FLDP Technology Summer Intern at Barclays

FLDP Technology Summer Intern

Karina Greenhalgh

Civil Engineering

Internship (1 Month+)

Barclays

What was the application process like?

The process was really well organised. I heard back really quickly about competency tests and a telephone interview, after filling out the form. Following that I was invited to an assessment centre. The assessment centre was a pretty intense day but a really good experience. It was really important to have researched the program in depth, the stream applied for and to demonstrate commercial awareness in the competency based interview and the telephone interview.

What did you do on a daily basis?

On a daily basis I would attend meetings, work on my personal projects, organise the intern events as part of the steering committee and work on an intern project. My personal projects were with the collaboration services team and were mainly on MySite adoption and engagement. Alongside this I was also involved in contributing towards an overall business project. MySite is an internal social media tool that can be used to promote collaboration by allowing people to find other people with certain skill sets and by being a platform to discuss ideas. I was working in a great team who were always happy to answer my questions and develop my understanding of how everything integrated. The aim of the project I was a part of is to give all Barclays intranets and internets the same look and feel. This involved me looking at different platforms used worldwide and across clusters and presenting recommendations. The meetings for this project were across cluster and business unit, so I got some great exposure to a very high level project and the people involved.

Highlights of the job?

This is hard to pick! I really liked that I was given ownership of everything I did, that it was really valued by my colleagues and that I got to work with some great people (interns as well as full time Barclays employees) on some really interesting projects. Also the FLDP team organised a lot of skills sessions which was a really fun way to develop skills that can really help you in your career, such as stakeholder management.

What was your greatest challenge?

Juggling various projects. I worked on various projects as part of my role within Technology (the Collaboration Services team) at the same time as completing an intern project, and taking on responsibilities as part of the social media working group and Steering Committee. The intern project was with 5 other interns, 2 of which weren’t based in London. This meant that we really had to be really organised and communicate extremely well so that everyone had ownership of the project.

What did you learn on your internship?

I learnt to ask questions, put myself up for doing things and to take advantage of being around people with so much knowledge about various projects and how the organisation worked. I learnt a lot from the people around me. If you apply and get a place on the internship this is something that I definitely would recommend.

How has this placement affected your career prospects?

The placement has definitely made me more employable and has confirmed that I want a career in technology. I developed a lot of skills and got first-hand experience through the internship even though it was such a short time. Getting to understand how such a large company works is something that I wouldn’t have been able to get from my course, which will give me a head start in a grad job. Also having this internship on my CV is really valuable.

Any top tips for students interested in an internship at Barclays?

To really think about where you fit, can add value, what you can bring to Barclays and where the internship can help you develop. Also there’s a lot of really useful information on the FLDP website which can help you at each stage of the application process and give you some valuable insights from people who have done internships and are on the full time programme.