Human Resources Summer Analyst Review

Given the circumstances surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, I was fearful that the internship would not be as demanding and engaging as the in person internship I had applied for. I was wrong, JP Morgan took incredible steps to make the virtual internship worthwhile, offering us multiple opportunities to engage with staff and senior leaders as well as giving us real tasks that could make a difference to the business. It was a thoroughly rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone!

As a class of interns we built a highly responsive team and were always offering each other feedback and working together in the best way possible. Furthermore analysts and management at the firm all took time out of their days whenever we required it to talk to us about any concerns that we had. The culture of the firm is one of strong support and the staff and management are a strong reflection of this value.

We were given multiple supervisors and managers to liase with, all of whom offered differing and valuable perspectives that assisted us in improving and developing our performance and communication. Feedback that we received was almost daily. Furthermore senior management in the firm were more than prepared to meet with us to discuss any concerns that we had and a senior management mentor programme was also available to us, which was really helpful as a learning initiative.

We were required to be busy which for me was a very good thing, all of the work was stimulating and at no point did I feel overwhelmed by anything. The firm ensures that you are supported and can take breaks if you need them and places responsibility on you to be open and honest about your welfare needs. Everyday felt like it had clear purpose and the time throughout the day flew, which I think reflects the value of what we were doing.

I felt that as interns we were given a positive amount of responsibility and were treated as though we were just another member of staff which was really encouraging as it allowed us to engage with the business and feel like we were truly part of the organisation. Many of our tasks allowed us to make important decisions and have control and ownership over our own work. I really felt like the firm wanted to give me responsibility.

I think the internship has certainly helped my time management skills due to working in such a fast paced and high octane environment. Furthermore it has given me new perspectives on technology and the corporate world that I will definitely apply in my essays as I am a politics student. Finally, I think working for a firm like JP Morgan helps you to understand that everything you do must have a purpose and this has helped me to focus on and prioritise certain tasks at uni and will help me to do in the future.

The atmosphere in our virtual office team was incredibly positive. There was a strong and consistent feedback loop that helped everyone to improve, furthermore there was a great sense of trust established amongst the management and the employees that allowed everyone to thrive. We were also able to have a lot of fun when appropriate which added to the atmosphere and brought us all closer together as a team. I couldn’t rate it highly enough.

Especially given the pandemic and all of the reorganisation that would have had to have taken place to still hold the internship I believe that the organisation was absolutely impeccable. All of the tasks were well organised and all events ran on time. We all felt, as a class of interns that appropriate support mechanisms were in place and despite the fact that the internship was remote, we felt like we were there in person.

The firm offered regular training events that were both attended or could be done in the employees own time. These allowed me to consistently develop new skills not only professionally but also personally which showed the companies desire to invest in me as a person and help me grow and prosper. Furthermore the time set aside by the company for employees to receive feedback is also really good as it allows employees and managers to give and receive feedback and grow.

I was offered a position after my internship which shows that the company is more than willing to take on new people that are willing to work hard when give the opportunity and can prove that they share the company values and want to work to make the organisation successful. In my section all of the interns were offered a position due to our hard work so I believe that this further undermines the fact that opportunities are available to those who seek them.

Even despite the fact that in person social meeting were not possible due to the coronavirus pandemic we were still able to have plenty of social events via zoom, which was a very positive outcome. Some events were sponsored by the company and others were autonomous but this further helped to build the feeling that the firm was a nice and supportive place to work with interesting and fun people who had a desire to socialise.

As we were working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, costs for our intern class were very limited and given that the salary offered excellent compensation for our work, this was another positive aspect of the internship and as a result I was able to save plenty of money. It genuinely felt like the firm valued us and was determined to compensate us fairly for all of the hard work that we did put in across the internship process.

It is important to mention that due to the coronavirus pandemic we were unable to enjoy the nightlife during the internship but as the offices are based in London and having visited the locations before, I can testify that the local nightlife is very vibrant with a variety of social spaces available for a wide range of interests. Having such an abundant social scene near to work is another added advantage of working for the firm.

Again given the fact that this internship took place during the coronavirus pandemic it is important to understand that not as many opportunities outside of work were available to our intern class as compared to previous intern classes through no fault of the firm. However, even despite this we were offered plenty of opportunities to outside of work to learn about cultural debates, we were offered quizzes and I know that the firm in conventional times has plenty of societies and activities such as sport and music to take part in, so I look forward to being able to do that.