Intern at Branch Streamlining Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Handelsbanken and would highly recommend anyone to do an internship here. I have developed critical work skills, gained experience beyond the textbook and have built great connections with many talented professionals.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. I was involved in every task, I was always listened to when I spoke and treated as an equal by every member of staff. Everyone was very polite, and always made time to help me get the most experience out of my internship either by arranging visits to different branches and departments within the bank.

I was consistently supported through out the whole internship and was always allowed to express my opinions and thoughts freely without judgement. They would over look the work I was doing and give helpful feedback, and would always cater my internship based on what kind of experience I was looking for.

Overall, I was kept busy with a perfect mixture of work and rest. Near the end of the internship there were less tasks to be done simply because our team worked much quicker than we anticipated especially with an addition of an extra member (me). However, this allowed me to have more time to visit other departments of the bank and learn even more, so I was still kept busy.

I was given a good amount of responsibility so that I felt like I was helping my team and had pride in my work. But it wasn't too much so I didn't feel stressed.

Having to juggle meetings with other deadlines my time management skill has improved, along with better efficiency and better work ethic. This internship has given me a real world experience and has provided me with the building blocks I need for my future.

Handelsbanken is split into two offices, one is much smaller. I was based in the smaller office where many people were on holiday too so the atmosphere was quiet most of the time and not very busy. But it was always very friendly. Soon both offices are to be joined up so the atmosphere won't stay so quiet for long.

Overall it was organised very well, I had a clear role in the bank and I knew what to do and what was expected of me. However, certain access orders that needed to go through for me in the first week weren't done till later on, and I never received a company phone like I was told I would.

There were a number of development quizzes online that helped my knowledge of the bank and what was expected of me as an employee. I had training in VBA coding that ran over 2 days which a member of staff kindly took the time to teach me.

Future employment at Handelsbanken sounds very appealing to me and I know when I graduate I would be keeping an eye out on any jobs going at this bank.

Yes, all of the interns had a project to complete over the course of the internship which helped us to get to know each other and learn to work well together. The social committee at the bank also hosted a social event after work which was a good way to meet and socialise with other interns and staff members at Handelsbanken.

The area I worked in is in Manchester city centre so there is a mixture of cheaper and more expensive places. There is something for every kind of person with any kind of budget.

Being located in Manchester city centre there are a number of nightclubs in the area, however I did not attend any of them during my time at the internship.

The social committee at the bank also hosted a social event after work which was a good way to meet and socialise with other interns and staff members at Handelsbanken.