4 Non-Obvious Tips To Ace Your Final Project As An Investment Banking Intern
You can figure out what the SR bankers will grill you on before walking into the final presentation room. Read this to learn how.
The final project during your IB Internship is a bigger part of your return offer than you think.
It’s Recency Bias - it’ll be fresh in their minds when making a decision.
I interned at an elite boutique in NY last summer. If I could go back & start from the beginning, this is what I would tell my former self to focus on.
Tip 1 - Don’t Screw Yourself From The Start
Nobody hits their driver on a 90yd Par 3. You’d be setting yourself up for failure.
Like golf, the final project is all about the approach.
- Pick Topic Wisely & Quickly
- We had to pitch a merger of two public companies
- Brainstorm & settle on 3 options
- Avoid verticals judges specialize in - more likely grill you
- Run top 3 by mentor & choose best
- Some classmates spun wheels picking topic for 5wk…don’t be them.
- Build Skeleton & Timeline w/ Mentor
- Outline needed slides & plan when to complete
- Buffer time for busy live deal work
- Start Yesterday.
Tip 2 - Send Chunks & Ask for SPECIFIC Feedback
People are too nice.
Ask for general feedback & they’ll stroke your ego + tell you it looks nice.
- Send 2-3 slides to mentor(s) as you complete. DON’T WAIT UNTIL END!
- Examples of SPECIFIC areas to ask about:
- Sections / bullet points unsure of
- How to tie section to theme
Show EXTRA GRATITUDE towards mentors!
My tactic - bring go-to coffee / pastry order as a token of thanks.
Tip 3 - Rehearse Like The Summer Play
Around rep 40 is when things got more exciting for me.
I realized toying around with voice inflections & gestures at certain moments made my message 100x more powerful.
I was the weirdo roommate talking to myself in the bathroom mirror at the NYU dorm.
Also scheduled 10 mocks starting 3wk out - Mentor x5 & Other JR bankers x5
Tip 4 - Find Out What They’ll Grill You On
JR bankers know what SR bankers will press you on when judging.
- I got perspectives from ~10 JR bankers - asked them during mocks
- Learn EVERYTHING there is to know about area you’re gonna get grilled on
- Rehearse answers to Top 10 anticipated questions
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