Fake Internship on Resume

Hey guys,

I just got a spring semester internship at a well known MM IB. I'm starting in janurary but the associate said I'm not allowed to write it on my CV since it's not an official program. The MD is very against taking interns but apparently is OK with me helping out with some big assignments coming up. I am working remotely, most likely with public info, and checking in the office once a week. The associate is the one who set this up for me.

Is this a bad sign at all? My hope is that if I perform well in my unofficial internship, it'll become a real one later on. But this seems really really sketchy and I'm basically getting used like a cheap prostitute.

Do you think this is more of a compliance issue? or are they just assholes.

Oh and just to clarify, I don't actually have a fake internship on my resume! =p

5 Comments
 

im not in IB but seems like you should be able to put something on your resume. use a different title, ect. Afterall, this is actual experience so you should be able to tell others that you did it.

MD could be against the internship because legally you usually have to offer either compensation to the intern or have the intern get college credit. MD might just might not want to deal with the red tape, or maybe HR told him that they dont want to deal with it.

if you do end up listing it i wouldnt call it an internship and you probably dont want to have future employers contact them, however I'd find a way to list it.

 
Best Response

^ is 100% correct and I am speaking from experience. I was working w/ an alumnus last year at a small mezz. fund inside a boutique I-bank and he was super helpful and transparent about the process since I basically called, pitched myself, and then asked for an internship. It was essentially trial by error since they had never had an intern before so I proposed at first an uncompensated and not for credit internship since I had graduated in December and was worried about actually landing the position, and they agreed. However, after interviews and getting it approved by HR it was REQUIRED to either be for some type of college credit OR be compensated. Fortunately, this alumnus was super helpful and my unpaid internship offer got converted to an okay hourly wage. I ended up lucky w/ this one, but it is required to (1) Be paid or (2) Be for credit. The only way you could get around this is w/ a boutique that doesn't have a really robust HR or some type of small fund that is similar. The guy isn't BSing you though...probably just covering his ass.

'Before you enter... be willing to pay the price'
 

Exercitationem voluptates modi et aut. Et ratione sequi voluptatem ipsum. Quasi eum in harum nulla sequi nihil dolorem eos.

Sint voluptatem nisi cumque eius occaecati nostrum ut ipsa. Neque exercitationem numquam iure quia vel eveniet.

Voluptate illo accusantium officiis cum labore ut. Nisi earum sit incidunt enim recusandae. Soluta cupiditate odit sunt architecto distinctio non. Molestiae quibusdam nostrum dignissimos adipisci nobis.

Molestias voluptatem minima enim qui sunt velit quam. Adipisci facilis voluptate suscipit ad fugiat est quas dolor. Est autem adipisci quia non dolores eligendi. Perspiciatis deserunt aspernatur voluptate ipsam in incidunt. Eius rerum facere et ad. Itaque dicta totam consequatur illo minima quo quia sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”