Leonard Magyar, Summer Technology Intern
I joined Barclays at the end of June as a Summer Technology
Intern in Glasgow. Alongside my team, I had the task of hosting an
internal application, and a third party voice biometrics software,
to Amazon Web Services - a cloud computing provider. Having no
prior experience with cloud computing I had a lot to learn during
my nine-weeks, however I really enjoyed diving into new technology
and facing different challenges along the way.
As my first job in financial services, I was surprised by the
importance and versatility of technology in banking. At Barclays,
there is a huge emphasis on the role it plays and how it can be
used across all areas of the organisation. There have been many
opportunities to gain insight into different areas of the business
and to see technology getting applied in real-life situations to
enhance the client, customer and colleague experience.
Although Barclays is a massive organisation, I was delighted
that everyone was so approachable, helpful and sincere. I felt
supported throughout my internship and have been provided with many
opportunities to network with peers and senior colleagues
alike.
Overall I had a positive internship experience, Barclays was a
great environment to work in and offers a variety of interesting
roles within the technology space. The development of the new world
class campus also highlights the commitment that the organisation
has to Scotland, and will provide exciting opportunities for many
young people looking to start their careers in financial services
here. I am looking forward to continuing to learn and using the
skills Barclays has given me to support my future career.
Elliot Hunter, Summer Operations Intern
During my 9 weeks with Barclays, I worked within Operations on a
project involving gathering data from over 20 teams across Glasgow.
This gave me lots of exposure to different areas of the business
and allowed me to build my network and connections.
Working on my project, made me realise that many of the roles
across Operations utilise the same transferrable skills, and once I
master these, I can explore different areas of the business to
broaden my understanding and build my experience. I also now
recognise how important it is to be open and accepting of change
and to take every opportunity even if it pushes you out of your
comfort zone.
One of the things that surprised me the most about working in
financial services was the culture that's embedded within Barclays.
Whilst there was a heavy focus on company values at my interview, I
didn't expect it to be so ingrained in the workplace. The
colleagues I worked with were warm and welcoming, and everyone
bounces off each other which made my experience really
enjoyable.
As part of my internship programme, I took part in a Micro-Tyco
innovate event which involved being a social business and tackling
inequalities through entrepreneurial thinking. Each team had a
month to grow £1 of 'seed capital' into as much money as possible,
which was then invested by WildHearts in
micro-loans for poor entrepreneurs in the developing world. My
groups idea focused on offering sessions for disadvantaged younger
people to develop skills that will be desirable for any workplace.
The challenge really made me think outside the box whilst building
my team working skills, and these will be invaluable in my future
career.
If you are interested in applying for any of the Early
Careers programmes at Barclays, please visit https://joinus.barclays/eme/
.
Keep up to date with all the business and community
news from Glasgow's IFSD by subscribing to
our monthly e-newsletter or connecting on LinkedIn
and twitter
. #IFSD