
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement 西瓜视频s/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I enjoyed the experience a lot; the people I met really exceeded the expectations I went into this with and were much more friendly and willing to help, both the other interns and the employees. Some of the work could've been more challenging, but overall I enjoyed how we were really part of the teams whilst we were here and felt fully immersed.
This varied a lot depending on who I was working with. Some people made me feel very valued and like my time and contribution to the team was something that mattered, where as some people definitely treated me like I was 'just an intern', refusing to even acknowledge me when I gave them some work.
I had a very positive experience in particular when I was very ill at one point and had to go into hospital, where HCM were very supportive in both helping me reach out to the people I needed to to let them know I wasn't in, and also then in following up with me when I was back at work to offer me support when back here. I thought we could've been more closely followed though with maybe a more personal touch than we were.
I would say that I was frequently left with very little to do, despite reaching out to a wide variety of people asking to be of assistance and asking what I could do to help the team. Over 50% of the time I would say I definitely had a good balance, but I think there could've been more done to evenly distribute the work across interns, as I was often bored when others were staying in til 6 am to finish all they had.
This varied a lot depending on which team we consider. In my rotation in DCM I was given a lot of responsibility, which was a very valuable experience and also made me really feel like I was contributing to the team, whilst in TMT I was given really very little and made to feel quite useless.
I think in particular my soft skills were practiced here and will help me in the future. For example, my presentation and excel skills have improved immeasurably, which comes both in handy for my degree, and also for any job which I may hold in the future. Furthermore, I think my skills with regard to working with and networking with a wide variety of people have really improved.
The Company
I give a high rating because I think the general atmosphere at Goldman as a whole is superb, and perhaps what surprised me the most when I came here. It felt really welcoming, and so many people were willing to spend time with me. With regards to my teams, the financing floor had a great atmosphere, where as TMT was a little less great.
The internship was set up brilliantly. I liked the fact that we were given more than one opportunity with regards to rotations, whilst still having at least 4 weeks on each desk ensured that we were able to get a proper feel for the work and the people, and actually become useful at one point. I also enjoyed the various talks we attended
We had a week of training at the start of the internship, which wasn't that relevant in general to the internship itself but was really good in terms of our futures and also for making us feel more comfortable before starting. Furthermore we had a lot of talks from senior people to allow us to feel like we could develop outside of just the teams we had been placed in.
Subsidised Canteen
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
About 70% of summer interns get a job within the firm I believe, which is quite a high conversion rate. Furthermore, they are good at keeping you informed on where you should be looking, who you should be talking to if you want an offer, and also how well you are performing.
The Culture
I think the firm could've had a few more events, especially towards the end, that encouraged socialising among the interns, especially as so many interns are international, rather than just having events that were based around networking with employees. However the interns themselves were good at being proactive among each other
It was quite expensive. Central London is at least 10 pounds if you want to go out and eat and be able to sit out, which is quite expensive considering that we are still all 西瓜视频s. Drinks out are also quite expensive. We had to buy lunch every day as because of the hours it was hard to prepare food from home, but to east something substantial you usually had to spend something substantial too.
There was a good nightlife within walking/ quick tube away. There were many bars in the area and a few clubs slightly east of here. One problem is that because it's central London it's very expensive in the area. However because we finished so late it was hard to take advantage of it.
No there were not. We had one day of volunteering which was compulsory, which was fun and a good experience. However, because we were working such long hours (I usually worked 12-16 hours a day), and because I lived an hour away from work, it was hard to find the time to get involved in activities outside of work, as even if I wasn't working on the weekend (which often happened), I'd be so tired from work that I'd spend my Saturday exhausted.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
August 2018