Careers day Review

It was a very enjoyable experience, everybody helping out was friendly and informative. The experience was involving of everybody and no one was left out which really made the experience a whole lot better due to the welcoming and friendly atmosphere that the team at Santander created during this placement. The only negative thing I’d have to say is that the food experience did not provide much to put on a CV as we were not designated with many practical tasks.

Staff that were helping out was very informative and they were the element made the experience as enjoyable as it was. The staff at Santander really made the effort to help make everyone who attended feel included and they displayed a friendly and supportive attitude throughout the entirety of the virtual experience. Speaking to the team at Santander felt like I’d known them my entire life and without the bubbly personalities that they had the experience would not be half as enjoyable.

The team that was hosting has given me a clear path that I want to take in life and without them I wouldn’t have the aspirations that I do. I was provided with detailed guidance and support as to how I could get into the banking industry and even recommended some learning establishments they felt would be useful to me in my early career. This experience has really given me the guidance I needed to getting a career in banking.

The virtual experience was extremely informative and it helped me to decide the career path I would like to take. I was not previously sure of what I wanted to do but the staff allowed me to ask as many questions as I like and even recommended that I email them after my placement if I needed anymore support. As far as careers advice goes, the team at Santander will provide you with the best foundations you will find anywhere.

The experience had clear set tasks and a well structured time table that kept the experience running smoothly. All tasks were managed in the time frames provided even with the extra questions that the friendly team answered along the way. Tasks were clearly set out and there was never a time anybody felt as if they did not know what to do, as if they did feel this way the team were happy to explain.

The atmosphere was very friendly and calm and there never a point where I felt as if someone was letting the experience down. Everyone in the group was well mannered, especially the staff that always wanted to hear everyone’s opinions and never rushed anyone due to timing. Overall the experience during the virtual placement was very enjoyable and if an opportunity to do something like this with Santander every appears again I’ll be sure to take it.

The company gave me a lot of confidence and belief in myself that I was capable of pursuing a career in banking, and staff seemed genuinely supportive and trusting that I was good enough to achieve my dream job in financial crime. The main topic of the experience was self esteem and I feel like the placement definitely delivered on that. My only criticism is that I was not actually given any skills but just useful characteristics.

The work experience team shared their personal experiences with life at their company very closely and were amazingly open to questions about their career and how they got to where they are. There was nothing that they could’ve done better as they were extremely inviting to any queries about life as an employee at Santander. The only thing that could’ve been better was that I did not get to visit the office however this is not Santander’s fault it is due to COVID-19.

There was a whole section and task based upon just this aspect and i was educated on the roots of the company and the services they provide. I now understand that Santander is not only a bank but a cornerstone in people’s everyday lives. The service Santander provide goes beyond just current and savings accounts and the schemes set out to support young people are incredible and I greatly appreciate them. It was a greatly informative experience.

This virtual placement is single handedly responsible for the aspirations that I have today and without the experience I wouldn’t know where I want to go in life. Although there were not many tasks to do that were practical, the knowledge and advice that was given by the team more than compensated for the lack of physical work. The key concept of the experience was to help young people to decide where they want to go and it definitely delivered.

This experience was not a payed experience however it payed very greatly in terms of knowledge and careers advice which I deem to be higher in value than money itself. One thing it definitely gave me was confidence and a hard working attitude as it taught me that anything can be achieved in life if you believe in yourself and try your best at everything. Payment would’ve been nice, but definitely not at all necessary.

Email links and recommendations to people who could help depending on our needs were very adequately provided with the staff even offering support after the placement was complete. There was not much variation in terms of the departments the staff were working in however the staff worked in the departments that I aspire to pursue a career in. Chances to potentially come and visit the office in person were also given and overall I was satisfied with the given support.

The team at Santander gave information on other opportunities that are running in the future that would enable me to visit the headquarters in person and point me in the direction of payed experiences, apprenticeships and internships that I can do in the future. It was a shame that it was not possible for the people attending to visit the HQ in person however the reasons for this are understandable as it was not the fault of the company.

We were made aware of the benefits of working for Santander as an employee or apprentice and we were informed of social events and special events that occur whilst working for them. The staff answered any questions thrown at them concerning life outside of work and were overall very pleasurable to speak with. The team definitely went out of their way to help answer people’s queries regardless of how relevant they were to the task.

I would share this experience with a friend because although I could explain this knowledge to them myself now that I know it, I would strongly suggest they take the time to experience the warm and friendly atmosphere that is created by the work experience team at Santander. This experience is more than enough to help students make an educated and free decision of the path they would like to take in life regardless of sectors they would like to work in.