Account Manager Support Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship with Handelsbanken. I feel I got a very varied experience of two local branches of the bank and met a lot of lovely, passionate people. I have developed both professionally and personally throughout the internship and it has solidified my ambition to go into the banking industry after completion of my degree.

For the majority of the 9 weeks I did feel very valued by my colleagues. At the beginning I felt I had to ask a lot of questions and required some help, however once I had settled in I was able to contribute and really get involved with the daily running of the branch, which is why the length of the internship ( 9 weeks) was great as it gave me enough time to achieve this.

I was very impressed with the amount of support offered to me throughout the internship. The working environment is one in which everyone is always willing to help and will make time for you if required. I never felt unable to ask questions and I was always made to feel comfortable.

For the majority of the internship I was fairly busy day to day. I was generally working on ongoing tasks so I had something else to do once I had completed a task. There were occasional days in which my colleagues were very busy and were unable to delegate me tasks however I was often advised in advance what I could get on with in these situations so I very rarely had nothing to do.

I was given more responsibility than I had anticipated given my little previous banking experience. I was often asked to input things which would then be authorised by someone with more experience. I felt I was genuinely contributing to the daily running of the branch by completing tasks that would have been another colleagues responsibility had I not been there.

I have developed many skills throughout the internship, including organisational and communication skills, my confidence in professional environments has improved vastly, my research skills have developed and I have learnt a lot about many different aspects of banking. All of these things will translate and be beneficial in completing my degree and in my future career.

There was a lovely atmosphere in both branches. The smaller branch was more tight knit and had more conversation ongoing, whereas the larger branch was a bit quieter. Both of these had good communication and a friendly yet professional feel which enabled me to get on with work whilst also enjoying my time there with colleagues.

The internship was very well organised. At the beginning I was given an itinierary which set out specific dates for events, and I was also given an intern diary to keep track of what I achieved and learnt each week. I always knew where I needed to be and what I was doing each day which made me feel comfortable.

Very appealing. If I were offered an opportunity to go back I would definitely take it. We were all advised to stay in touch which is encouraging. I hope that at the very least I do stay in touch and maybe work during the university holidays. There are a lot of prospects and flexibility within the organisation which is appealing since I could find out what suits me.