Internship Assignment D – Part 2

BES Assignment 9 – Reflection

Internship Assignment D – Internship Evaluation

Company: HSBC Bank

Supervisor/Department: Paul Suitters – Fee Billing and Analysis

Learning objectives and work responsibilities:
In numbered sequence of complexity and importance, list your major duties during this intern period.
1. Standardizing client billing procedures
2. Carrying out stock fee calculations
3. Exporting statements and invoices
4. Static data entry
5. Creating manual vouchers and summary spreadsheets
6. Cleaning out and organizing the achieves

Were you able to fulfill any of your educational objectives? Describe how your duties contributed to this.
I was able to improve upon my communication and listening skills in almost everything that I did. I had to be taught how to use all of the software properly and I took notes and asked questions when I needed to. Problems in different ways of learning did arise but when I didn’t understand how to do something the way one person was teaching it to me, I was able to understand better when someone else told me their way. I gained more experience in using Excel as well which is always a great skill to have. Other than that, I was able to make some professional connections with my co-workers and made sure to get everyone’s contact information in case they ever may be of help later in my professional life.

Supervisor:
My supervisor, Paul Suitters, and I didn’t have a huge work relationship together. I was working more closely with 3 others on the team and not him specifically. He was the one assigning tasks for me to do but the other three were actually training and teaching me how to do it. I did interact with him daily though just casually and he would also see to it that I was getting along alright.

Co-workers:
My co-workers were so great. They made my days more enjoyable when I was handed repetitive and kind of boring work to complete. They have a sense of humor and liked to talk to each other as well as get to know me a little better. A few of my co-workers have even taken me out to lunch which was really thoughtful of them. On my last day, the whole department went out to lunch together and I wish this would have been able to happen sooner. Everyone’s true colors were really able to show out of the office and it was great to see everyone so relaxed. It was my favorite experience with them and it was great knowing that I was in good company.

Myself:
1. Was your academic preparation for this internship appropriate?
I felt academically prepared for all the tasks that I had to complete. I just had to learn how to use the software.

2. Evaluate your work performance and the value of work assignments to yourself and to your employer.
I believe that I was efficient and speedy in completing my work tasks and my boss reinforced this by commenting on the fact. The assignments themselves were not of so much value to me though as they were to my company.

3. Describe how this experience has helped you professionally and personally.
This internship gave me my first corporate world experience and above that was even an international banking corporation. I gained experience working with people and computers as well as giving me a unique experience to put on a resume that can set me apart from other job applicants in the future. Personally, I gained more confidence in talking with managers and people older than me in general. The first time I saw HSBC I remember being so intimidated of the corporate surroundings but by the end of it I feel very comfortable with everything around me. I also feel more confident in my ability to learn the kinds of tasks that will be required of me in future positions. I’ve always been nervous that I’ll learn how to do things in school and not know how to apply it, but now I know that I will be able to adapt it just fine with a little on the job training.

Central College’s Programme Organisation:
1. Evaluate the application process and information provided to you.
I thought the application process was very easy to follow along with and that there was plenty of information available. If I ever felt I needed more information, I was able to contact someone to get my questions answered.

2. Was the Goals/Self-evaluation method beneficial in providing structure and self-guidance to your learning process? Would you advise any changes?
I think that the goals set up at the beginning of the semester are helpful in guiding what you want out of your internship. When I entered my mid-term interview and you asked about my internship, I was able to express to you that I didn’t feel I was headed in the right direction for getting as much out of my internship as I could. We were then able to talk through that I may just need to talk to my supervisor about giving me different tasks in order to give me more chance to complete my goals. I did then talk to my supervisor and I was pleased with the changes that were made.

3. Did you expect, or want, the Central Staff or Director to play a different role than what was provided?
Mark and Jen, you are both so great at what you do! You are enjoyable to talk to in class and out and very helpful. Couldn’t have asked for better staff!

4. What recommendations do you suggest for future interns?
Although it is a corporate environment and people seem busy, make an effort to get out to lunch in a less formal setting with your co-workers. I wish I would have done more of that and it will make lunch breaks by yourself more enjoyable.

