Allan Cunningham

I hadn’t heard of Baillie Gifford before I met them at the Scottish Graduate Fair in Glasgow. I applied for internships at a lot of different companies, but Baillie Gifford seemed to be one of the most supportive – they provide interns with lots of learning and development opportunities. It’s not a small company, but I felt like it was a place where I could get noticed. It proved to be the right instinct – I went on to gain a place on the graduate programme and now I work with the firm full time.

The internship exceeded my expectations. The majority of the sessions and workshops planned for the full ten-week placement had been successfully condensed into four virtual weeks. We had sessions and meetings with people from right across the business, including partners and department managers. It became clear that the firm work hard to create an environment where you can flourish as an individual – they value your input and they support your ambition. It really sets Baillie Gifford apart.

During my placement I really improved my self-awareness and self-belief. I’ve realised I can do this as a career and be successful. One of our virtual workshops was a CliftonStrengths assessment, that involved completing an interesting, detailed survey. After completing the survey, we were taken through the results on an individual basis. Mine showed I have a strong aptitude for relationship building. I didn’t realise all of my strengths – and it’s been really helpful to get this insight into myself and the way I work.

Together with the other Application Development Intern, I worked on a project to develop an app where people can buy and sell shares. The application was built using React, Firebase and a public API. It allowed users to search for a company by its name and then display the related results. Users were then able to buy shares in that company, which would be added to their portfolio. They were also able to view their portfolio, keep track of its performance and sell their shares. At the end of the project, we presented the React application to the internship leaders and our mentor.