Nervous about hedge fund internship; how to make the most of it?
Hi Everyone,
Long time reader here, I can't thank each of you enough for all the insight I have gained via WSO.
I've managed to land myself an internship with a hedge fund and I really want to make the most of it. Of course I've read other posts on tips for new analyst joining hedge funds but I'd still like to reach out and ask a couple of my own questions.
A bit about myself: I am a 4th year Econ undergrad who has completed internships with mutual fund companies (not investment team) and an insurance fund (with investment team). I have a fair bit of exposure to the investment industry however, I can't say that I've done anything to call myself an investment analyst. While I have attended a few workshops on financial modelling held by accredited institutions, I can't say that I've built a model on my own from start to finish.
I will be in a room for ~10 hours/day with experienced investment bankers turned hedge fund managers and analysts and I want to learn as much as I can from them. This is a bit of a culture shock to me since I've never been exposed to such an intense environment before, I've only read about it.
I guess my main question to you is (and this is not limited to just hedge fund analysts, but anyone with experience in the industry) at what point did you make the transition from the intern who doesn't know jack all compared to your coworkers, to actually being able to make a difference and help your fund make money? I don't expect to be making money for my fund during my internship, but I want to be able to connect as many dots as I can and make the MOST from this opportunity.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you!
Make sure you use non-fat creamer when told to and make sure not to use too much starch on the dry cleaning.
Jokes aside, just do what you're told with a smile on your face and you'll get along just fine. Once you get into the groove of things, ask for more responsibility or ownership over a task and go from there. Good luck.
The key to any internship/any entry level role, is to be impactful. I can't stress this enough.
Add value in as many ways as possible. Too many people just "go through the motions" instead of finding unique and creative ways to solve problems/generate solutions. Ask a lot of questions (but not to the point of being annoying, or asking questions for the sake of asking questions). View this opportunity like you are a partner/employee, and find meaningful ways to contribute.
Ultimately, there's a reason why you were chosen over everyone else. Have confidence and knock the ball out of the park.
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