Gcobani Dyantyi

On the first Monday of February, I reported at Credit Suisse (CS) Sihlcity Zurich, where we had an introduction half day hosted by B360 team members. We learned how things work within CS, how we should behave and tackle challenges we might come across. For me that was very useful, it gave me an opportunity to plan on what I wanted to achieve in the three months of my internship with the company and I even wrote myself a letter about that.

After midday we were introduced to our mentors and we went out to have lunch with them. While I was having lunch with my mentor, I got a chance to speak about the environment and culture of the company and also what to expect. That was highly substantial for me to know what I was throwing myself into and the advice given by my mentor was so valuable. In the afternoon one of the team members offered to show me around the building and arranged my working material like access cards etc. I felt welcomed. At the end of the first week, we had a team-building event on one of the highest Swiss mountains where we were hiking, building Igloos, sharing our life experiences and enjoying ourselves.

My first month was very slow, as I was still trying to adjust and getting to know the industry and people better I was working with. I had to work on a project, therefore my line manager allocated me to a specific one and we started well working as a team. My workload permitted to work for a second team at the same time. I have been learning new things almost every day in the operations division and they have also provided me with reading material to familiarize with systems they use on daily bases.

I have been challenged by my team members on how effective I can be on delivering my work, and I have enjoyed the challenge. The people I was working with were so supportive and all willing to share their knowledge. I acquired so much from my team, and my daily business activities was more pleasant and interesting thanks to them. From my line manager whom I found as someone who has passion about his work, I learnt a lot about business ethics such as punctuality, respect of policies and importance of communication. During my internship, I improved my self-esteem and my interpersonal skills. I realized that it is most important to participate and be inquisitive about business activities and team meetings.

There is nothing more important than to have and build a good relationship with people you work with as well as create networks with everybody. I believe CS is one of the best companies to work for as they have many opportunities they can offer to young leaders who want to progress in their careers.

I would like to thank the B360 team for offering this amazing opportunity to me!