Hi! I am a final year student looking to pursue HR. What policies do LBG have to further women's advancement in finance?

I am really interested in working with the LBG and have done research into the different policies in place but would like to hear more about how they present themselves practically in the day-to-day workings of the company.

We have a great network called breakthrough at Lloyds which hosts webinars and numerous internal events. I personally have had great coffee chats with incredible women at Lloyds after these events who have been uplifting and super helpful regarding future career aspirations.

Breakthrough sounds like a great support network for women within the company. Are there any events/ webinars that particularly inspired you? Would you say this has a positive impact on your work aspirations and motivation?

Hi Macie, Breakthrough run regular events throughout each month covering various topics and providing the opportunity to hear from female colleagues across the Group. They also highlight mentoring opportunities and coffee chats - it’s a great network to be a part of!

There was a recent podcast which breakthrough did in collaboration with the bold network on authentic empowerment which I found incredibly insightful. There’s also a speed mentoring event going on currently which I’m looking at joining to. I think something that isn’t relevant to me yet but has empowered me is also the amount of maternity and menopause support internally. It’s reassuring knowing that support will be consistent throughout my career, no matter what my needs may be at that present time

& yes! I’d say it’s had a positive impact on my motivation and work aspirations. I had a grad role at another firm before joining Lloyds and can testify that the support I’ve received here has been great, its cliche but the network of people at Lloyds really is phenomena, everyone has been so welcoming and friendly and a positive work environment helps massively for my motivation, personally

Thank you for your response! That's really inciteful into the culture of the company. I previously read about the company's recent dedication to addressing maternity and menopausal issues and it is really refreshing to see a big company pursuing important issues further than meeting government quotas. The company definitely shares many of the same values as my own, and would love to explore this further if I get the opportunity to work for the company. Do you have any advice for a graduate applicant?

I’d recommend doing your research and having a good understanding why Lloyds and why that particular role. If you can showcase your knowledge, passion and experience clearly in your application then that will definitely help you stand out!

Definitely do, I have the same passions so have signed up to volunteer for a few networks at Lloyds, and you’ll have the same opportunity to get involved as much as you wish to!I would say my best advice would be to be yourself, Lloyds is a strong people organisation and it’s so important to be authentically yourself at work. Try some of the practise assessment centre tests online, do some practise interviews on yourself too & don’t limit yourself to only professional work experiences, graduate interviewers are equally interested in how you navigated that difficult university group project!

Thank you very much for your advice and for taking the time to answer my questions. Hopefully, I will get to speak to you all again soon!

Absolutely! Best of luck with your application:)