Women in Fund Management insight day Review

Had a very great day! They made sure there was a variety of employees: those from expected finance backgrounds as well as those from different disciplines where you wouldn’t expect them to be working in finance.

I felt valued because they m were very accommodating and had many employees walking around answering any questions we had or asking us about our backgrounds.

There were multiple opportunities to ask questions and get clarification of things. I personally wanted to understand the difference between investment management and investment banking and I feel they explained the differences very well. They helped me understand the difference in culture. They also explained that the company doesn’t force you to do anything you wouldn’t want to.

What I learned at the event confirmed that I am on the correct path to end up at such a great firm. I plan to do a specialist masters after my undergrad in order to get specialist knowledge and have a specific sector I can advise on. I learned much more about the potential stress when applying for graduate schemes so I will try to apply for any relevant experience before that time comes.

The event was incredibly structured as they gave out copies of the timings of the day, everything was followed through correctly.

The atmosphere was great because the great culture of the company definitely radiated amongst us. Everyone felt comfortable to be able to ask any questions, there wasn’t any hostile competitiveness even though we were all competing in a trading exercise all day. I thought there may have been strong competitiveness but there wasn’t.

They are willing to help people complete their CFA examinations by paying for it. Current employees explained how the complaint was accommodating to them during their revision period. Some also mentioned how if they ever felt like they needed something to improve their skills the company is willing to pay for any training needed.

They were able to explain to me properly about how it would be to work there. They properly explained that there is a very positive and accepting atmosphere. They helped me understand the hours aren’t as strenuous as investment banking, hours are only hectic around deadline periods and other than that is 9-5.

They helped me understand how positive the culture is.

The content of the day was great because of the great detail that went into the application process. They also made sure they had people at different points in their careers which I think was very good as not all places do that. I also felt the trading exercise was a great thing to do.

I was offered reimbursement for travel of up to £20. There was also food at lunch time and they took dietary requirements before hand which I think was great because I personally have intolerances to dairy and gluten. There was also a great selection of snacks, juices and water. They took care of belongings and outer wear.

There were many opportunities to speak to an employee: during lunch and the multiple panels through out the day. There was an opportunity to speak to people with different jobs and find out how they ended up with their role. I was particularly interested in finding out why they decided on their position.

I believe it went really well because there were employees at different stages in their careers. There were people who were starting their graduate scheme this year, those who started last year and many that been working for different amounts of years. I was particularly interested in hearing from a woman who was regularly on TV for her job.

I found out there are many oppurtunjties to give back to the less fortunate by volunteering for charities and working at schools. An employee spoke about how they were given multiple week half-days off so that they could help GCSE students with their comprehension skills before exams, this is something I would love to do.

I would definitely recommend. They are one of the only asset management firms that offer insight says and truly explain what careers you can pursue in investment management. The trading exercise helps one to understand the main basis of what most of the employees do and the panels give opportunities to get your questions answered.