Women's Insight Day Review

The virtual Insight Day was incredibly informative, with lots of opportunity to ask questions and network with members of the bank. For just 3 hours of our day in the afternoon I felt as though I came away with a much greater understanding of the company values and the culture at the bank. The employees were welcoming and friendly and it definitely left me feeling like the bank is somewhere I would like to work in the future.

Despite only being with the company for the afternoon they made us feel welcomed and adopted a friendly approach to encourage us to turn on our cameras and interact with other students. When speaking with graduates at the bank they gave honest answers and spoke openly about their time at the bank and the degrees of responsibility they have been given. On top of this, more senior members of the bank were also willing to share their wisdom.

Throughout the whole afternoon, the support team were available to deal with any technical difficulties or general questions so it was nice to know they were there to support. Further, we received lots of guidance and tips from current employees, recent graduates and the student recruitment team. We were split off into breakout rooms and worked through a case study together which created a collaborative atmosphere, with the option to receive feedback on our performance in the case study if we wish to reach out after the event.

The case study that we worked through in smaller groups is an incredibly useful skill that I will take forward into my degree at university (with regards to public speaking and presentations). In addition, the case study example is great practice for interview/assessment centre preparation especially in the new virtual environment. I will definitely use the collaborative team-oriented skills that I developed further today in any future interviews. The use of the 'raise hand' function in the video call is also great practice for virtual meeting etiquette.

The virtual experience was very well structured with a timetabled agenda clearly communicated to us upon starting the event. Some portions of the day did run slightly over but the team were adept at shifting the timings so that the event started and finished at the same time, with a break implemented in the middle to ensure everyone had a moment to stretch their legs and grab a drink. When experiencing a technical issue on my laptop the team quickly responded to make sure I could re-join my networking room.

Being amongst fellow female students who are driven to achieve their potential in a future career was both encouraging and inspiring. The employees at MUFG were willing to dedicate their time to talk with us, friendly and had a positive attitude towards their career. In general the bank felt like the type of atmosphere where you are encouraged to be your best and they seemed supportive in helping us achieve those goals. I left the event feeling positive and inspired.

The afternoon was not intended to be a development or personal training session so there were not many opportunities set aside for this. Nevertheless, by making use of the 'raise hand' function, chat function and muting/unmuting when others were talking we learnt valuable online etiquette skills that will undoubtedly be useful in the future. There was an opportunity to develop communication, problem solving and teamwork skills with a case study example where we can receive feedback on our performance by emailing the company after the event.

There were numerous opportunities to talk with members of the bank at varying levels in their careers which gave a holistic overview of the type of roles available at the bank. The employees were also very open about their role within the bank and their respective journeys into the bank. The student recruitment team did a great job at detailing the different programmes available to students: whether that be an internship or graduate analyst role.

The company culture was spoken about throughout the whole event and was clearly demonstrated in the way the employees communicated with each other. The bank clearly communicated some of the great network schemes they have set up within the bank: including groups for improving gender equality, disability within the workplace and family initiatives. I now have a much greater understanding of what it would be like at a Japanese bank compared to an American bank.

The content enabled me to see the options available at a graduate level and the different divisions within the bank. Perhaps it would have been nice to consider the options available after rolling off the graduate scheme into a full time job, but considering the insight day was only 3 hours long this was not a necessity and I gained enough information to help me make an informative decision on my future. Additional hints and tips were given about the assessment procedure which was encouraging.

The virtual experience did not require any expenses to be paid since it was all online and only lasted for 3 hours in the afternoon.

There were plenty of opportunities to reach out to members of the firm and ask questions about their background and journey into the bank. There were allocated speed networking sessions, group panel discussions and a speaker event to introduce the afternoon. This not only allowed us to ask specific questions to members of the firm but also meant we could listen to influential members of the bank talking about their personal experiences. Making use of the chat function as well as being encouraged to come off mute was useful here.

There were plenty of opportunities to speak with members of the bank. This included graduates but also more senior members of the bank who had been there 30 or more years. This not only ensured we had an overview of the roles and the bank from a graduate perspective but also made sure we gained a holistic view of the company and the future options available within the bank. I enjoyed talking to a range of people.

The team explicitly signposted many of the opportunities available at the bank. Networks to get involved in tackle issues such as gender balance, disability within the workplace, family matters and more so it was great to see the ways the bank looks out for its colleagues. Further to this, the graduates that I networked with clearly had been given social opportunities to spend time getting to know other graduates through after work 'socials' set up despite the pandemic.

I would definitely recommend this event to fellow students since it gave not only a great insight into the bank and its company culture but also a great overview of the banking world in general. For anyone considering banking as a potential career path I would highly encourage applying to attend the insight day. Despite being virtual I still felt that I gained enough out of the event and did not feel disadvantaged that it had been moved online.