Internal Audit Insight Review

There were a variety of different sessions regarding the company and your selected business area. There were sessions on each of the companies 3 purpose areas; enterprise ambition, learning culture and climate ambition. There was also the opportunity to speak to graduates from internal audit about their experiences and any tips they had for the assessment centre. We were also able to hear from stakeholders from within internal audit who told us about their roles.

I learned a lot about what internal audit actually was, which was useful as it is a job that not a lot of people know about, and got to know a bit about what the everyday job is like. I was taught what the critical skill that Natwest Group look for were, and given tips on how to demonstrate and develop these. Also, I learned how to give a successful 60 second business pitch with the help of Natwest's Business Builder.

It was very interesting to learn about the different, smaller teams within internal audit and little about what each of them does. I wasn't aware that there were so many different areas of internal audit. I was also made aware that every internal audit graduate either sat their professional accountancy qualification or was given the opportunity to gain a Masters Degree in Cybersecurity. It was also helpful to be given an understanding of the structure of the company.

Although the insight week was fully online, the general atmosphere was very positive. Everyone was very willing to answer questions and encouraged people to unmute and talk amongst themselves. There were also lots of breakout rooms to make sessions interactive and everyone in those was very friendly. We also got to talk with the different employee networks who talked about how inclusive and supportive the company is. However, there wasn't really any opportunity to experience the company culture first hand. The week was made up of just talks with people, it would have been nice to have some fun, company led social events to break up the week.

The insight week was fairly enjoyable. It was highly informative and every one of the talks covered a different area of the company or internal audit which prevented it from becoming boring. The breakout rooms in longer meeting also helped keep people interested by making things interactive. However, with the week being online, there was no opportunity for relaxed social or anything to break up the information loaded talks, which decreased the enjoyment a bit. I would recommend adding in something fun relating to the company culture in future.

Yes

Make sure you are well prepared ahead of the application process. A lot of the assessments run on from one another, but you can take some time in between to have a break and prepare, so I would recommend using these. Also, do your research into the company and application process. There are resources online that tell you what to expect in each stage and the sort of information you should have to hand which helps you from going into each stage blind. Specifically look at Natwest's critical people capabilities and structure answers around these. The assessment centre happens after the insight week, but only if you want a summer internship.