The placement
I spent my third year of University working for Intelliflo in their finance, marketing and customer support teams. My placement year was designed so that it had a rotation element, giving me a chance to experience multiple areas of the business and the opportunity to develop a more rounded skill base, which wouldn’t have been possible by remaining in one area.
The graduate scheme similarly consists of four, six month rotations, with three of the four areas being decided by the graduate. Working with the HR department, each graduate maps out their own personalised schedule that suits their skills, interests and career aspirations.
I have written previously about my experiences in the finance and marketing teams in my first and second blogs. Now that I have finished my year I am able to write about my final couple of months at Intelliflo and the experience as a whole. It was with the customer support department that I really got a full understanding of Intelliflo’s business.
The graduate scheme has its initial six month rotation in this department for that very reason; it’s a great place to learn about the business and provides you with the necessary understanding and skills for future roles within the company, whilst also directly contributing to the ongoing success of the firm from the off.
I really felt like my contribution was valued and I could see how my actions were benefitting the company and its clients – I felt involved. The training on the product, Intelligent Office gave me a great grounding in the company and its clients. This led to interacting directly with clients to help them with their queries relating to the system.
Working on the front line with clients and developing a deep understanding of what the company does and what its clients are looking for is a real asset to employees, with the knowledge gained transferable across all departments. I greatly improved my communication and relationship management skills in customer support, both of which are extremely important to me with my future aspirations of working in a client-facing role.
Something I really benefited from whilst on my placement were the additional training opportunities that Intelliflo provided me for personal development. Alongside my daily work, I was able to complete both the intermediate and advanced Excel courses, which really benefited me in my work and will continue to benefit me going forward.
The industry
Intelliflo sits in the fintech space, helping financial advisers to underpin their business practice by embracing the latest technology to do everything from interact with clients and invest on their behalf, to marketing their own businesses. As such, the company is constantly seeking improvement to its own processes and it makes for a fast paced, ever evolving working environment.
I believe that for anyone wanting to be a part of the fintech industry, that they should look to get in early. The coming years are crucial for graduates. Since I started my placement in September 2015, Intelliflo has grown, with three new teams and numerous job roles created that would not have existed only a few years ago. Opportunities like this can be hard to find in the current job market, especially in the ultra-competitive graduate recruitment space.
Why not see if it’s an industry and company that interests you?