BES Assignment 7 – Wimbledon Village

Tucked away in a quieter part of London away from the city center is the village of Wimbledon. Famous for its Wimbledon tennis championship in the summer but it is a much quieter town during the other months of the year. Stepping off of the bus, I was quickly able to see a difference between this area of London and that of which I had just come. I was the only one walking along the streets and it was quiet and peaceful other than a few cars passing by.

The houses along Calonne Road were quite beautiful as well. Each one was individually decorated and often there was an ornate gate at the front of the yard. Vibrantly colored flowers and green bushes were water-falling over the edge of brick walls along the front of the wall; it was very picturesque. It was easy to see right from the start of this walk that Wimbledon was a very well-to-do part of London and was an escape seemingly all on its own from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Not too far along I came up the Buddhist Temple, Wat Buddhapadipa. It was also very stunning and ornate. It had what I would picture as classical Indian architecture that is very intricate and was also painting a bright white with gold accents that shimmering in the sunlight. Had I been with someone I would have gone inside just to experience what the inside of a Buddhist Temple looked like but I must say that I decided to skip a quick look inside. The next stop on the list was the infamous tennis courts. I guess I was expecting something sort of grand or awe-inspiring when I saw them (thinking about it now I don’t know why I expected these tennis courts to be so spectacular in comparison to others), but I was a little bit disappointed in seeing that they were just in deed tennis courts. At least I can say that I was there next time it ever comes up as a topic.

Next I turned back around to head towards High Street passing along more gorgeous houses along the way. I did see St Mary’s Church along the way and it didn’t disappoint as far as aesthetics. It looked like a church out of a fairy tale and I really thought the royal blue door added to its elegance. Once I reached High Street I saw a selection of boutiques, shops and cafes and decided to stop into one to grab a coffee and a quick bite to eat. I think I could have stayed and enjoyed exploring more of the street had I not been in such a bind for time since I had to get back into the city for art class. So I then wandered back up along the common to catch a bus back to Putney bridge. Overall what I took from Wimbledon is that it has all the facilities of a town with the relaxed pace of the country.

BES Assignment Six – Greenwich & The Docklands

This adventure began with a riverboat ride down the Thames. Of course it was super cold, windy, and rainy but what else should we expect from London in early March? It was a different perspective being about to see the city from the river but it made for some good pictures.

Once we actually arrived in Greenwich, it was weird to feel how separate it felt from London. In fact, before I came here I didn’t even think it was even in London but rather in the northern part of the UK. It’s a quiet little town with loads of lush green space that looks as though it was clipped right out of the countryside and plopped down right along the river. We then began our trek up the steepest hill in London to find ourselves outside the Royal Observatory where Greenwich Mean Time is kept. The view from the top was amazing – you could see the Old Naval Colleges, the City, and other bits of London for as far as you could see. A more notable point of interest at the top was the Greenwich Mean Time line which separates the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Being able to stand with one foot in each hemisphere is something unique that not many people can say they have done. I like to think of it like I was able to be in two places at once. We went on to have a look around the observatory to discover watches, clocks, and navigational instruments from across the centuries which were neat to look at as well.

Later, we headed down to look through the National Maritime Museum. Overall, I must admit that I did not care for this museum so much as compared to some other museums in the city. For as much history as London has with trade, navigation, and being a huge international port throughout history, I feel like the museum could have done at better job at showcasing this. It felt to me like it was mostly geared towards kids and hands on things that it took away from actually learning more about London’s maritime history. However, the most astounding thing that I learned was that back in the 17th century, 90% of the country’s trade passed through the London port! That seems crazy to me considering that London isn’t a coastal city.

After that Tayler and I headed to grab some lunch at the Mexican cafe that was recommended to us in class which did not disappoint! I didn’t realize how much I missed Mexican cuisine until I had some so that was a nice change from the previous couple of months. We then strolled through the Greenwich market to find more shopping and handmade things to look at and then out to some of the other smaller shops in the area. Soon enough, we made our way home using the DLR which I am not a stranger to since I use it to get to Canary Wharf every Monday and Tuesday for my internship. It is nice that it is above ground though so it allows you to see the docklands area which is very obviously a mixture of the run down, renovated, and modern skyscrapers as would be expected considering how much the area has gone through over time. For how poor the area had been 30 years prior, it is interesting to think about how much money is now generated there with all of the financial and banking offices.

