Learn About Fintech with Work Experience at 11:FS

Dhanum Nursigadoo
5min read

At 11:FS we’re always looking to get young people into fintech. We want to recruit the new wave of young people coming in to the market who want to get ahead. Part of that is our internship programme. But we also take on young people looking for work experience, whether it’s to get a taste of the industry they love or to try something new.

Lucy was at 11:FS recently for two days, working in our marketing department and getting to grips with what fintech really means. We asked her a few questions to see what she got out of the experience.

What Did You Expect From Your Work Experience?

I didn’t know what to expect during my work experience, fintech’s not an industry I knew much about. I did some research and read through the website. I arrived nervous and excited, but I knew it was going to be a great experience. Outside of that, I'd no idea what to expect. I’ve only done bits and pieces of work before. Everything I’ve done has been in different industries. I’m doing a chemistry degree so it’s mostly been chemistry based. I worked at a drug development company just before university and haven’t done anything else since I started my degree.

What Did You Do on Your First Day?

I was busy the whole day, I met Bianca the Marketing Manager, and we started on my work experience straight away. I sat in on a meeting discussing the issues surrounding GDPR and the measures taken to help with it. GDPR is very topical at the moment and it matters a lot to many industries, including fintech. I’m used to reading the news and getting customers/public points of view. It was interesting to see the other side of the story and how businesses react to it. After the meeting I spent time looking at and analysing different award-winning websites. I found what worked well with them and what didn’t. It was interesting to see the similarities between them and what made a 'good' website. How my research and the ideas from it were then put into an actual website design and the mock-up process used was a fascinating experience. I also got to work with the media team who produce the 11:FS newsletter. Seeing the process of creating a company newsletter showed me how important the behind the scenes work is. There’s so much more design work and thought that goes into something like a newsletter that the audience just takes for granted After that I tracked audience engagement, and that data was used to create future marketing strategies. I got to work on the 11:FS Beginners Open Banking Guide. It was fascinating to learn more about such a fast-growing industry that I did not previously know much about! I didn’t even stop at lunch, I went to a 'lunch and learn' meeting where we ate food and had a presentation on how important project management is for running a company and the professional tools involved.

That Was Day One, How Was Day Two?

Social Media analysis was the start of my second day. Looking at and analysing cover images and profile photos of different company Twitter and Facebook accounts, seeing what works for the brand, what doesn’t and why. As well as the feelings evoked by the images and colours used. It was interesting to see how much thought has to go into choosing images to use for social media, particularly as this is now becoming one of the most used forms of advertising for companies with the prevalence of social media. That took up most of my morning. In the afternoon I was looking at the 11:FS website and what is being put across by the copy and photos used, and whether this reflects the image that the company wants to present. Then I compared the copy and photos to the social media profiles for the company, and looked at whether the contents of the website translate well or not, and what could be done to make it better. I mean, I expected 11:FS to be a different place, it’s a start-up, and it’s not as rigid as you would expect. Particularly companies around finance are perceived to be.

Why 11:FS and How Was the Process For You?

It was something I’d wanted to do, I wanted to get work experience in a company, and that’s why I signed up in the first place. There had been some issues with our tech at uni, and I was thinking we wouldn’t be able to get a placement. I was quite shocked but so prepared to come in on just a few days notice!

How Were the People You Met at 11:FS?

Everyone has been so nice and welcoming,I’ve met loads of people. From administration, to HR, to consulting, growth, the list goes on! I can’t quite believe how many different things I got to learn about. It’s been a little bit on the crazy side, Bianca has been so welcoming. I’ve learned more than I thought I would! I got to see so many different sections of the business. If you or someone you know is interested in getting into fintech and needs hands-on work experience, where you don’t photocopy anything or make anyone coffee, then contact us: hr@11fs.com.