How much should you ask questions / seek feedback as an intern?
I have an M&A internship coming up at a bank, and I'm trying to figure out the right balance between asking questions and working independently.
During my previous internship at a MM shop, I got told that I should spend a more time developing my drafts before asking for feedback, and generally be more confident in my own work rather than constantly seeking guidance or reassurance.
I obviously want to avoid wasting time going down the wrong path, but at the same time I don't want to come across as someone who needs constant hand-holding or can't work independently.
How do you strike the right balance? When should you ask for feedback or clarification, and when is it better to just make your own judgment and run with it?
Honestly, as management styles differ significantly between people/banks/teams, I always give the advice of never asking the same question twice (bring a notebook with you and write important information down), nor asking something that is a 2 minute Google away.
Yeah, makes sense. I feel like that’s what I did in my last internship, but their feedback was focused more on me double checking if my output was starting to look like what they had in mind for the deliverable. It was weird to me because I thought that would be something that’s appreciated and would save them headaches
That sounds like an alignment problem more than a question problem. The fix is to lock in what "done" looks like before you start, not keep checking along the way. Ask for a precedent ("is there a past deck or model I should follow?"), or sketch a quick skeleton, like page titles or an outline, and get a 30-second yes on that. Then go heads down and only come back with a real draft. One alignment check at the start replaces five "is this right?" check-ins in the middle.
This. Noting AI raised the bar vs. the historical advice of a 2min google search.
The way that you ask has a big impact on how something is received too.
All of the best juniors I’ve worked with have asked ‘why’ something is done rather than ‘how’. Small distinction but makes a difference
Where I worked, me asking "why" normally resulted in a lot of pushback and the junior developing a resentment for me
You just can't win!
Could be a timing thing as well, asking when you’re trying to get a deliverable out normally isn’t the best time but simply asking to revisit and explain the ‘why’ once things are a little quieter is normally a good compromise.
So many people learn to deliver a product but not necessarily the reasons for doing it a certain way, developing that will normally reduce the number of comments etc
Noted, great advice!
I'd caviat also by playing devil's advocate that during a rotational programme, it's difficult to judge when people seem more free. During the day, it's calls with clients and meeting deadlines. During the evenings, it's dinner when no one wants to talk about work and getting work done in order to go home so people are desperate.
At least for me, scheduling time with people was way easier but that's just my take.
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