Women in Strategy and Transactions Review

The insight day was a one day event that was virtual this year. Throughout the day, we had multiple speakers that explained their job role to us and how they got to the position they are in today, helping us understand the different roles within Strategy and Transactions. Seeing many impressive female role models was very inspiring. Also, we listened to speakers that told us about diversity and inclusion within EY, and we got to meet other students in breakout rooms working on a case study. There were also opportunities to develop our skillset and 'personal brand'. After the event, there was a celebration afternoon which involved working through a competitive game in teams.

During the insight day, I learnt many new skills. Perhaps the most important skill was learning how to work through the case study, as if we were working in Strategy and Transactions in EY, to advise the client how to work through their business troubles, while being respectful to their wishes. In addition, we were taught how to develop our own 'person brand', developing my social media (when used in a professional manner) skills as well as how I present myself to improve first impressions of myself.

During the programme, my knowledge of EY and the Strategy and Transactions sub sector improved greatly. The whole day showed us how impressive EY is as a company and a panel of professionals each explained to us their role within the sector and this really helped us to understand how the different roles differ from each other. For me, it really helped me to understand which role I would like to go into in the future and I now know what makes a person fit well into EY as a business.

EY as a company is very inclusive, as proven by their many groups that employees can join in which different groups of people are celebrated, such as females and members of the LGBT+ community. These events were focussed on diversity and inclusion, and we leant that EY really cares that employees have a sense of belonging and values diversity within their workforce. They are activity trying to see female employees become partners in the company, which is very inspiring. The general atmosphere was also very friendly and inclusive.

I really enjoyed the insight, I thought it was incredibly informative and I learnt a lot about EY as a business, but also the service line and all of the potential roles within it. I really enjoyed hearing from inspiring female role models and having the opportunity to develop my skills within financial services and better myself as a professional. In addition, I was able to meet like-minded individuals and work through a case study with them, with feedback from a professional.

Yes

I would definitely advise potential applicants to apply for the Discover EY programme. I would advise applicants to think carefully about which service line they would most enjoy and they would fit in best, and then just ensure they have researched it well. There are many applicants per role so any practise you can do will always be helpful, but ensure you answer the questions truthfully so they know if you would be a good fit for the company and role.