Summer Analyst Review

My 10 week internship at BlackRock exceeded all my expectations. I was given important and meaningful projects, worked closely with other interns and members of my team, and learned a huge amount from the process. The campus recruitment team also arranged some terrific events throughout the summer, aimed at helping us to learn more about the industry and network with other employees at the firm.

From the outset my colleagues made a huge effort to make me part of the team: I was taken out for a team lunch to get to know everyone, and had various meetings with individual members to discuss their roles and their careers to date. I was welcome at all team meetings and had regular contact and feedback from my colleagues.

Four people had a direct responsibility for guiding and supporting me during the summer. I had a line manager (who was responsible for my overall experience within the team and my progression as an individual), a direct manager (who ensured that I got exposure to various different parts of the business and helped me to manage my workload), a buddy (a recent graduate who was there to answer all my questions and be an informal contact point), and a mentor (from a different part of the business, to give me perspective and help me to plan my career). This combination of people ensured that I always had someone to voice concerns to/ask questions of throughout the summer.

I was given the responsibility to complete meaningful work for the team independently, and was trusted with ownership of a significant project of my own. The project took up a significant amount of my time during the summer, and I was taken to meetings with senior stakeholders in order to discuss it and consider how my suggestions would be taken forward. My work is now used by the team on a daily basis.

The atmosphere was professional, and people were focussed on getting work done to a high standard. However, people were interested and engaged with the work they were doing and enjoyed having a laugh and a chat when that was appropriate. The balance was good: people were good fun and easy to talk to, but were also focussed on performing well and achieving their targets.

The firm invested a great deal in our training and development: we had 3 days at the start of the summer dedicated to learning about the industry, the company and the opportunities that we have in our careers. We also had several sessions with an expert dedicated to helping us with public speaking and presenting. We also had regular "Lunch & Learn" sessions, with a variety of speakers sharing their experiences with us, and drinks/social events in which we were able to network and learn from senior members of the business.

I received an offer from the firm and will confirm my place to sign on as a graduate straight away. There is a fantastic graduate scheme in place in which we are able to learn and develop quickly, there are opportunities to work abroad in some of the firm's foreign offices, and we even get two weeks of training before we join in New York.

I socialised with both my team/colleagues and the other interns extensively throughout the summer. I got on really well with my team, and often had lunch or drinks after work with them. We also got on brilliantly as a group of interns and regularly went for drinks/nights out together after work or at the weekends. There was a good, lively social scene.

The restaurants and bars directly surrounding the office are good fun and, although expensive, are good venues to meet up with your colleagues and friends after work. That said, it would be very expensive to live right next to the office - most people live in nearby areas which are easy to commute from, such as Shoreditch, Angel, Fulham, Brixton or Clapham.

As part of the internship program, we were given the opportunity to form part of a charity project. We were split into teams and tasked with raising as much money as possible for the charity the company sponsors, and spent one day during the summer working at their charity shop in North London. It was great to be involved with something outside of the office and help raise a significant amount of money for a great cause.