Summer Analyst Review

Overall, I found this experience extremely enjoyable. The HR and recruitment team made the virtual experience seamless, and the opportunities to network and interact with the wider team were readily available. I personally felt extremely connected to my team and fellow interns, and found the role engaging for the 7 weeks. If anyone was considering a virtual placement with Morgan Stanley, I would highly recommend they pursue it or any other opportunities with such a excellent firm.

I felt extremely valued during my time at the firm. Despite being virtual, I was in regular daily contact with different members of my team. My manager was extremely helpful in ensuring I was okay and never at as loose end, and my buddy was a great point of contact in a more relaxed way; being able to ask all the little questions. On top of this, I felt as if I was helping with meaningful work as well.

The virtual experience was very well structured in terms of guidance, support and feedback. I had regular catch ups on a weekly basis with my buddy, and with my manager. Additionally, I had a number of different reviews with HR where I could confidentially raise any issues or concerns I may have had. If I was ever struggling or at a loose end I felt as if I could reach out to anyone in my team for guidance and support.

The soft skills I developed throughout my internship[ have benefitted me greatly. Having been my first experience working in a professional environment, things such as my communication with the wider colleagues, networking with fellow interns and even basic things such as email etiquette will all benefit me in the future. Not even just through working, the experience held a number of different presentations and Q and As to allow you to develop skills for the future, which is really beneficial.

The virtual internship was extremely well structured. It had a good HR led induction within the first week, and made use of the short-time period to get us involved with our teams as soon as possible. The virtual experience included lots of chances to network with more senior colleagues, along with attending special speaker series with prominent leaders such as [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions]. The recruitment team managed our time extremely well insuring we had time to attend these sessions whilst also complete work for our teams.

Overall, it was a generally positive atmosphere. At the beginning, everyone was in the same boat and had no real idea what to expect- there was certainly a level of scepticism. However, through the efforts of the HR team and the wider Morgan Stanley team, their positive attitude made the atmosphere extremely positive and welcoming for us as virtual interns. During a virtual experience it would have been very easy for the business to create a poor atmosphere by neglecting their interns, but this certainly did not happen.

Through setting various goals and feedback sessions, it was evident that the firm viewed you as a potential full time candidate and did not just assume you would not return after the placement. The firm invested heavily in ensuring we as interns had all the resources at our disposal to help us meet our goals, and provided feedback and advice on what we could do to improve ourselves personally. This was also evident due to the number of networking sessions with colleagues across the globe that were set up to help us.

The firm did a great job in highlighting what it would be like to have a full time position with the business. Through a number of different HR led sessions about the different divisions, we got a wider understanding of full time roles in different departments. Additionally, there was plenty opportunities to speak to analysts at different stages of the graduate programme, and gauge a understanding as to what it would be like to have a full time role in the company.

Throughout the seven weeks, the firms culture was evident in the day to day operations of the business. It was clear from the first day how important all five of Morgan Stanley's core values were to the ethos of the business. Despite the virtual circumstances, the firm offered a giving back initiative where the interns could devote time to help map roads within India. I found this extremely important as the idea of giving back was one of the primary things which attracted me to Morgan Stanley in the first place.

Throughout the seven weeks, we were allowed to network with wider colleagues on a regular basis. We were introduced to a coffee-break app were we could randomly network with different colleagues, and we also had speed networking sessions with analysts, associates and directors. These speed networking sessions allowed us to then further network with different teams and find out about their roles, which was really beneficial. Within my individual team, I had opportunities to network with employees from all across the globe (Hong Kong, New York, Switzerland to name a few.)

The networking and socialising opportunities were excellent in this role. There was speed networking sessions with different levels of seniority which allowed you to meet and network with some senior employees you perhaps wouldn't have otherwise. Additionally, there was a number of different ice breaker and social event sessions for the wider intake of interns to partake in, allowing us to network with people in a similar boat to us. Additionally, my team held weekly social events which was nice.

I would, without a doubt recommend this experience to a friend. I cannot explain how much I learned about myself, my ability and also Morgan Stanley in such a short period of time. The people and the culture really make Morgan Stanley and I would recommend any of my friends to try an internship or placement with them. I found the structure to be excellent and I have nothing but positive feedback coming out of the placement.