Hannah Cummins

Name: Hannah Cummins
Club 21 Employer: BNP Paribas Securities Services
Degree Subject: Maths and Economics
Year of Graduation: 2011

There are many things that students spend their summers doing – travelling, working, spending time at home being excruciatingly lazy – all of which I have been guilty of the last two years. However, this year I decided that I needed to do something useful and constructive with my summer.

The inescapable cloud of gloom that has shadowed the labour market for graduates definitely encouraged me to apply for an internship this summer. I wanted to do something that will make me stand out from a great majority of the thousands of other graduates that will be seeking employment come June 2011. Thanks to Club 21 I was able to do this – I was lucky enough to secure a twelve week contract in the cash flows team of BNP Paribas Securities Services in Glasgow.

I was primarily responsible for managing various clients’ transactions- I processed and investigated all unmatched security transactions reported between the clients and the custodians under the time constraints presented due the international trading nature of the organisation. It might sound like a bit of a mouthful and rather complicated but it was fairly routine. Training was intense for the first two weeks, but I was designated a buddy who was always there whenever I had a problem.

It goes without saying that I have developed many essential skills such as time keeping, task management and communication during my internship. However, in my opinion, most importantly it has opened my eyes to what I want and what I’ll need out of my future career when I graduate. It was fantastic to be a part of a huge global organisation; I now possess an abundance of knowledge with regards to the ins and outs of the administrative financial world which I will take with me when I enter my future career.

I would say to any student who is pondering over their options for their next summer that doing an internship is the best option that you could possibly take. Not only will it look amazing on your CV, you will have plenty of experiences to discuss in any interview situation. Club 21 provide you with brilliant support not only throughout the recruitment process but also whilst you are on your placement. Their learning diary provides an excellent template for you to take account of all the important things that you learn. So get applying and best of luck!