Where have I been?

Hi everyone! I actually apologise as I have completely abandoned this blog. I can't believe I haven't posted anything for over 2 years.

The reason for this post today is I received a comment today and I just couldn't believe people still read this blog and I'm so glad that people have been encouraged by it. The reason I started it in the first place was to encourage people who wanted to go into financial related jobs as I felt there wasn't much advice out there when I was looking a few years ago. A lot has changed with me and I can't believe I started this blog 5 years ago. Finishing A levels and university seemed such a long way to go but it's here already. It's interesting to see how at some point you think you are so sure and set on what you want to do in the future and you get there and it looks completely different or things didn't go the way you planned them to.
Not to worry this isn't a post of disappointment on not doing what I thought I initially wanted to do according to my '16 year old self' [first post back in 2011 I said I wanted to be an Investment Analyst] but a post of celebration that I made it through university graduating with a 2:1 in Economics and I am now working for Barclays.

In the last post I talked about doing a placement year in between my degree. I didn't end up doing that after all, I just did 3 years of university instead. I did no internships during university as well so it's such a blessing that I managed to get a job 3 months after graduation. I absolutely loved university and I'm so happy that I got to experience it, I met amazing people and had so much fun. It did get challenging at times with the degree itself but it all worked out!

If anyone does want advice on university feel free to ask by commenting. Anything from studying to staying in accommodation on or off campus and even commuting to university if you are in that situation- I have faced all three scenarios lol. Even job searching etc. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do so I can give advice on such decisions too.

Royal Bank of Scotland Career Insight Programme (22nd August- 23rd August)

Last month, I attended a two-day career insight programme at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). This event was aimed final year A Level students who were interested in pursuing career in banking and to allow them to learn more about the Royal Bank of Scotland and what they do.

This event was held numerous times during August and there are a few more in September. The one I attended consisted of 24 students. The application process for this was held online were I had to fill in my personal details, qualifications and answer two motivational questions. A couple of weeks after I did that I received a phone call from a member of the Early Career team at RBS informing me that I have gained a place.

Day One:

The first day was held at the Bankside office. The day began with a mini networking session but this was with the students. We were all served breakfast and we had around 45 minutes to go around and get to know each other. It was a bit awkward at first because we were thrown into it straight away but I tried my best to move around and get to know others. We then had an introductory session into RBS. The person in charge of the event gave us an overview of what RBS is about and what opportunities they offer for undergraduates and graduates. Secondly, we heard from Jennifer Holloway, a personal brand specialist, who spoke to us about how to build on our personal brand. I found this really helpful as she really made us think about how you may be seen by others and how this could affect your impression on people. One thing that stuck with me was when she asked "What do people say about you when you're not in the room?", with the answer being, "Whatever it is, that's your personal brand." This really made me think about how I act when I first meet people and what could I possibly change to avoid giving the wrong first impression. After that there was lunch and then another guest speaker gave us more of an insight into RBS and the roles and responsibilities of the different areas of the bank which are :

• Retail/ Commercial bank
• Investment bank
• Private bank (Coutts)

Furthermore, there were two other guest speakers. The first speaker was from Enactus which is a non- profit organisation which enables progress through entrepreneurial action and the second speaker was from The Prince's Trust. This section of the day was to inform us on how to make the most of university. I was quite attracted to Enactus and luckily they do work with the University of Surrey so I will be looking into that once I start. To end the day we got split up into groups of two and shadowed current summer interns at RBS. I got to shadow two interns who worked at Coutts which is the private bank owned by RBS. The students I was with and I got to visit the Coutts building in Strand, London which is really beautiful. It was different to see how quiet Coutts really is unlike the other RBS buildings and find out what the interns do there. The interns I met were so kind and gave a lot of good advice.

A Level Results Day!!!

After waiting for sooooooooooooo long on Thursday 15th August 2013 I finally received my A Level results. This results day wasn't the same as others. This results day was extremely important as I was finding out what university I would be going to in September. Especially the night before, I was so so nervous but the day arrived..... I logged into UCAS Track at 7:30 am and discovered that I got into my firm choice the University of Surrey!!!!

I was extremely excited when I saw this as I REALLY wanted to go to Surrey. The campus is beautiful and the university is now 2nd in the Guardian League Table for Economics above universities such as LSE, Cambridge and UCL. I'm so relieved that all this stress is over. Literally, I spent half of my summer worrying about results day and now it's come and gone just like that. This post is a bit late but I have exactly a month left before I move in. I have so much shopping to do and prep in this space of time but surprisingly I'm really relaxed. It's quite daunting the idea of moving away from home. I question myself sometimes if I'll be able to cope but I guess this is all part of growing up.

In relation to my career progression, these were my A Level results:

Economics: A
Government and Politics: B
Maths: B

HSBC Work Placement 1/7/13 - 12/7/13

In the first two weeks of July I took part in the HSBC Work Experience Programme. 

I previously did a blog post on how I got onto the programme so if you haven't read it already here is the link: http://madetoaspirehigher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/hsbc-work-experience-placement-offer.html

Initially, my work placement was only meant to last one week but I managed to get it extended to two which was actually very beneficial.

On my first day I didn't do much but that was expected as I needed to settle in. I spent the majority of my time at the back office of the branch where the senior clerks sit. I will not lie there was a lot of filing to do but I guess that it's part of the job and that is part of the role of the senior clerks when dealing with paperwork.

