Welcome back to another issue of Girl Economics! You might notice that the layout is looking ever so slightly different… After receiving almost 100 (😳) LinkedIn messages from readers after the past couple of issues, I realised that the most impactful part of these newsletters is the Interview section.

So, I’ve packed it full of value, adding onto the responses given by our brilliant interviewees to help you understand everything they are saying and to show you opportunities to expand your knowledge about the topics they reference.

I hope this adjustment improves the Girl Economics experience! I would really appreciate it if you could take 1 second to complete the poll at the end of the newsletter to let me know what you think about the changes 🙂 - Erin

An Interview With Emily Doyle

Girl Economics has been lucky enough to work with Emily Doyle, an ambition student looking to break into the financial sector after her economics degree. In this interview, she talks Spring Week Applications, maintaining a work-life balance, and her roles with PwC and Discover Economics.

Why have you decided to share your advice and experiences with Girl Economics?

I think Girl Economics is a great initiative to help young girls feel more confident in their future careers, and I know this is definitely a resource which would’ve benefitted me throughout sixth form and uni. I know that personally, I did not have many friends who were going through similar application processes, so I think it’s great for allowing girls to become part of a community who are going through the process with them! Particularly for such a typically male-dominated field, it is crucial that girls can share their tips and advice to help empower the next generation of female Economists. I think it is also great for those who don’t necessarily attend ‘target’ universities and still wish to break into the world of finance but aren’t quite sure where to start! For example, I had no idea what a spring week even was going into my first year and they were certainly not openly advertised or encouraged at my university; they were something that I fell across through my own research. Therefore, having something like Girl Economics to not only learn more about potential careers and business news, but also hearing from personal experiences, is so important for those that may not necessarily have knowledge of these opportunities through their immediate network.

You had some highly competitive Spring Internships - what advice would you give to students who are going to be applying to these programs over the next year?

This may apply more to students who are applying to internships in their second year, but my biggest piece of advice would be to try and get a committee position in a sports club or society! There are so many societies at uni to get involved in, and they all provide so many different opportunities for leadership. This year, I am the treasurer at Newcastle Dance Club, and this was one of the main things that I could discuss in interviews which I believe really helped contribute to interview success. The great thing about holding a committee position is that you can really make it your own and choose what you want to do within the role. They are absolutely great for helping you to answer all your competency questions, whether that’s on a hirevue or an in-person interview - there is genuinely not a competency that a committee position won’t cover!

Another piece of advice I have is to make sure you do your research before hirevue interviews! Often, people overlook these and don’t prepare for them the same way they would with an in-person interview. Particularly when applying for Spring Insight programmes, firms are limited in the types of questions they can ask as they do not expect you to have a deep understanding of the industry. These often involve basic questions like “Why this firm” or “Why do you want to do this spring week” – if you have solid answers to these before you sit the interview, then you are likely to feel a lot more confident when they inevitably do get asked. Also, as cliché as it sounds, be yourself! For me, I always liked to look at the work that firms were doing to promote gender equality, or any targets that had hit/recent awards won that I could emphasise were important to me as a female going into the financial field, making it feel more personal and allowing the assessor to empathise. For many spring programmes, hirevues are the last stage of the application process, so it is really important not to underestimate the importance of these!

 The 5 daily articles that are included in every issue of ‘Girl Economics’ are a great way to build your commercial awareness and can also provide a great bank of examples for those questions that ask, ‘Tell me about a recent piece of business news you are interested in?’, as I know these were questions that I definitely found hard! 

Finally, be confident in yourself! Everyone is nervous, and everyone will be navigating the application process for the first time. Rejection is inevitable, but don’t let this put you down. You WILL get there eventually!

Could you tell us about your role with Discover Economics and why you decided to get involved with them?

Yes! So, Discover Economics is an initiative run by the Royal Economic Society which aims to increase diversity and representation within Economics. The campaign aims to broaden the appeal of Economics to potential students, change their perceptions of economics and economists and attract more students from under-represented groups. They offer free, curriculum-linked workshops for years 10 and 12 students in state schools and these are delivered by trained undergraduates, which is where my involvement comes in. As a female myself, it was so important that I got involved to show other females that a career in Economics is entirely feasible for them. A lot of the students that we speak to do not have Economics as an option for GCSE or A-Level, so are blind to what Economics is and the vast career paths and opportunities that can follow. Also, for me, I did not study Maths A-Level, which is very rare for an BSc Economics Student! Although I have found it tough at times, it is definitely not unmanageable and so I also wanted to involve myself in the campaign to show prospective students that Economics is not all maths (as many students definitely perceive), and in fact it is still entirely possible to study Economics without having taken Maths A-Level.

I became the Newcastle University campus ambassador for PwC after completing their ‘Women in Business’ Spring insight programme in my first year. Following this, we had the opportunity to apply for the role as campus ambassador and I was successful in gaining this position for the 23/24 academic year. The role is great in the sense that you can work flexibly and really choose to do as little or as much work as you want, which enables you to balance it around your schedule. Mostly, it involves posting and engaging with prospective candidates on LinkedIn and collaborating with your university to spread the word about PwC. Perhaps the main part of the role was assisting the PwC team with their on-campus visits, which involves standing by the PwC booth on campus and answering any questions that students may have. It was a very rewarding process and being a campus ambassador is definitely something I would recommend for someone wanting a way to earn a little bit of money whilst being flexible around your other commitments!

You have so many incredible achievements on your LinkedIn, how do you find the time to balance all of your commitments with education?

Thank you! For me, I love to keep one day free every week, which usually tends to be a Sunday, which I can then use to catch up on whatever I may have got behind on that week. For example, it may be a few lectures which I missed to allow me to prepare for a hirevue, or vice versa. Having a Sunday there makes me feel less guilty about any decisions I make during the week, as I know I am always able to find the time to catch up.

What are your plans for the future?

This Summer I will be interning at Barclays Private Bank, with the hope of pursuing a career in Private Banking after I graduate. I feel like often, when students think of Banking their vision always goes to ‘Investment Banking’, but, as a I learnt on my spring weeks, Banking is so much more than that. What I particularly like about Private Banking is the focus on building and maintaining of client relationships and hence the more ‘personal’ aspect of this division. With this career, I would love to move down to London after I graduate, which will be a big change from me living up north, so I am excited to see the opportunities that living and working in London can bring!

Outside of academics, what do you enjoy doing with your free time?

Outside of academics I am a member of my university ‘Dance Club’ and compete on various competition teams, whilst also being a coach of my own contemporary competition team and teaching a weekly class. Being involved with a sports society in such a prominent way has definitely encouraged discipline and helped develop time management skills as well as exposing me to a whole different group of people who I otherwise would not have met! I also enjoy staying active by going to the gym regularly which helps me maintain both my physical and mental health. I also prioritise making time to see friends! I love exploring Newcastle, finding new places to go for coffee or drinks and really try to make the most of being in a new city whilst I can! Overall, I definitely think having a balance of academic/career-related pursuits and personal interests has definitely enriched my university experience and helped maintain good well-being during times of academic and application season stress!

What stood out to me is how often Emily reiterated the fact that having a platform like Girl Economics helps share knowledge and build a little community! She is a hugely inspiring student and I am so grateful that she has taken the time to share her experiences and advice!