Insight Week Review

I really enjoyed the insight week and far more than I expected considering it was online. The whole week provided a very good insight into the NatWest group and my chosen stream. The week was very engaging and had a very varied program which helped add to the enjoyment. For example, I enjoyed hearing from business leaders then the following session hearing from current grads within the company. You could tell lots of effort was out in to try and make the week enjoyable.

As the Insight week was online and only lasting a couple of days we were not doing anything to benefit the company. However, I still felt valued as they seemed very appreciative of our time put into the applications and our interest in applying to the company. They were very helpful in giving us tips and what to expect if we were to apply or work with the NatWest group in the future which made me feel values.

I gained support on applying to the NatWest group in the future which was very beneficial. Each day ended with an optional question and answer session which was really useful because it allowed us to have an informal opportunity to ask any questions we had on anything to do with applications, working life, and more information about any of the job roles within the country. Communication was good before the insight so we were prepared to go into the week.

Due to the nature of the online insight week, I don't think I gained that many skills. The session on Ethics and Social Responsibility was very interesting and thought-provoking. I think that session has changed my outlook on how I live my life but also what sort of company I would like to work for in the future based on what they stand for. I think that will assist me in my degree, employment and life in general.

The insight week was very well structured. We received the timetable in advance which was helpful. The day had a couple of information sessions and they were all varied and had a range of different speakers from different areas of the company. Each day ended with a question and answer session which was really useful to have the opportunity to ask specific questions. Considering the insight was online, a good amount of content was created and gave us enough sessions without being too much to watch.

The general atmosphere was good. All the speakers and session leaders were all very enthusiastic and their passion for the company was evident to see. During interactive sessions, participants were all very enthusiastic and joined in well. One of the sessions involved small group discussion and my group were all very friendly and keen to get involved. NatWest group had clearly worked hard to ensure the insight week was as varied and enjoyable as possible.

Due to the online nature of the insight week, in my opinion, not much training and personal development occurred. However, the speakers kept emphasizing the fact additional learning and training is a big part of life at NatWest so hat is something I would hope to engage with if I had future experience with NatWest group. There was one session lead by a lady that does some of the additional learning for colleagues which was very interesting and good of NatWest group to provide that with us.

The insight week gave me a really good understanding on what it would be like to have a full time role within the company. I applied to the insight without much understanding of what my chosen stream (data and analytics) actually involved. I learnt a lot about the range of roles I could try within a grad scheme role in the NatWest group. Hearing from grads means I have a good understanding of what life would be life at the start of my career at NatWest group.

In my opinion insight weeks are an amazing opportunity to learn more about company culture and whether it is a place I would be interested in working at in the future, before there is too much commitment. Everyone was very keen to talk about how much the enjoyed working at the company. The speakers were all very friendly which made me keen to work there in the future. I was also impressed by the culture of continued learning.

I thought the content was useful to help me decide on my career path. I started the insight week not really knowing what Data and Analytics would involve. While I still have no experience in the field and am not 100% sure it is what I want to do I would definitely be interested in working with them with NatWest group in the future. The insight week definitely made me keen to apply to the summer internship.

Due to the online nature of the insight week, there was not much opportunity to network with employees. There was a question and answer session with the talent acquisition team at the end of each day which was useful. There were opportunities for questions at the end of most of the sessions but as each session was on Zoom it was hard to have normal networking sessions and have a conversation with employees. However I don't know how this could have been improved.

There were few social event opportunities due to the online nature of the week. One of the sessions involved a small group activity so that was nice to meet other participants.

We found out about some of the activities employees can get involved with such as volunteering, councils and hackathons but this was not a big feature of the week.

I would definitely recommend the insight week to a friend because I learnt a lot about the company in a short space of change. A lot of effort had clearly gone into the week to make it interesting and enjoyable. The speakers and NatWest group employees that spoke were all very enthusiastic and helped share their passion for the company, which helped make it more enjoyable. The insight was really useful and will benefit you if interested in a role within the bank or any other companies.