Summer Analyst IB Review

The program was really interesting, with some initial training to set the bases and then working on our assignments and tasks to help the team. There were good opportunities to get to know all the interns, as well as employees from other divisions and within the team. Under the current circumstances, putting a virtual internship of these characteristics together must have been a daunting task, but HR efforts really paid off. If the intention was to provide us with a first-class real-world experience, they certainly achieved the purpose.

I felt absolutely valued from the first moment. I did not feel like an intern at all. Everybody I spoke to at the firm was really happy to have us and committed with our internal and external development. We were treated like analysts and given interesting projects to work on. Of course, being proactive and willing to help and add value to the firm was the initial step. The team was aware different backgrounds and still treated everyone like a full-time employee, devoting time and resources to develop and provide a good learning experience.

The initial training (week 1) was really useful. We also had numerous opportunities to join different trainings throughout the weeks, both related to our specific division and others. However, I feel that more ongoing training would have been useful on topics that we had not much exposure to (e.g. LBO model, creating and choosing comparables, power point skills...). On the other hand, I felt supported at all times by HR, my team buddy, my divisional buddy and my women senior buddy, as well as by all the other employees I spoke. They were all ready to take some time to answer my doubts.

Both the people and the learning (skills and knowledge) I take from the experience are great assets that will assist me in my professional career. Facing daunting tasks and challenging projects with a minor pre-knowledge and skills on how to go about it can be a dreadful task, but with team-work and cooperation all tasks got easier. On-the-job learning proved to be much more helpful than other kind of trainings in some instances.

In terms of structure, it was excellent. The first week of intensive training assisted us in the following weeks of program. Moreover, during the following four weeks we would have division-specific compulsory trainings in the morning, and we were also able to join the trainings from other divisions, which provided us with a complete learning experience and a full picture of what BCMA stands for. We would also have speaker sessions (BCMA Head, EMEA Head, CEO chat...) and theme-specific presentations (LGTB group, women empowerment...) that contributed to gaining insights into the essence of the bank and its culture. The only thing that could have been improved are the initial on-boarding technical issues that kept us suffering during the first two weeks, despite the company putting all of its resources to solve them asap.

The atmosphere was really dynamic and collaborative. Speaking from a personal experience, from the first day, the interns became like a family to me. We would grab virtual coffees together and talk about how the day had been, we set up a sports whatsapp group, a division-specific one and even a firm-wide one. We all supported each other with the initial technical issues and other questions that might arise. The same applied with the employees. They were all ready to chat and make us feel comfortable and valued throughout the virtual experience. Moreover, they showed a lot of patience and support. At times, it became quite stressful since you never knew when an email / assignment might arrive, and some tasks took long hours to complete due to either lack of knowledge or skills. However, taking a look back I see how much I improved those by facing the daily challenges of the different assignments and projects.

I was able to really understand what the company culture was about. During the internship, we had numerous video conferences with different speakers (EMEA Head, BCMA Head and even the CEO, daily catch-ups, weekly team briefings...) and theme-specific sessions (women empowerment, LGTB collective, veterans, black, Latin...). Moreover, you could glance the culture with every person you would spoke to: openness, acceptance, transparency and committed to their talent and their clients, besides a strong push for sustainability.

Without a doubt. The numerous sessions organized by HR and the virtual coffees grabbed with internal and external team members, buddies and interns accounted for a unique networking opportunity. Moreover, we were proactively suggested to reach out to as many people as possible, regardless of seniority or team, so that we had a complete full picture of what BCMA really stands for. Overall, IB is not an isolated division, but it works hand in hand with CMO and CB. The opportunities for exploring what all these divisions entail were endless too. In the end, video cannot replace physical presence, but under the current circumstances that was certainly the best approach and I feel we all managed to keep it as real as possible.

Yes. On the one hand, we had several video conferences where we were explained the different groups and associations within the bank, what they consisted of, what activities they usually carry out, reasons why we should join, etc. The sessions were really engaging and surely provided insights on the culture of the bank. On the other hand, on a corporate-level, we were capable of taking part in different initiatives and campaigns, for instance, we were able to choose which project we wanted to fund with some of the company's funds.