Insight Day Review

by abrdn

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.3/5
  • About You
    4.5
  • The Company
    4.6
  • Everything Else
    3.6

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • I really enjoyed the insight at Aberdeen Asset Management. The event was split into about eight parts, where people from different parts of the business would introduce their roles to us and allow us to ask them questions. What I liked about this event is that we were given the opportunity to lead it. The focus was more on asking questions which helped us get the information we were looking for.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • One thing that stood out in particular to me is that the CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management, Martin Gilbert, personally came to the event to introduce himself to us and network with us. This is the first event I have attended with a large asset management firm where the CEO comes and meets students personally. I think this says a lot about the firm's culture.

    5/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • We received a lot of guidance in terms of what different parts of the business do, what the application process requires, how to succeed at an assessment centre, and what the internship programmes entail. We were given the opportunity to ask lots of questions which helped a lot when we wanted to know about how particular parts of the business recruited.

    5/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • N/A

    5/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • The insight was especially well-structured. The day was organised very precisely and everything ran on time. First we met representatives from each division and they gave us an insight into their roles and allowed us to ask them questions. After we had spoken to people from each division, we heard from HR representatives who gave us more details about the application processes for each one. Following that we had a talk from Martin Gilbert, CEO, who was kind enough to allow us to ask him questions about his 30 years in asset management.

    5/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • The atmosphere during the insight was professional but relaxed. I think one thing Aberdeen does well as a company is create an environment whereby its employees are comfortable sharing ideas and working together to get the best possible solution. That was very clear in how well the people from Aberdeen seemed to work together and gave a great impression.

    5/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • N/A

    5/5

  • 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • The insight offered a great understanding of what it would be like to have a full-time role at the firm. We had the opportunity to hear from lots of people who had recently completed the internship programme and had started full-time. The impression I got is that Aberdeen is very focused on helping pair the best person with the best role, and that their two-year graduate rotation programme is key to this.

    5/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • The insight helped massively in understanding the company's culture. I learned, for example, that Aberdeen never invests in a stock without having interviewed the company's management first. This is to ensure the quality of the businesses that they are investing in, and in turn quality for the client. I thought this was a very clear display of integrity that really stood out to me.

    5/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • The day was very valuable in helping me decide on my future career path. I learned a lot about divisions that I had never previously considered and had the opportunity to meet people from divisions that I am interested in. Together these helped me generate a picture of how I would like to begin my career.

    5/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • Event run through SEO London so no expenses


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • We had lots of opportunities for networking at the end of the event which lasted 1-2 hours.

    3/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • The networking opportunities were great. Being able to meet the CEO Martin Gilbert was very cool.

    3/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • Yes. Aberdeen were keen to stress their charitable endeavours and to emphasise that the work-life balance in asset management is very favourable when compared to other financial services jobs. I learned that Aberdeen employees are encouraged to take part in charitable initiatives and that they are supported in fitting this around their work. Also, I met people that were able to maintain hobbies such as football, going to the gym and even martial arts.

    5/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • Definitely. I think asset management is a relatively undersubscribed industry in terms of summer internship and graduate applications because people do not tend to know much about it. I think it is definitely worth considering for, for example, people who think they want to work in investment banking. The asset management industry offers more responsibility, better job security, a better work-life balance and more interesting work.

    5/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

London

November 2016


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