Spring Insight Participant Review

I immensely enjoyed this programme as an opportunity to find out more about an industry I was interested in. If you are a first year student, there is no better place to be to gain this understanding. The programme supports a wide range of interests, from Markets (my first preference), to Technology, Compliance, Risk or Investment Banking divisions.

It was immediately apparent just how much effort the recruitment team and the bank was putting into this spring insight programme, and how serious it is treating it as a means of securing young talent. Right on the first day we were welcomed by the president of the region, a very senior figure globally. We also had the opportunity to shadow in both (!) our first and second divisional preferences, to enable us to make a more informed decision about the line of business we want to be in. Business representatives were with us every day to answer our questions, and they were keen to follow up on any questions over email. I even had the opportunity to meet for coffee to discuss what the opportunities presented were. The fact that an employee is willing to take valuable time out of his working day to talk with a participant (who is on the onset only there for one week) shows that this event forms a very integral part of the bank’s recruitment efforts.

The staff I met on this event were amazingly helpful in both sides of the business. Campus recruiters were always at hand and helpful in resolving every issue; be it losing a namecard or guiding us to a new location, when we moved from the City to Canary Wharf during the week. Business representatives were nothing like the false “banker” stereotype, their attitudes towards the spring week participants showed me that the bank has a much more supportive environment than its key competitors. During my second day I already had the chance to sit next to a VP in FX options on the trading floor for two hours just by myself, as he explained to me in detail his job and how the trading floor worked.There are no other programmes that expose you to the industry at such a high level. We received immediate feedback for all the exercises we took part in (trading game, stock pitch, group presentation, negotiation challange) from industry experts, and I personally filled up an entire notebook with the advice and behind the scenes information they gave during their presentations.

Coming out of the programme, I have gained extensive knowledge of the various opportunities presented by the bank. Beyond that, the week was simply much more than what a range of powerpoint slides can summarize, and the skills developed here go beyond “technical knowledge”. From the first day’s Presenting with confidence session which was specifically tailored to make us succeed to the stand up comedy act on Wednesday that focused on body language, I got the impression that the organisers really want us to gain the valuable soft skills that help you succeed in all walks of life. There was a huge focus on communication and interpersonal skills and we had numerous opportunities to interact with representatives of the business in various settings.

It was well apparent that the programme’s current stage is a result of years of careful consideration. The various events and talks were all featured because of specific reasons, and linked to each other. Right from the start we were divided into groups to work on a presentation over the week, which gave a great overarching structure. To support this, we went through presentations training and were even allocated time to work amongst our group at various points of the week. Another excellent feature of the programme was that we got to spend time in all key locations of the bank, three days were allocated to the City and two to Canary Wharf. We were always given detailed instructions and the recruitment team made sure that everyone always arrived safely. In addition to maps and travel advice, there was also a 24/7 recruitment line we could contact in any emergencies.

Being a careers event, I was pleasantly suprised by how friendly and approachable all the students selected were. We always arranged to travel together and even went out for dinners after the programme wrapped up each day. I never witnessed any signs of arrogance or bad manners. As we were given a task to work on during the week, we grew to bond together as a team and swore to eachother that we would reunite in London.

There was a big emphasis on not just helping us better understand how the various divisions of the bank interact with each other and what their key roles are, but also to develop in us the necessary skills to succeed in a professional environment. Beyond a presentation skills session there were numerous exercises to help us learn how a stock pitch worked or even to make us think with both sides of our brain. The key take away from this programme for me was that no matter your personality or subject interests, there is an area at the bank where you can excel. And most probably this is an area you have never heard of before, so this was a rare opportunity where you can go in with an open mind and find your passion!

As this programme is a precursor to the 10 week summer internships, the focus was not on hiring for a full time role but on preparation for the summer internship process.

The supportive nature of the people made me realise how much of an emphasis the firm placed on cooperation and development. There was no question too stupid to ask, and the focus was on helping us work out where we wanted to be, and definitely not on aggressive competition to show our worth. This is in contrast with some of the bank's key competitors.

As a result of this week, I will be applying for the bank's summer internship.

Travel (outside London and within the city) plus accommodation expenses were covered by the bank.

There were numerous opportunities to meet people working for the firm in various settings, from breakfast to lunch, dinner or over coffee. In addition to these settings, employees also mingled with the participants during group exercises every day.

The social events were excellently organised, with employees rotating so everyone had equal chances to interact with business representatives. Beyond meeting people from the business, this week was also a rare opportunity to make friends with the smartest students from around the world.

On Wednesday we were introduced to the bank's worldwide networks and the various activities one can get involved with, such as LGBT Pride, Disability Advocacy or LEAD for Women. We even had the opportunity to personally meet representatives from each of these networks and find out how they got involved and what activities they organise. This level of involvement showed us that the bank is committed to support all its employees, no matter physical or social attributes. Beyond employee networks, we were also introduced to the bank's corporate responsibility efforts and charity support programmes.

Wholeheartedly yes!