked to have heard of any bonding experiences/ sporting activities open to staff.

Certainly, it was an incredibly helpful experience. I gained a huge amount of insight into the firm and the financial industry, I had the chance to meet some very distinguished people from all walks of life. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Jefferies and would certainly recommend to a friend.