Trainee Review

I work within the Policy and Framework team. As a trainee I am involved in lots of projects, annual reviews and one off requests. Day to day I support my colleagues, chair meetings and then take minutes and actions for these meetings. I always have the opportunity to sit in on meetings even if they are above my understanding in order for me to gain experience. Day to day I also work on projects or tasks that my manager has set me, for example I am currently working on a review of all the companies policies.

My communication skills have advanced greatly. I was always a confident individual but this opportunity has given me the tools and experience in how to communicate better with different people. Even though I am currently working from home I am communicating all the time, over email, on video calls or on the phone. And I now feel like I can do this more efficiently and confidently.

This program is a brilliant balance of working and learning. I am gaining first hand experience of a top financial company whilst also building my skills. I have all the support I need and I am always being encouraged to take on more training sessions or learning opportunities, which is great.

The programme I am on is very well organised. I am given a clear time line of when all my work/ projects will be due and have regular catch ups with my coach and manager to talk about how I am getting on. It is a very interesting programme and stretches me to work hard and achieve more.

I receive a lot of support from my employer. I have regular meetings with my manager, lots of performance reviews to push me to do my best. My manager also monitors my work loads so if he feels I have too much on he always offers me help and support.

I also receive a lot of support from my training provider. She is always more than happy to answer any silly questions I have and offers good support and advice whenever I need it. I also have performance reviews with her, which helps make sure I am on track, and if not she helps me get back on track.

Working towards my qualification helps me plan out my days better. I set aside time to work on it so i have to make sure I have everything else finished off before then. It also encourages me to continue using skills and knowledge that I would've forgotten about if not. Also it gives me a sense of satisfaction when I complete a unit or a difficult task. So as a whole it definitely does help me perform better in my role.

As we are currently working from home we are quite limited for social activities. Nevertheless, we have many online social events. For example, "Coffee and Catch Up" or "Quiz and Catch Up", these are great ways to still stay connected and meet new people whilst working from home and break up the working day a little.

Yes

Standard Life Aberdeen is a company that offers a huge amount of opportunities to a wide range of people. As a company they take great care of there employees and offer support to individuals for all areas of the business. It is a company with a great reputation and if you work here you see first hand just why.

Do your research! Learn about the company you are applying for. Not only will it help yourself but it will impress the interviewers. You can do this by looking into Standard Life Aberdeen's website or speaking first hand to people who work there. Another piece of advise would be to gain experience where ever you can, as the more you have done the more you have to talk about.