Spring Intern Review

Gained a really thorough understanding of the workings of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. I thought the insight placement was extremely well organised with a wide variety of activities, all designed to help develop your skills and your understanding of the organisation.

The HR team were extremely friendly and were very helpful with any guidance or advice you may have wanted. We were given plenty of opportunities to voice our questions and contribute which certainly made us feel valued.

There were plenty of business representatives around from every division during all of our activities which made it very easy to request guidance during the week. They were really able to give us the day to day workings of their jobs which we sought. The HR team made a huge effort to answer any of our queries and make sure it was as fulfilling an experience as it could be.

Many of the skills we developed are transferable and crucial to almost any discipline today, not just banking. Networking, presentation skills, as well as the ability to think laterally will all be very useful to me both at university and in my job.

The insight week was very heavily packed from the outset in order to help us gain the most from the experience. Therefore to keep things interesting, there was a broad range of activities from lectures, seminars, group activities and presentations. Each activity was followed by a QnA so that we could really learn the most from it. Most events ran seamlessly from the previous one so we were not wasting any time.

We came to appreciate the hard work and focus that a job in investment banking required, however the atmosphere was a lot more relaxed and enjoyable then I expected. The relaxed atmosphere meant people were much more likely to contribute and get involved in the activities. I met a great bunch of people who I am sure I will keep in touch with long after the insight programme.

We had a session on presentation skills, as well as an exciting trading game and a stock pitch game.

We were given presentations on every different section of the bank and were also given the opportunity to shadow most divisions for a good three hours.

Although we were not exposed a huge deal to the actual working environment, we had more then enough chances to talk to the employees to hear about the culture from the horse's mouth. The general atmosphere at the insight week also helped us understand the culture.

I know know exactly what my chosen division preference does and I can make a much more informed decision as to why I would like to work there.

Any additional travel expenses were reimbursed by the bank after the programme.

We had networking drinks the first evening, followed by a networking breakfast, lunch and a dinner on the thursday evening.

Each event had a large number of Business Reps, and it was the dinner on Thursday which I found the most helpful as the business representatives rotated throughout the dining hall to give us as much exposure as possible. The events were relaxed and we were able to acquire as much information from them as we wished.

I had a conversation with one of the HR team who told me about the various charity initiatives as well as personal health sessions which could be attended. There is also an inter-bank football competition which caught my eye.

An invaluable insight into Bank of America Merrill Lynch, its culture, working environment, and a great chance to learn as much about your preferred division preference as possible.