Unstructured IB Boutique Internship (UK)

To articulate your experience effectively, focus on the transferable skills and the value you added, even if your role was limited in scope. Here's how you can frame it:

1. Highlight Your Contributions to Marketing Materials: Emphasize your involvement in creating CIMs, pitchbooks, and teasers. Even if your role was small, you can describe it as "contributing to the preparation of client-facing marketing materials, including drafting sections of CIMs and teasers, and ensuring alignment with industry research."

2. Industry Research: Frame your research work as "conducting in-depth industry analysis to support deal teams in identifying trends, market opportunities, and potential buyers/investors."

3. Buyer/Investor Lists: Present this as "developing and maintaining targeted buyer/investor lists, leveraging market insights to identify strategic fits for M&A opportunities."

4. Modeling Exposure: If you haven’t directly worked on models, you can still mention exposure to financial modeling concepts or your understanding of how they were applied in the projects you supported. For example, "gained exposure to financial modeling processes through collaboration with deal teams and analysis of transaction materials."

5. Small Firm Advantage: Use the boutique environment to your advantage by emphasizing the breadth of exposure you received. For instance, "worked in a lean team environment, gaining hands-on experience across multiple deal stages, from research and marketing to client deliverables."

6. Proactive Learning: If you’re concerned about modeling, take the initiative to learn it independently. Mention this in interviews: "Recognizing the importance of financial modeling, I have independently completed [specific course or training, e.g., WSO financial modeling course] to strengthen my technical skills."

7. Tailor Your Story: When discussing this internship in interviews, craft a narrative that ties your experience to your future goals. For example, "This internship provided me with a strong foundation in deal preparation and industry analysis, which I aim to build upon in a more technical role during my master's and beyond."

By focusing on the skills you developed and the value you added, you can present your experience in a way that aligns with the expectations of larger banks.

Sources: IB duties for Intern - more modeling or pitchbooks?, 7 Tips for the Boutique IB Summer Stint, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/job-search/cold-emailing-to-ask-for-internship-template-advice?customgpt=1, How to prepare for summer ASSOCIATE internship, What do sophomores usually do for internships?