BES Assignment 5 – London’s East End

On a warm day in mid March, Tayler and I set off to explore London’s East End. Exiting onto Bishopsgate, I noticed that this area was made up of mostly modern banking buildings. As we walked further up the road before turning onto Folgate Street, Tayler also pointed out the Norton Folgate coffee shop where she went for most of her interning. Unfortunately, it was closed since it was a weekend so we couldn’t stop in for a coffee.

Turning onto Folgate Street, the atmosphere became more residential in appearance. The street was lined with terraced houses that I typically think of when I think of London and the road itself was laid with brick. The houses were also made entirely of brick with a set of three windows lining each floor, a front door with another couple of windows on one side of the door, and finally several skinny chimneys coming out of the top of the houses.

Next we came upon Spitalfields Market where we decided to have a look around the inside. There were vendors selling clothing, accessories, artwork, and other handcrafted oddities. There were also several restaurants skirting the market that looked like they would be nice to try for lunch sometime. I liked the architecture of the building itself with the curved steel beams and bolts. It is cool that for how many markets there are all over London, each one is really unique in the way it looks. Market-going was not really something I enjoyed doing at home, but I wonder if I may feel differently about it after I return home after having been to so many here and enjoying them.

Next we moved on to explore Brick Lane which was what I thought to be the most interesting part of the walk. We first walked up towards The Old Truman Brewery which was lined with colorful street art, curry shops, vintage shopping, and other unique stores. Walking back the other direction, I saw a bakery, that I didn’t get the name of, that had so many delicious looking sweets in the window that I had to stop into to pick up a cupcake for later. We then kept on our way down the lane towards Whitechapel High Street while, all along the way, workers from inside curry shops were all trying to sell us on their version of the best curry in town. It was also easy to see that the East End is a predominant area for London’s Muslim community. Men, women, and children were all dressed in their religious clothing and it felt a little odd that it kind made me feel like I stood out as the minority in that area. Not in an unsafe kind of way, but it was a different feeling to have the tables turned a bit since I haven’t really been anywhere where I’ve felt that way before.

Lastly, Tayler and I rounded out our walk of the East End with a stop to Motown. It’s a hip, little homemade ice cream and cake shop that we discovered after our Tayyab’s meal that has the BEST Honeycomb ice cream – highly recommended and definitely worth a try sometime. On the way back towards the tube station to head home, we all passed by the White Chapel Bell Foundry to take a few pictures.

BES Assignment 4 – Join a Club

Seeing as we were asked to join a club this semester, I knew that I wanted to join something that was fun and interesting to me. However, I was bummed out when I saw the limited selection of organizations that were offered through ULU. So when I was at work one day, I asked my coworker if she knew of anything fun to join which is when she told me about the book club she was a part of right at HSBC. It actually ended up being a pretty convenient club to join as well since we just met during our lunch hour on Tuesdays.

The little club was made up of about 6 or 7 of us, all of which were female, and we would just meet up in our break room to take lunch and talk about books. They did run the club a little differently than I had pictured a typical book club to be operated. Instead of everyone reading the same book, we all read different books of our choice and then discussed what we liked and disliked about them. I actually like the way the system works because it introduced me to books I may have not read had I not heard about them here. One book that I ended up reading that the club introduced me to was Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella. It was set in London so it was cool that I was able to picture the exact places that they were talking about in the book. The book also made references to Digestives, Orangina, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and other things that are unique to the UK that I probably would not have understood had I not lived here. Needless to say, it made me feel like a Londoner.

