Spring Insight Attendee Review

I really enjoyed the Insight Programme at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. I have taken part in other programmes similar to this but my experience at BAML was by far the best. Everyone I met was so helpful and enthusiastic and we got a real feel for what it would be like to work there. It was also very helpful in terms of learning about different divisions and there was a lot of information to take in over the week.

I felt extremely valued at BAML. Not only were the HR team making sure we were enjoying ourselves and busy at all times, the people we were exposed to across the different divisions really took the time to speak with us and give us advice about our careers. Even though we were only 1st and 2nd year students it was made clear that they wanted us to work there.

I received a lot of guidance and support during the insight. There was a HR team on hand at all times and also a representative from every division. Any questions I had were answered straight away and we were given a full plan of the week on the first day which explained what we would be doing at all times. The assessment day at the end was left slightly unclear, probably due to them having to organise us all into divisions so quickly. I was very nervous for the assessment and believed there would be a numerical until just before the day. A small bit more of information could have been given to us here.

This is an area that I really didn't expect to develop in as much over the week. I learnt so much and it has definitely helped with my degree studies and interviewing for a career in financial services in the future. For the divisions we chose, we took part in an all day session which included talks and interactive games. We were really taught about the every day role of the bank and I now have a lot more knowledge about things such as how to value a company.

The insight was really well structured. The days were jam packed and I feel we really got so much out of the week because of this. It was organised very well with the first day being a more general insight and chance to network. The second and third day were then division specific and gave us a really good insight into the different areas. We then took part in more general skill building workshops on the thursday and were assessed on the friday so there really was a well structured week. On top of this we were scheduled in for networking breakfast, lunches and dinner!

I think true atmosphere was my favourite part of the insight. I really got the idea that BAML is a great place to work with genuinely nice people. The atmosphere was relaxed so that we could get as much information and insight out of the week as possible. Even though our schedules were jam packed, we never felt under massive pressure and this made it a thoroughly enjoyable programme.

They invested in us a lot. There were division specific days that had people who work at BAML at various levels of seniority helping us understand how they do their jobs and giving us real life experience. There were also other general sessions which would be helpful in any line of business such as public speaking with a stand up comedian! BAML really invested in the Spring participants and made us feel like we were valuable to them there.

I think we got a fairly good insight into what it would be like to work there. Firstly, we met so many people that it gave me a good grasp of what the people are like at BAML. From formal settings to networking drinks and dinner, I got to speak with the people who work there about their experience and career motivations. We also got to take part in some games such as an M&A simulation. This gave me a better idea of what it would be like to do the actual job role in my specific division. Also people who chose markets as a division got to work shadow within that area.

The culture was really pushed as a selling point at the insight. Many people told me about how it was genuinely a nice place to work. The best way of getting the feel of what the culture is was meeting so many people and speaking to them about BAML. We also got to listen to talks about things such as corporate social responsibility at BAML which helped in understanding the company culture more.

It was extremely helpful. I had arrived at the programme being unsure about my decision to put GCIB as my first choice. I had even emailed to see if I could change. Once I took part in the divisional day and also met a lot of people from GCIB at the networking dinner I was sure that it was what I wanted to do. The game we took part in really challenged and interested me. I also felt really motivated listening to people speak about their careers in investment banking and knew I would like to carve out a similar career. The assessment day in our chosen division also gave me experience in interviewing for my chosen division and the type of skills and knowledge that they are looking for.

We were given an expense form to reimburse all expenses.

Yes! Lots of networking opportunities throughout. We were constantly meeting people. In between sessions we had lunches with employees. We also went to a great networking dinner where employees were rotated on our tables so I got to speak at length with many people.

The social events were great and had a really relaxed atmosphere. People were genuinely interested in speaking with us and I really enjoyed them.

Yes. We heard from a representative in corporate social responsibility about the different charity activities that employees take part in within the bank. We also got to meet with people from diversity networks in the bank who told us about extra curricular activities they take part in at BAML.

Without doubt I would recommend this insight. It was a great experience that not only helped me find out what division i wanted to work in but also gave me a good idea of what it would be like to work in financial services and more specifically, at BAML.