Insight Week Student - Change and Business Solutions Review

The insight week was held remotely due to the ongoing restrictions and was held using Zoom between roughly 9am-12:30pm each day. There were daily check ins with the student recruitment team and on most days a chance to hear from graduates and seniors within the specific business area we applied for. There were also deep-dive sessions on the bank's three main purpose focus areas and a chance to speed-network with the employee led networks in the bank. There was lots of opportunities to interact with the other students and discuss topics.

I developed my networking skills by being able to chat with other students on the insight week and lots of graduate volunteers. There was also opportunities to speak to people in more senior positions and ask them questions about the bank too. I was also able to improve my confidence in virtual meetings. The use of breakout rooms encouraged us to work in teams and come off mute and on camera to have discussions. I felt really comfortable talking in these rooms and as part of the wider group like this, instead of just posting all of my questions in the chat function.

There were a few sessions later in the afternoon to speak with people in our specific service line. By talking with the graduates I was able to get a better idea of the type of rotations available on the Change and Business Solutions programme, and how 'rolling off' the grad scheme into a full-time position would work. This business area is very wide and encompasses lots of different roles so it was hard to get a clear understanding of what day-to-day life would be like as a grad, but the flexibility and variety of the role is very appealing.

NatWest Group have a really nice culture. There was lots of emphasis on the purpose-led focus of the bank and how it's culture has changed since 2020 when NatWest changed from RBS. The student recruitment team that facilitated the week were incredibly friendly and approachable. All of the graduates and employees spoke about the fantastic work-life balance that the bank offers, and how supportive the business has been throughout the covid pandemic. Lots of senior members of the bank had been in the company for years and spoke about the variety and opportunities available to move around and drive your own career.

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight week. I felt like all of the sessions were very relevant and gave a good insight into the bank. The opportunity to talk with so many other students and people within the bank made the insight week feel very relaxed. There were lots of sessions where students were asked for opinions on the bank's purpose strategy and initiatives which made me feel like we were actively contributing to the bank. It seems like everyone really took on board our thoughts and opinions for future development.

Yes

If you can practice logical and numerical skills before the application process definitely do this. The application platform does provide one practice numerical and logical test but I felt like it wasn't enough to prepare myself so looked for others online to do. I hadn't seen a logical test like the NatWest one as part of the other application processes so I wanted to try as many of these as I could before hand. Also have a look into the history of the bank, as it is quite long and complicated!