Sara spoke to our team about her experience on the 2022 Summer Internship programme at Schroders. She demystifies some ideas about the corporate world and shares some great advice to keep cool and ace the interview process
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Hi, I’m Sara, I’m currently studying Biomedical Science at Imperial College London. As I enjoy biology and chemistry, I thought biomedical science was the right career path for me, but throughout my time at university I realised I wasn’t passionate about the subject, and it wasn’t really a good fit for me. I’ve always enjoyed tech, so I applied to a bunch of different internship programmes and was really excited when Schroders gave me an offer!
What would be your top tip to members going through the application process?
The Schroders application is your typical process with a CV, online assessment, recorded interview and assessment day – which consisted of a group task and some interviews. I took a notebook with me, where I had jotted down questions as well as all the different experiences I could talk about, from work experience to society experience and online courses. When they asked competency questions such as, ‘Tell me a time when…’, I had a list I could look to, so I wasn’t scrambling for answers. It’s important to be passionate and research the company, but also having those notes prepared made me feel more confident during the interview process.
What is the culture like at Schroders?
It was the best! From day one everyone is so willing to give you support, have a chat and you can ask the most ridiculous questions and they’ll be happy to answer them. During my first week the team were so supportive, I booked lots of coffee chats and everyone was very generous with their time. I mentioned I hadn’t had a lot of programming experience to one of the engineering leads. He supported me in talking to people from different teams and I managed to secure a mini project just from having this one conversation. This instance, is really representative of the supportive culture that I found at Schroders, where everyone encourages you to learn and wants you to succeed.
What is your favourite aspect of your role?
I did a big programming project which involved data analysis, writing a report and a final presentation, from which I learnt a lot of technical skills. Also, contributing to projects that aligned with the wider team was something I really enjoyed. I worked in Marketing Tech and looked into some of the tools the team were using and they taught me how to use them as well. So, I found that I was having a positive, direct impact to the team, which I really enjoyed.
What have you found the most challenging?
When it comes to the tech side of things, you have this mindset that everyone knows more than you – but actually lots of people feel the same! Looking back, when I found certain tasks difficult, I definitely would’ve asked for help sooner. Sometimes I would get stuck at a certain point for a couple of hours but simply asking someone next to me for help means it would have been solved in a couple of minutes. At the beginning of the internship, I did feel nervous but over time I felt more comfortable to ask those questions which definitely allowed me to work much more efficiently and learn more.
Anything else to add?
If you do get onto the internship programme, you also have the opportunity to secure a place on Schroders’ graduate scheme after you’ve completed the programme. During the internship, you do an individual and group presentation, they consider your manager’s feedback, as well as a final interview (which takes place a few weeks after the internship) which can all directly lead to an offer. I didn’t know this when I started, so I think it’s really useful to know!
Keen to find out more about Schroders? View their profile here!