Hi,
I'm starting an internship in the coming weeks in IBD at a top bulge bracket bank. This internship feeds directly into their FT recruitment programs. What advice would you give to have the best possible chance of getting an offer?
Thanks!
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Don't screw up. Don't be late. Be sure to cut your nails and trim your nose hairs.
I'll add to that- don't be annoying.
I'll add to the don't be annoying--Seriously consider keeping a notepad on you to write down pertinent information so you don't have to ask the same question 3x. Try to think and reason through a question before you ask it. When you ask questions, try to get them all out in a session...it can become annoying to answer a question and then 30 seconds later have to answer another question. If someone is willing to strain their productivity by answering you, maximize the downtime so you don't have to constantly detract them and force them into stopping points.
Good advice so far, thanks!
The links below are pretty helpful as well. These are some things I felt were important during my SA stint. You'll get a feel for your group's culture/situation which will help you adapt some of these guidelines
1) Positive attitude. Yes the hours suck and everything else, but you're there for 9-10 weeks, you'll survive. The biggest thing is to not verbalize your complaints and whine about shit to full-time people. Fellow interns, yes. Also, do not bitch about you just got staffed on a deal that will screw up your weekend plans. Obviously it sucks, but don't verbalize it where others will hear you.
2) If you can figure out the answer to a question within 10-15 minutes on your own, take the initiative and do a Google/Bloomberg search for it. Definitely ask questions, but don't pester people to ask questions like what MD&A stands for. The key here is balance, you should be able to get a sense if you're annoying an analyst. Better yet, ask another intern. This is part of the aforementioned "annoying" factor where someone is constantly nagging others with questions.
3) Volunteer to do extra work, from printing shit out to getting staffed on a project. You should strive to be a guy that people know has a reputation for being willing to help out. Once again, a judgment call here...if you're staffed out the ass, probably not the best idea to volunteer to do something else and sacrifice your work on your pre-existing assignments.
4) Socialize with your co-workers and interns. If it's Friday and people are taking off early to go eat dinner/drink, go with them. Chances are, a majority of these people will be with you in a year's time when/if you start FT, so make sure that they like you as a person. Build a personal rapport with them, be sociable at company events, etc. Don't be a drunk/life of the party type either. If you've got work to do that's important, by all means stay back and get it done, everyone will understand. But if you're constantly doing that and/or going home to do shit by yourself, that's not a wise move.
5) Learn from your mistakes. No one expects you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be attentive and to not mistakes repeatedly. Also, own up to your mistakes and don't blame other people. These are basic professional skills that are important. You do not have to be a star intern to get an offer, you just have to demonstrate that you have the capacity to learn things in a quick manner, turn out a quality product, and be able to ask questions when necessary.
6) Triple-check your work. Print out stuff and read it over. Attention to detail is key, especially on formatting, conversions, etc. Being very meticulous is a skill that will go far in helping you secure an offer.
7) Get in early (talking like 30 mins earlier than when most people normally roll in) and stay later (if you're doing something). Things like this are noticed, especially if you're the only intern there. Regardless of what they may tell you, there is a face time aspect where you are expected to stay until a certain base hour (anywhere from 9 to 11 PM, IMO) even if you don't have work to do. If no one else has anything for you to do after you've asked around, go home. If a VP/associate tells you to go home, then go home. People are not going to sabotage you by telling you to go home and then hold that against you in evaluations.
8) Cooperate and become friends with fellow interns. This is not some BS "rip important pages out library books so others don't have the info" type of cutthroat atmosphere where you are trying to fuck over other interns. If another intern asks you to help him/her, then do it if you're available, just like you would anyone else. They'll do the same thing for you and reciprocate. This happened to me multiple times and it was noticed.
9) Be sure to ask for ways you can improve during your mid-internship evaluation. Always demonstrate an appetite for knowledge.
Good post... this is what we're looking for in interns... +1
Underpromise, Overdeliver.
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