Account Manager Support Review

I completed the 8 week internship programme and extended it for a further two months. I enjoyed the variety of exposure given within the 8 weeks and how I was able to build a thorough grounding in all aspects of the business. There is a large emphasis on running it yourself and making it what you want, which is what I loved.

I felt valued as I was given a lot of responsibilities early on. My colleagues spent a vast amount of time educating me about the business model and the tasks they encounter daily. I found this invaluable and it was extremely refreshing to see the effort they made with me, given I was only initially around for 8 weeks.

I was allocated a mentor within the Branch who would look out for and guide me throughout the internship programme. This included initial meetings, regular catch-ups and ongoing liaison to ensure I always felt comfortable. There was also guidance provided on an ongoing basis from regional HR.

In general I was fairly busy, and given I was trusted with responsibilities early on, I felt empowered. However, I found that on occasions the days were quieter and I had less to do than I imagined. However, this gave me the opportunity to carry on with the internship projects which were to be delivered by the end of the programme.

Responsibilities began evolving quickly over the internship. I started out learning and sitting with others but quickly over the programme I was entrusted to carry out some daily tasks which reduced the workload of my colleagues. The emphasis is really on self-drive and development which I took full advantage of.

As a graduate undertaking the internship programme I have fortunately converted this into a full time role with the bank. The skills I learned and effort I gave to the programme has rewarded me with a diverse range of banking knowledge, combined with the business model of Handelsbanken. These skills will be utilised in more depth when I begin with them again.

The atmosphere was happy and helpful. All of my colleagues worked collaboratively to achieve our daily tasks. There was a large emphasis on the fact that no question ever seemed unintelligent and that curiosity was encouraged from the outset. My office was quite quiet as it was small in comparison to other branches, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The placement was extremely well organised. It began with a day in the regional office meeting all other interns and discussing the itinerary. This followed with an 8 week training plan which helped make my programme feel useful and knowledge enhancing. We also had regular conference calls with all other interns and recent graduates to discuss our development.

I was given the ability to regularly undertake the company's online training, work with colleagues in my office and also visit other sections of the business. For example, on the programme I visited the UK head office and spent two days working alongside some other colleagues in completely different departments. This was a testament to Handelsbanken's employee investment and future prospects.

I was lucky enough to live at home whilst on the programme and as such could therefore save a lot of money. Socialising costs were standard as things hadn't changed from before I got the job. It worked out really well and I felt financially stable throughout the internship program.

I was lucky enough to organise one of our largest networking events. I devised a drinks evening with over 100 local professionals in the area. This was extremely rewarding as I saw us integrate with many other professionals in the network and hopefully build new relationships for which to do new business with.