As with any gathering with a bunch of ladies, there is the ever present gossiping and sharing if we didn’t take up the whole hour talking about what we had read. It was interesting hearing the different aspects of these women’s personal lives and some of their views on things. One thing I found interesting was that, as a whole, they thought London to be an extremely unsafe place for children. Not everyone in the group had children, but the ones who did would never think of letting their children walk to or from school. It was just weird to me because I walked to school every day up through middle school and some of my fondest memories of childhood took place while doing so (granted I didn’t live in a city as big as London). Something else I learned in conversing with the women was a topic that had come up in contemporary Britain class about singleness. It is definitely prevalent in my department because I found out that only two were married out of the twelve there – all but two being over 30 as well. The group was also helpful in other ways when it came to helpful hints about living in London. It was here I learned that, although Waitrose is convenient to Woburn, it is also one of the more expensive grocery stores. They suggested that I go to Sainsbury’s or Tesco for cheaper prices so now I just deal with a little longer of a walk to get groceries.

That may have been a little bit of a tangent but, all in all, the book club was a different way to get to know some of my co-workers, read several great books, and learn a little bit more about British culture.

BES Assignment 3 – Interview

For this assignment, I thought it would be interesting to get a youthful perspective of British life and culture from someone about my age. I decided to speak with my nineteen year old co-worker Alice Foster. Some introductory information that she gave me is that she lives outside the city in Essex and lives with her mom, who actually works about 15 feet away from us as well, and her dad and she has two older brothers and an older sister.

This easily led into more questions about family that were inspired from our packet. When I asked her if marriage was important to her, she said it definitely was. She has been in a relationship for three years and is very happy with the way it has been going so far. When I asked her if she thought singleness was an issue in Britain, she said she had never thought it was until she began working at HSBC. Our particular department is full of single adults but she feels that it doesn’t reflect Britain as a whole. She also shared that getting a job is extremely hard for young people in London in the current economy. She went to college for two years to become a legal secretary but hasn’t had any luck finding any job openings in the past 8 months. She also expressed that she in fact hates her job at HSBC but until she can find something else she just has to tough it out.

When asked what it means to her to be British, she was unsure how to put the feeling into words. But she just knows that she is proud to be British and, although living in the city, pictures ideal Britain to be the lush British countryside. She admitted that she would much rather indulge in American television however, specifically One Tree Hill and Keeping Up with the Kardashians which surprised me a bit. When I asked her what famous Britons she admired, she answered with singer Rita Ora and Kate Middleton.

The interview rolled on from there with her views about the monarchy. She has a strong dislike for the Queen in fact saying, “she never smiles or shows any happiness and I don’t know that she ever really has in the past. It makes me wonder, is she even proud of her country?” In contrast, she quite likes the younger royal family seeing them as more relatable and representing the British country well, specifically she likes that Harry still actively fights for his country. I then asked her opinion about the other half of British government and she thinks that the politicians are selfish. Not any one party in particular but as a whole that they have no idea about what is really going on their country. She says that they are brought up differently-living a more privileged, posh life-than the majority of the Britain.

We rounded out the conversation with what she enjoys doing in her free time. She enjoys going to the cinema, eating dinner out at Spaghetti House, clubbing, and attending theatre performances; the most recent one that she saw was Matilda and loved it and recommends it. When she was younger she loved horse riding but caring for the horses became too expensive and had to sell them. However, when it comes to weekends she believes that Sundays are solely a day for relaxing at home. No one goes out and you might complete some house work and you’ll end the day with a classic roast dinner. I asked her if football was of any interest to her and she said it’s strictly forbidden in her household. Her dad and brothers all played rugby and are avid supporters of the Bath rugby team.

Overall, I think this was my favorite assignment. It gave me the chance to ask more questions about British culture than I normally would in conversation. I particularly liked hearing about her thoughts on the royal family and thought it was interesting that she really didn’t care for the queen. It was also nice to see that we had things in common like what we enjoy doing in our free time and our enjoyment of the Kardashians.

Internship Assignment C – Part 2

Allysa J. Barber

1215 30th Street
Des Moines, IA 50311
(515) 238-9874
allysa.barber@drake.edu

Education:
Drake University: Des Moines, IA
Bachelor of Science in Business and Public Administration
• Joint major in Actuarial Science and Finance
• 3.4/4.0 cumulative GPA
• Graduation: May 2015
• Will take SOA exam FM in August 2013

Professional Experience:
HSBC Bank: Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom
Intern, Fee Billing and Analysis, Global Custody Department, January 2013 – April 2013
• Exported numerous client invoices and statements, completed manual vouchers, created summary spreadsheets using Excel
• Calculated client fees using Precis database system and by analyzing client-provided asset allocation statements
• Standardized client billing procedures for department use using Word in order to simplify and speed up the billing process that occurs monthly

