Summer Associate Intern

The process first began with on-campus recruitment from various HR reps as well as alumni from my school. Afterwards interested students signed up for on campus interviews at a later date. The on-campus interviews are typically one on one or two on one depending on your areas of interest, and in my case were conducted by my school's alumni. Following the on-campus interviews I believe only the top 10 or so students received a follow up call or interview informing them of the potential invite to the super day event in Pittsburgh. Interestingly enough I also had applied online for PNC's capital markets group in addition to their C&IB group, so I had two follow up calls. Approximately a week later my friend and I were the only ones chosen at my school for the C&IB and Capital Markets super day starting in the evening on Nov. 8th and finishing up afternoon on the 9th. On the 8th there was a networking event in the evening, in which program participants were able to speak with various members of the divisions in the C&IB group, upper level management, and capital markets employees. Students are assigned color coded name tags depending upon the track that they are interested in. Likewise employees are assigned color coded name tags with their prospective positions and departments in order to organize the networking process. The following day is when the fun begins and the interviews take place. You are provided a schedule which list the times and persons with whom the five interview sessions are to be conducted with. In addition you are assigned a group as well as a mentor who escorts you to your interview post. Once the interviews are finished, you are required to rank which specific division and location (for C&IB only) you are interested in i.e underwriting, trade finance, equipment finance. And based upon your performance and ranking you are offered a position two to three weeks later. As far as specifics (if this will be any help for the comp. database) I was offered 22/hr. as a summer undergraduate underwriting intern at their Philadelphia office. As far as hours go, it is nowhere near as strenuous as IB. Most associates I spoke to said their hours can range from 40-70 depending on location and the time of year.

In regards to the people and the culture, PNC is very laid back. Every employee as well as fellow applicants were very personable and friendly. In fact most of the interviews felt like normal conversations, one of which was two of my interviewers joking the entire time.

Overall the experience was great and my only tips are for any future applicants are be prepared (know basic information about the company, financial principles, current market news and events) relax, and do not drink during the networking event. Even though PNC has a relatively laid back culture, there is a certain lack of professionalism when you are trying to get hired while holding a beer in your hand.