We recently caught up with Khalis Ariff, third year Chemical Engineering undergraduate student and one of our Careers Service Student Engagement Assistants, to hear about his summer internship experience with Baillie Gifford.
Baillie Gifford is an investment management firm headquartered in Edinburgh and I was delighted to secure a summer internship with them. My internship was originally meant to be full time on site but it was changed to a virtual one due to COVID-19. The majority of my day was spent on zoom calls with colleagues and managers in Baillie Gifford. We were tasked with two main projects to work on in a team of four interns to present to the senior directors in Baillie Gifford on the first and last week of the internship. We had deadlines throughout the internship and each intern had a mentor assigned to them.
It was really interesting to take part in networking sessions and meet people from different departments. Baillie Gifford also arranged a careers guidance programme with an overview of the recruitment process and tips and advice for their investment graduate role programme.
Skills gained during my internship
- Communication skills
In the era of zoom calls and online meetings, good communication skills are essential. I found the calls required more focus to present my ideas and take on board suggestions from my team mates. In a face-to-face chat, there’s the advantage of picking up on non-verbal cues such as body language and facial expressions which helps indicate how the conversation is going.
- Teamworking skills
I gained teamworking skills through brainstorming every idea and working with other interns to reach the main goals and deadline dates.
- Critical Thinking
Through conducting research and providing analysis on company documents, I developed my critical thinking skills to provide accurate analysis of the situation.
My top tips to get the most out of an internship
- Utilise your free time carefully by making connections with colleagues; this includes other interns too! All the interns are usually in the same boat as you when they start the internship, so it is always helpful to get to know people in your programme well, as you might have to work with them at a later date on other projects.
- If you’re interested in working in a specific department, try and arrange a call with a colleague to find out more about their role.
- Keep in touch with your line manager/supervisor by connecting with them on LinkedIn so that you can hear about future opportunities.
I really enjoyed my time at Baillie Gifford; it is such an exceptional firm to work for, with a great company culture.
Got a quick careers question?
We’re happy to help with a range of topics such as internships, part-time work or graduate jobs at our Careers Information and Advice Online Drop-Ins.
