Securities spring intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight. The two weeks were insightful, informative, and far more interactive than any of the other banks offering programs. Whilst hard work, the two week programme enabled you to gain a more real insight of what life in a bank actually is like. The people were super friendly and helpful, and so were the fellow interns.

HCM (HR) made us feel valued by having multiple buddies, and mentors too. There were regular catch ups throughout the two week period to keep them in the loop about our interests, our concerns or worries etc. When walking onto the trading floor, you were able to stop and talk to anyone, showing how willing people were to help you out. The only one way in which we could have been made to feel more valuable would be through networking/intern events and socials.

Upon beginning the programme, there was no expectation to have any prior financial knowledge, or even a financial/STEM based degree subject. Technical knowledge was given to us throughout the two weeks and gradually got more and more technical. The actual process of how we were being assessed however was not made clear until slightly later on in the programme.

The skills learned involved building confidence and resilience, which would prove helpful at any university or job. The technical knowledge provided would definitely place us at an advantage in comparison to other interns from other banks, at this stage. The knowledge however went over the basics and fundamentals of sales and trading, so this will prove helpful in this specific sector.

For the first week, there were mostly talks which were well structured, and breaks were provided etc. There were also arranged shadowing’s for an hour, which fitted into everyone's Timetables. The second week still had talks and shadowings, but there was a lot more free time available to arrange your own shadowing in areas of interest, and to work on various solo and group projects.

The general atmosphere was excellent and you could tell that HCM Recruiters had done a good job of detecting people who had a genuine interest to learn about The field. As such, interactive sessions were enjoyable and interesting, as everyone asked relevant and informative questions, and even within the group work, everyone was willing to help out. This intern behaviour was also reflected in the rest of the firm, demonstrating their culture.

The firm had experts in each field to speak to us, usually including a VP or MD, who had also done the intern programme, showing how valued interns are, and as a result, why the firm is so willing to invest in interns. There was also an external session from Thomson Reuters, and females had an external speaker, which was excellent and by far The best motivational speaker I have ever seen. The only issue is the firm did not have enough computers for interns, but this wasn’t too much of a problem as most of the time, interns would be meeting other people working on the floors, as opposed to admin work.

I think the firm provided us a very hands on insight into the different roles within the division, as well as the various desks. By shadowing and speaking to people, it became easy to understand what role and what desks would be of particular interest to you, so you would see where you’d fit in. Throughout days, interns would try to fit in as many people as possible and may have done 5/6 shadowings per day, plus attended morning meetings at 7am, and the sessions too, which meant that interns were often in the office later than the actual sales/traders! This was entirely by choice however - there was no obligation. The only way in which a more representative insight could have been given is if interns were actually given work for each desk, however given the 2 week limit, this would not have been possible.

Having previously worked in another investment bank for 8 months, I initially did not believe that it was possible for banks to have a culture. Whilst Goldman Sachs did not give us extensive talks specifically on culture, through the other talks, the culture became very apparent and found that the firm culture would be a great fit for me. There is a heavy feedback culture, but also a large sense of drive, and giving back.

This programme provided an extremely realistic insight to a trading floor and has helped me confirm my ideal career path. The insight also dispelled rumours surrounding the need to have a financial or mathematical background etc. Therefore, the programme has helped me understand not only the division I wish to work in, but has helped me to understand a specific role Too.

Accommodation was provided for interns not within the M25, although some interns even from London were in hotels, due to accessibility/commute issues. Money was also provided for one return journey e.g. trains, and they reimbursed this on the first day. The interns were also paid on the final day of the programme.

There was plenty of time for independent Networking opportunities within the second week, and outside of market hours. It was easy to tap someone on the shoulder and ask to sit with them, or to email someone and arrange a meeting. This made it very helpful and easy to make contacts and build relationships.

The second day had a ‘meet your buddy’ pizza lunch, which allowed for opportunity to meet buddies, however, it was more difficult to meet other people. That day, there was also a firmwide intern networking drinks, however nobody from the business attended. There was also a women in trading drinks, but only 3 traders attended for the hour that I was there, and on the final day, there was a women’s breakfast. It felt that the programme might have benefitted from a few more events e.g. an Equities drinks with both sales and traders, and available for males especially. There also were no organised opportunities to get to know the other fellow Securities interns. Whilst team building may not have been necessary, it would have been nice To have an arranged evening event, and it also would have been good to mix up the various mentor and project groups, to allow us to meet other individuals.

An email was received from the diversity networks, and the women in securities network did a breakfast. The interns were also allowed to attend one gym class a week. Other than this, there was no awareness of other networks or societies/trips that may or may not exist within the firm.

The programme overall was excellent. It was well structured and provided us with both technical knowledge and intangible skills. Networking formed the major part of the week but was by far the most valuable experience of the programme. In comparison to other banks programmes, this was by far the most interactive, and as a result, the most informative.