Jefferies EMEA Technology Diversity Symposium Review

Jefferies 2020 EMEA Technology Diversity Symposium is a fantastic event where the seniors and staff shared different aspects of working roles and experiences. They were all very nice and answered questions patiently, but the time for breakout room seemed to be too short, and the seniors had to answer in a rush. The presentations and powerpoint were clear and well prepared, so that I didn't have much confusion about the division's roles. The only struggle was I needed to stay up in midnight for the event.

Every time I asked a question, there were more than 2 seniors and staff trying to answer, which provided different perspectives so that I could develop a good comprehension of it. When the seniors and the staff call out my name wrong by accident, they immediately apologised after I told them the correct pronunciation. One of the seniors said "It is very important for you to tell us your name correctly", and I felt like I had receive the proper respect from Jefferies.

I asked quite a lot questions regarding the confusion about my major. At first, I thought they would just say something in general, but they actually answered me in details despite that some of them are not expert in my major. Also, they offered some useful tips about how to get prepared for interviews in Jefferies and a good online resource for us to learn more about investment banking and finance. Those are not some vague suggestions which in fact don't help at all, in fact they are really useful!

I built up my networks with staff working in Jefferies while talking to them. This is important, especially I want to start a career in financial services. Apart from learning academic knowledges, I was also motivated to know more about finance as they recommended an online resource where I can study others subjects. The staff who just graduated from university also taught us some interview tips. After the event, I understand how much I need to learn to be prepared for a career in Jefferies.

Most of the event was about introducing Jefferies and working staff and their roles. Though the event, from my understanding, should be more focused about diversity, this session only was held for less than an hour. Nevertheless, I still learned a lot from this event and my concern and question about diversity was also answered. The breakout room sessions were too short and I believed that quite a lot of people didn't get a chance to ask.

In general, this event was much beyond my expectation, and the seniors and staff were all very kind and friendly. The quality of presentations and voices were clear. But other participants didn't really be active and there was even a moment when no one was asking questions! But this was probably the event was held virtually and participants were muted unless question sessions. Participants didn't have much interactions with the seniors and I believe this can be improved in the future.