Insight Week Review

The work shadowing available is incredibly insightful, and you get an introduction to each department within the organisation, giving you the opportunity to decide which department is right for you.

Everyone that you shadow, or network with treats you like an equal, and are so willing to answer questions, and want to get to know you and your background in order to help you more.

All presentations, panels and networking sessions offer an excellent amount of guidance, as they are there to enable you to decide which department you want to go into. The recruitment team are always around and available to ask questions to, to give the right guidance and support in this time as well. There was nothing too big or too small that they would try and sort out for you.

You learn skills that you can take to Assessment Centres and Interviews, hence these transferable skills can also be used in a University environment.

Sometimes, presentations or panels would overrun, however, this was often not a problem as the employees preferred to answer our questions. The days were well-organised and structured, with similar department's presentations running on the same days.

Everyone was friendly, both people on the insight week and employees at BAML, hence you always felt welcome. The presentations were always interactive, and group activities gave a nice break.

At the end of the Spring Insight Week, I was contacted by an employee offering me the chance to shadow a recent graduate - the group activities are monitored so make the most of it as employees will see the best in you and offer you opportunities from this.

Every person that you speak to is happy to talk about their day to day activities, and give you an insight to what their role is within BAML. Shadowing enhances this, being on a desk is very useful to knowing what it would be like to work there full time.

We had a specific panel introducing us to the diversity opportunities, hence we found out about organisations within the company, learning about the culture.

I was unsure that I would like my department when I started the Insight week, however, now I am sure that it is what I want to do for a career. It also helped me to find out what I would not enjoy at all as well.

Most travel expenses are covered, though not meal expenses.

Most lunch times, and some breakfasts and evening meals were networking sessions. There was also speed networking sessions, the ability to ask questions during presentations and talking to them afterwards. Everyone was willing to answer questions and spent the time talking to you.

These were very good - however, sometimes I do find it awkward speaking to people and trying to eat! But besides this, ask plenty of questions, it is what the employees are there for and they relish every question that you ask.

If you asked they were willing to tell you.

This experience was invaluable, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a career in a financial area, or who does not know what they want and would like some way to decide.