CRB Graduate Analyst Review

I was aligned to an entry level role in one of the many lines of business available. I was put in a team of 5 so I had many people to learn from, ranging from 3 years of experience to 20 years

I've learnt career specific skills such as terminology, creation of contracts and products specific to my specialty. I have also developed my communication skills and my confidence in talking to new people.

I love working in my team, it's small enough that I'm not overwhelmed and I actually get lots of work to do, but there's enough people there for me to ask for help if someone else is away. The learning part of the scheme has been difficult to balance with my workload, especially with the hard deadlines set by the CII.

I think the organisation is somewhat lacking in areas. There have been times where my cohort have been unsure of what is going on and when, and only once nudged are we given a reminder or updates. The rotational aspect only works to an extent I believe.

My team and manager have been incredibly supportive with any issues I may be having at work or personally. I have felt like I'm being helped and supported where needed, and given enough space rather than being constantly watched.

I receive a fair amount of support from BPP, my check-ins with my coach are useful and we can strategise where to go from there. The online sessions however, are not timed realistically with where the cohort are in the course. For example, one of the sessions for a module could take place months before anybody has actually started it.

I don't think many of the modules appear to be that relevant currently. I've only done 4 out of the 7 completed modules which seem applicable to the role.

My team is quite sociable, we have a winter and a summer social every year. We also tend to go for more impromptu drinks or coffees together slightly more regularly. The cohort itself sometimes organises their own events or activities but this tends to be self-funded, therefore, happens less regularly

Yes

The company itself and the people who work here are great people to learn from and interact with. I think that the scheme is a good way to get into the company from entry level positions, but it lacks organisation sometimes which can make it tricky to navigate.

Research the company well first! Make sure that you know what they do and what their values and vision is, there is a huge emphasis on this and without knowing this, it'll be harder to understand what the interviewers do on a daily basis.