I was also given a work experience booklet which included the history of HSBC and some information to help me learn more about the bank. 

I was also assigned a small project to interview one of the employees about their role etc. I have not completed that yet because the branch was quite busy during the two weeks I was there, but I will go back just to complete that as it is a part of the programme.

Over the two weeks I had set responsibilities given to me to do at the beginning and end of the day. I liked that because it meant that when I arrived in the morning I wouldn't have to wait on someone to tell me what to do, I could just go in and do my tasks. Every morning there would be a little meeting where the managers discuss the targets for the staff, how well they are doing as a bank and any praise they received from customers. On Tuesdays there would be a longer meeting of 45 minutes. This is where new campaigns would be discussed and any issues would be raised.

Update: Exams & Work experience

Hello everyone. I feel so bad for not blogging for so long but I must admit not much has been going on lately. I've been so consumed with revising and completing my final A Level exams so I haven't been extremely involved in much.

I just wanted to do a post just to show that I definitely haven't abandoned my blog. I just have a couple of updates:

1. Firstly, from the beginning of July I'll be starting my unpaid work placement at HSBC that I previously blogged about. I think I initially mentioned that it was a one week placement but after talking to the branch I will be working at I managed to extend it to two weeks which is great! At the end of the placement I will be sure to do a blog post about what I got up to.
2. I've finished my A Levels!!!!! This is an extremely huge relief for me. The past two years have been so intense especially the last couple of months but I'm done now and and I hope I've worked hard enough. Now, I'm awaiting my results to find out if I've got into my first choice university, University of Surrey  or my second choice, University of Kent. If you want to know more about that follow the link http://madetoaspirehigher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/results-day-7th-march-2013-ucas-update.html where my choices are explained.
3. I'm just awaiting confirmation at the moment but I should be starting my virtual work experience throughout the whole of July. Yes, virtual work experience. I first heard about it through an email I received from Directions which is an online career service (http://www.directions.org.uk/). The virtual work experience is done through a scheme called Get In. Get On. I don't want to talk about it too much but I will do a blog post on it at the end of July.

That's all for now but like I previously mentioned my next blog post should be about my work placement at HSBC. I'm currently on my summer holidays and I know it's really important for me to relax but I'm trying my best to make it as productive as possible. I still have a job and I will be getting back into volunteering to complete my retail skills certificate after I took a break for exams.

Until next time :)

Deutsche Bank 'I Have a Dream' Program interviews

I was a bit hesitant when I was making the decision whether or not to publish this post. When I started this blog I knew that I wanted to give the best advice and share my journey into finance even if it included some downfalls so I guess it's the best decision to post this even though I'm a little disappointed.

I recently applied to Deutsche Bank's I Have a Dream Program which gives final year A- Level students an opportunity to take part in a paid placement in one of the banks divisions. I was attracted to this program because I am interested in a career in investment banking so I thought this program would provide me with an excellent first step into the career. The application consisted of the usual personal details, education, work experience details and a few questions such as, "Why do what to work in an investment bank?"

I really wanted to take my time with this application. There was a word limit on each of the competency sort of questions so it was really important that I answered the question to the best of my ability in order to display my interest. To do this I made sure that I also got advice from my college's careers adviser. When I was ready I sent off my application. I actually expected it to take a couple of weeks before I got a reply but less than a week later I received a call from Rare Recruitment. Rare Recruitment are involved in the program as they'll provide ongoing support and personal development for the students that have made it onto the program. They told me that I was successful and had made it into the first round on interviews. Afterwards, I received a follow up email providing me with details of the interview.

HSBC Work Experience Placement Offer & Telephone Interview Tips

Hello :) So it's been a while I guess since I last did a post and I did mention that I would do one on telephone interviews. Before I begin I have some good news. I have been offered a place on the HSBC work experience placement.

This unpaid placement lasts for one week during July where I'll get:

• An insight into HSBC's strategy, its history and its values
• Experience of actual jobs that I'd be doing if I came to work for HSBC full time
• An opportunity to work on an actual project and share my ideas with management
• Tips on interview technique and presentation skills
• Feedback and ideas on how I can develop myself
• An opportunity to network with other employees in the amazing world of work

I'll also gain:

• An invaluable insight into what it's like to work in financial services
• An opportunity to come back for more work experience
• An opportunity to keep in contact with HSBC

Goldman Sachs- A Level Girls Inspire Programme- Friday 22nd February 2013

On Friday the 22nd of February, I attended what I would describe as an insight day at Goldman Sachs. This event gave girls who are currently doing their A levels an opportunity to find out what Goldman Sachs is all about. The event was held on two separate days with the first one on the 15th of February. I would say there was possibly more than 50 girls that attended the one I went to and we were all placed in one huge room on tables so we got to interact with each other. I was immediately impressed when I got there because it was the first time in ages where I have been somewhere and my name has been spelled right :)

Goldman Sachs building

Credit Suisse: Steps to Success Open Day- An Opportunity to See and Learn About the Bank

Today (4th December 2012) I attended an open day at Credit Suisse that I was invited to through my college. It was more or less a networking event but I got to learn more about Credit Suisse and their Steps to Success programme. The event took place at Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf and ran through from the afternoon into the evening. There were other students there from other colleges and I even happened to meet a friend from my secondary school which was nice.