Women In Technology Insight Week Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 day insight. It sounds so cliche but everyone was genuinely really nice. It was extremely comprehensive as all the volunteers explained the different avenues of technology within KPMG and it helped me form an idea of the type of career within technology I would be interested in, also eliminating misconceptions. The opportunity to work shadow was probably my favourite.

Everyone was extremely welcoming, helpful and made us feel very comfortable. Volunteers took time out of their work schedule to allow us to work shadow, they informed us of what their work entails and answered any and every question we had with genuine passion to the extent that by the final day we ran out of questions.

There was a lot of support and guidance throughout, even during the lunch breaks. We were never really alone, when we were work shadowing and our volunteer became busy, there was always someone else who would entertain us. All of our questions were exhausted by the last day as they were answered so superbly.

On the last day we had a skills session about personal brand and there were also a number of activities which involved group work. I had not been taught about creating and upholding a personal brand at school or at university so I think it was really beneficial as acting upon the information received and collaboration skills learned could increase my employability.

The insight was incredibly structured. We were in from 9 to 5 and we were busy throughout, excluding an hour lunch break, either receiving skills sessions, having volunteers inform us about the technological advancements within KPMG and what exactly they do within their technology department, work shadowing or having a question and answer session.

The general atmosphere was so pleasant, so welcoming and so incredibly friendly. I did not really feel intimidated at all which was one of my preconceptions when arriving at such a big and established company. Everyone I met was just genuinely hospitable showing that the values of KPMG are actually legitimate.

I feel like the insight week itself was a massive investment from the company. In terms of personal training and development, we were given a presentation on personal brand which gave us key information and could definitely aid our employability skills as I felt this was quality information I did not receive elsewhere.

We were given the opportunity to work shadow people in different divisions of the technology department and they also introduced us to their other colleagues who weren't volunteering but took time out of their day to talk to us and answer any questions we had. This allowed us to witness first hand projects they were completing and what we potentially could do.

KPMG's company culture is expressed in their values. The insight allowed us to see that their values are not just words, everyone follows through and meets them and I felt this through the hospitable, welcoming and friendly nature of everyone I interacted with during the 3 days I was there.

The day definitely eradicated all misconceptions I had about technology through seeing firsthand what it actually entails and I am more inclined to a career in technology after meeting and interacting with all the volunteers and their colleagues. This insight was meant to empower and inspire women and I feel inspired to start a future career in tech.

We took the opportunity to take the names of everyone we interacted with in order to then connect with them on linkedin in the future. I also took the name and email address of the lady I was work shadowing and she agreed to become a referee on my CV.

There were numerous opportunities to network. Throughout the insight volunteers came to present and answer our questions, we were able to take down their names to connect with them on linkedin afterwards. On the final day we a socialising and networking opportunity that lasted approximately an hour where every volunteer came back in case we had additional questions.

There are a number of networks and social committees that employees are encouraged to get involved in outside of work. On their careers website there area number of blog posts with additional information on the opportunities available. Within the cyber team there is a cyber bootcamp that runs in Europe.

I would definitely recommend the women in technology insight week to a friend because I feel like I left feeling more educated on technology, the future of it and different areas of it I could see myself embarking on a career in. On top of this I left with valuable skills for employability and valuable contacts and connections. Not only was it empowering, but it showed me you don't have to know code to have a career in technology.