Account Manager Support Intern Review

I would strongly recommend an internship with Handelsbanken. The culture within the bank is unrivalled, and because the branches are small, people are able to commit more time to you and get to know you better. Because the AMS (Account Manager Support) role is so varied, it also gives a wider overview of areas that are covered, and so helps to give a better idea about what specific area you are most interested in.

Because of the values of the bank, the branch is the forefront of the business and so everyone in the branch has to get along well. As the branches are small (8-12 people) it's easier to get to know everyone better and so there's a stronger sense of family within the branch.

I was given an excel spreadsheet containing a list of tasks which I was to complete over the course of my internship, alongside a box to add any additional tasks I had completed. Before I started any tasks, these were talked through with me by either another member of the AMS team or the Account Manager who the task was for. Any work I took from the work tray to complete was also explained by another AMS if I was unclear on what I needed to do.

95% of the time, I was given the same volume of tasks to complete as any other AMS in the office, and so I always had something to do or to be working towards, whether it was a project or one off task. I was also given the responsibility of the daily reports and so I knew that I would always have that to be working on, and it was good to have continuity within the role. However, one downfall was that because I was only with the branch for a limited time, there were some things that I was not shown, either because I wasn't there long enough to develop the skills to get to that level, or because I wouldn't see the task through to completion, and so there were some times when I was left without anything major to be working on.

From day 1, the bank's view is that any action you take, you must be willing to take responsibility for. The branch treated me as if I was any other employee and therefore trusted me to authorise payments, transactions etc, as well as having to account for any mistakes I made. This is not only motivating, but it makes everything more real, and helps you to understand the importance of accuracy and the consequences if you don't check your work.

I completed my internship prior to my first year at university, so it has given me a real indication of what working in the financial industry is like, and has helped solidify my want to pursue a career in banking. Not only has the internship helped me to develop my banking knowledge academically, it's also helped me to develop soft skills such as prioritising and time management. It has also helped me to develop individually, by boosting my confidence as I had to interact with clients, and has also helped me to improve my ability to take criticism, because criticism is vital to making sure your work is accurate, and I had a habit beforehand of taking criticism to heart!

The office had the right balance between work and fun - because everybody gets along so well, it's easy to joke about with everyone, but to know when it's time to get serious. Sometimes it can get too quiet though so it may be daunting to speak on the phone in a quiet office, but that's more of a personal weakness, not one of the office! It's also interesting to see the office dynamics of everyone's personalities, and helps you to develop your own personal style of working.

Overall, the internship was well organised - in the first week of the internship I received a call from a buddy, who was a newly recruited AMS in another branch in the region, and she was there for any questions or advice. She was extremely helpful, and I often sent her messages via the internal messaging system to either ask questions about day-to-day tasks if the rest of my own office was too busy to interrupt, and also called her fairly regularly to discuss any advice I needed, like university decisions, later employment in the bank and other opportunities. I was also contacted by HR in the first week to welcome me, and then they also arranged a conference call as a welcome as I couldn't attend the meeting in the head office. They also contacted me in my final week to see how I got on and asked a few questions about my time in the bank and personal development.

My branch manager was extremely keen on getting me to meet as many people within the bank as possible, and arranged for me to visit other branches, and the head office in a different region to widen my network. This has strengthened my contacts immensely, and has helped me to develop deeper connections with others who I may be interested in interning for next year.

I would be extremely interested in pursuing a career within Handelsbanken after I graduate, and my goal is to continue interning with them each year until I graduate. Spending time within the bank has given me an indication of the culture of the bank which is majorly different to any other retail or investment banks, and is less target-driven which is a huge incentive.

I made some friends with other interns, but each branch usually only takes on 1 intern, and so I didn't have anyone else near me. I was also in a branch that was towards the edge of a region border, and so to visit any other branches within my region was a bit of a way to travel for me. However, I did make some friends with others in a different region, which was closer to me, and I'm hoping to intern within this region next year.

I was in Ipswich, which is far away enough from London that prices are a lot cheaper. However, because it was in central town it was slightly more expensive than if we had been on the outskirts of town.

There are a few bars along the waterfront that I visited with my colleagues which were nice and not too expensive, and I also know of a few nightclubs in the town that some people I know go to, although I didn't go specifically during my internship.

Many of the clients hold networking events, and so there were lots of invitations to external events sent out. These were discussed weekly in the team meeting where it was decided if the event was worth attending, and if so who would be available and willing to go.