Performance Analyst Review

I've really enjoyed my time at Lloyds - my colleagues were really nice and I settled in fairly quickly, after it took a bit of time to adjust to working in an office (this was my first job ever). There is a really great atmosphere in the bank, which makes you feel secure and comfortable. I'm really proud to work for Lloyds because they take good care of their colleagues, and I can definitely see myself working for them in the future. Overall I've had a very positive experience.

My colleagues always appreciated my contributions, and were really friendly and understanding so I never felt afraid to ask a "silly" question. Although it seems like our mistakes get picked up on more than things we've done well, I know that overall they really appreciated the time and effort I put into the tasks they set me, and so I've found the work rewarding and satisfying.

My line manager is the loveliest person I've met, and we get on really well. She always supports me by taking the time to explain tasks carefully and clearly, and repeating anything that I don't understand. Her friendly personality made me feel at home in the office. Moreover, she supported me by helping me to obtain a couple of shadowing sessions with various different teams later on this week, which will be a good experience.

How busy I am definitely fluctuates - at times I spend the whole morning counting down the minutes because there simply isn't enough to do, or the tasks need to be carried out by my line manager because they're crucial. At other times, I've been so busy that the day flies by and I actually feel satisfied with a day's work. At the busiest time of year for my team, it did get quite stressful because we had tight deadlines for our deliverables. My line manager took good care of me and ensured that I took my lunch break each day to get out of the office and relax a bit.

At the start, I had very few responsibilities while I was settling in. My main task involved editing a Word document by cutting and pasting from other documents, which was too easy. However, as time went on and my manager became more confident in my capabilities, I was able to use my initiative more and was soon taking on higher responsibilities such as chasing up other colleagues, or creating/editing templates.

I've developed some important skills during the internship, the most valuable skill being communication. I've learnt how to compose a professional email, which may help at University when I'm emailing lecturers/tutors. I've also developed my presentation skills, which should assist at University when we're doing presentations. My interpersonal skills have been enhanced, so I feel like I've come out of my shell more and I've become more sociable and friendly, which will help at University and beyond.

The general atmosphere was quite quiet - people got on with their work and some kept to themselves. However at times colleagues would interact, and I had some good chats with other people. The highlight was when the half year financial results were announced and everyone on our floor got together to watch it on the big screen, and we were kindly provided with tea and pastries.

The work placement was set up well - I was placed in a good team and I had opportunities to move around a bit and shadow other teams. I was in a good location so I could easily meet other colleagues and ask about their roles or do some shadowing. The placement was in a central team so I got a good overview of how the company works generally, and how all the divisions come together.

When I started, I had to do some online training which taught me the importance of the company's values. There were online resources and training was available to us, although I never really felt an incentive to do any extra online learning because I didn't have much free time, and also due to the short-term timescale of the internship I didn't feel like it would be worth it. Also the company didn't really advertise training courses to us interns.

I would definitely return to the company in the future. There are loads of areas to work in, and I would like to work in another division next year, as a stepping stone to build me up for my future career. I can see myself working within the organisation because I've had a really good experience with them on the internship, and it seems like they value their colleague and treat them well (for example good amount of holiday leave, encouragement of maintain a work-life balance, possibility of flexible working).

Fellow interns would arrange lots of nights out to clubs although this didn't appeal to me. There were a couple of quiz nights which were good fun. Also I went out for lunch once with my team (as one member was promoted to another team) and this was one of the highlights as I saw my team in another light and learnt more about them. I feel like we could have gone out more though, but this is difficult as they have their own families to return to at the end of the day.

The area I worked in was expensive for food, but I tended to go to the company canteen which may have been subsidised, or at least it was good value for money. There was lots of choice for food places in the local area so this was nice. I was living at home so I can't comment on living costs, although daily transport costs were very expensive (fortunately the organisation will reimburse part of these costs).

The clubs are popular and packed, but I didn't go out much.

I wasn't really presented with any activities outside of work, except a quiz night and a pub dinner once. My fellow intern had the opportunity to volunteer for a day with their team which seemed like a good experience as they were able o build a good rapport with their team in this way. It would have been nice to have had more activities or socials to attend with my team.