Case study: Amyrah Aslam
PROFILE
From: Newham
Studying: Geography with Economics at LSE
The Brokerage connection: Completed the Momentum Mentoring Programme with Citi and State Street in 2017. Winner of the Business Challenge, securing an internship at State Street for the summer of 2018. Amyrah will soon be starting a graduate programme at a leading investment bank.
How and when did you first get involved with The Brokerage?
I signed up to The Brokerage during sixth form and regularly received emails regarding opportunities, including one about the Momentum mentoring programme. I was immediately intrigued – it seemed a unique prospect to learn from a female mentor and her experience in a male-dominated field.
What was your first meeting with your mentor like?
My mentor wasn’t able to attend the launch event due to work commitments so where most mentees had already met their mentor I hadn’t, so I felt nervous! However, we were quickly able to arrange our first meeting at her office. She was incredibly welcoming and so easy to talk to and we spent our first meeting getting to know each other – I was so in awe of everything she had achieved and I was so excited about learning from her!
How has your mentor supported you?
My mentor structured our sessions so that we could make the most of them. The first few sessions we spent looking at my CV and cover letter, developing interview skills and discussing assessment centres. We then turned our focus to the business challenge by developing my idea, business plan and presentation skills. My mentor really believed in my idea which gave me the confidence I needed to do the best I could.
Would you recommend joining a mentoring programme to our candidates?
?Absolutely! The access to a female mentor who has been through the experience and challenges of the banking industry has been incredible – she has been able to answer all the questions I had but didn’t know who to ask. I have also really enjoyed meeting the other mentees and building my network.
Read our interview with Deborah Igunma, who also completed our Momentum programme.
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