Anyone else absolutely terrible at internships
Dont know for sure why I'm writing this out tbh, but curious to know if people relate/what you would do in this situation.
Gone through 2 formal internship programs now, both in IB at well known banks (think Greenhill/RBC type level). Didnt convert either so graduated with nothing a few months ago and still on the search.
Obviously were different factors at play both times, but the depressing part is that I was literally the absolute last person either team wanted and from the first week onwards I'd already managed to piss off people over some misunderstanding/messy work on a task - due to difficulty concentrating in the begininng combined with wrong assumptions as to what ppl wanted(I do ask qs but things still slip through).
I do try to correct these things as the internships progress but at that point, everyone is already super passive aggressive with me and every small mistake/misunderstanding gets chewed on since I started so incredibly badly. Also agree that it takes me a while/maybe longer than others to form good habits eg,organising things effectively so this just angers everyone like crazy no matter how hard I try to change it all.
Was also told the first time that I dont communicate my interest/ask questions so explicitly tried to do so the second time (would literally prep questions to ask beforehand and ask for coffees, though these mostly never happened as team would say they were too busy) but got told the exact same thing at the end, that I dont speak enough/ask enough questions.
Has anyone else dealt with this/how have you fixed it? Feels quite lonely as all the other interns around me always seem to be super friendly with teams and get along amazingly each time.
Would be happy to explore other paths but unfortunately given my degree subject, I dont have decent options outside of finance. Also, starting in smthg else and lateralling into IB as an associate is rly rly not what I want as I dont want IB long term and wanted to do it due to exits which interest me.
Any tips appreciated, thanks. Or if you had to ever deal with "that intern" in your team or were that intern, insights into your experiences would be helpful as well.
Organization, concentration, and communication are probably the three most important things that you need beginning your career in IB or really any high finance field. You will learn the modeling and other technical aspects, but if analysts/associates don't think that you are organized or understanding what they want, that can snowball very quickly. Learn from this and attempt to improve those aspects in your life outside of work, it will eventually carry over. For now, grind the networking.
Yeah, makes sense tbh. I'm in the UK where networking is quite rare so have never really done it as applying to SA/OC online works just fine here unlike the US, is there some way you suggest approaching it if I should?
Sorry if its dumb q lol but thanks for the reply!
I am unfamiliar with UK recruiting, would generally advise looking for groups that have people you know/school alumni and send emails to those people. I also did not initially read that you have already graduated, in that case, I would advise finding any type of finance job that you can, having IB on resume will be helpful. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get any job.
I don’t think this is all your fault, but I do think you have to work on a lot of things. You have to be asking questions and understand what you’re being asked versus making mistakes and then correcting it along the way. I understand perceiving this as an intern learning along the way, but they don’t see it this way. They see it as you being incompetent and constantly going back-and-forth to work with you to get tasks done. They don’t have the patience and understanding for that. However, they should also be teaching you and giving you guidance on new tasks. If they’re not doing that, at all, then of course you won’t understand what to do. You have two bad experiences under your belt: reflect on what you could’ve done differently, see if you’re willing to make those changes. If you’re not, then do a different career. Don’t do something you don’t feel as if you’d be the best at.
You’re young and you have time. Keep your head up.
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it can not be your fault but it's ultimately still your responsibility. keep learning and growing, you got this!
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Can I DM you?
Hey sure
I know this is a year old but going through something similar. Can I DM you (or vice versa if you want to stay anon)
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