Von Maur: West Des Moines, IA
Women’s Shoes Sales Associate, July 2011 – January 2012
• Attended to multiple customers at a time quickly and efficiently in order to achieve company sales goals
• Communicated effectively with customers to discover what exactly they were looking for in order to make a positive shopping experience
• Ensured that customer needs were always put first by providing excellent service

Awards and Involvement:
Drake University Dean’s List, Spring 2012
Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, New Member, Fall 2012
Drake Actuarial Student Society, Member, 2011-2012
Ankeny High School Student Ambassador, 2008-2011

Technology Skills:
• Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint, Excel

Internship Assignment C – Part One

Company: HSBC Bank

What are you observing about your work environment? If you could, what are two things you would keep and two things you would change?
My workplace is the typical corporate office environment. Everyone has their own work space and the typing away of fingers on keyboards can be heard throughout the space. There isn’t an all stop for a tea break like some of my friends have been talking about at their internships but there are casual conversations that carry on throughout the day with those working around me. A couple things I would keep are the tidiness and friendliness. HSBC has a strict clean desk policy, which I believe is for security purposes so papers aren’t stolen or lost, but aesthetically it just looks nice as well. Although this is a bit of a git-er-done, American-like work environment, it is nice that my co-workers are still friendly and show interests in talking about a variety of things other than just the work that needs to get done – typical of back home. Two things I would change would be allowing people to eat lunch at their desks – gross, unsanitary – and how cold it is all the time! It can’t possibly be cost effective to keep a huge skyscraper so cold all the time.

How does your supervisor’s style work for you? What would you want to be like as a supervisor in the future?
My supervisor is pretty laid back and does like to joke around a lot. Sometimes I do find it a little obnoxious and the jokes a little dry, but I think I like it better this way than a manager that is just monotonous and all about work. I like that he lays out on a task sheet, clearly organized, what he expects you to get done for the day in order of priority. That is something that I would incorporate into my management style if I have that type of position in the future. I think it makes it very clear what is to be expected from your work day.

What are you learning about yourself through this internship? What is one thing about yourself that you would like to improve for your next job?
I catch on to things very quickly. My co-workers were very impressed at the fact that they would only need to show me how to do something once and I would be able to complete the same task in days to come without a problem. Not only do I catch on to things quickly, I apparently get my work done as a whole rather quickly. My co-workers were always joking that if I didn’t slow it down, I was going to put all of them out of a job. However, I would like to keep improving on my communication skills. Effective communication is not anything that is ever completely mastered and I think I still have quite a bit of room for improvement. I feel as though I can still come across as meek or shy when I am asked about my opinion on something. Although as an intern a nod of the head in agreement or quiet observance of others opinions may be the route to go, once I start a career I would like to have more a voice in meetings and other discussions.

What are two things you have learned how to do or improved upon during this internship?
I have improved my knowledge of how to use Excel for an actual work purpose. Previously, I had only had classes on how to use Excel and wondered how much of it was actually used in the working world. A lot of what I learned was overlap but there were some new things like hiding information and filtering. I also learned how to do some version of advanced subtotaling that is a little hard to explain in writing. I also just learned more about how an international bank operates. It was not uncommon for people to be on the phone with client’s located all over the world. In speaking with them over the phone, there was sometimes a little bit a language barrier and it could be difficult to understand. So I also think I improved upon my communication and listening skills as well. Even within the office itself, there was so much more diversity than I had ever experienced.

After college, will you look for a company that is similar to the one that you have interned with? Why?
Going into the line of business that I want to go into, I am almost certainly going to end up in a corporate environment. However, I’m not sure that I want to end up in such a huge, global company like HSBC. A smaller company where I could get to know more of the upper management would be more ideal. I sat pretty close to the floor manager, who is my supervisor’s boss, and when I tried to introduce myself he came off as he didn’t have any time or interest in speaking to me. Maybe that was just his personality, but in smaller companies I feel as though management wants to get to know the people that work for them.