Jefferies EMEA Next Generation Diversity Symposium Review

The insight program was the Jefferies Diversity Symposium and it is a virtual program consisting of you listening to speaker sessions throughout the day. It was 4 hours long and there were speakers from Equity Sales and Trading, Investment Banking as well as equity research. You had to listen to the speaker sessions then there was the great opportunity to be able to ask meaningful questions to learn more about the business after each speaker session.

It was particularly interesting to learn about the business and potential roles available as Jefferies is a very large investment bank in the United States and it was really exciting to find out how it is expanding in the UK too. We got a very good overview of the divisions and roles available in the bank which particularly allowed us to develop interest around the divisions that suited our skillsets the most. We not only got introduced to the summer internships available but also got told about spring weeks and graduate roles as well.

I have definitely learnt new skills from the session, particularly developing existing listening and note taking skills. The speaker sessions had slides from which you can take notes as well as listen to the insights provided by the employees. There was no opportunity to network and there was only a chance to ask questions for a couple of people at a time due to the time constraints, so communication skills would have been developed if the program was in person.

The positive company culture from listening to the speakers and their enthusiasm with their work was clear to see. The employees are very friendly and ready to help evident through them being open to us asking them questions even after the insight had finished and through them giving up their time to attend not only the symposium but events with schools and colleges in their own time too. The introduction and explanation of the various diversity networks and what they do showed the culture is such that they actively champion diversity wherever possible.

I really did enjoy the insight for 3 main reasons. Firstly we were able to gain an insight over the whole bank as a whole, its history, its global reach and its employee network. Secondly I enjoyed learning about the different divisions in the bank and how the work differs across it. Thirdly I enjoyed learning about the diversity networks the most - the work they do was well presented and the enthusiasm of the co chairs of the networks really came through vividly making it an attractive employer.

Yes