What can I safely disclose in an interview and in my CV?
Hey everyone, During my internships over the past 18 months, I had the opportunity to work with teams with very flat hierarchies and gain their trust to perform tasks that are not typically assigned to interns.
Recently, the company where I completed my first internship in Corporate M&A (I spent 6 months with them) announced that they closed the largest transaction in the company’s history, a deal in which I actively participated by contributing to deal sourcing and research.
To summarize:
What should I include on my CV? (Not company names, but perhaps approximate deal values) What can I discuss during interviews? Can I mention the names of closed transactions or general names of major clients? (Without going into specifics, but for example, saying, “I worked on several projects with PE fund X”) Thanks in advance for your experience and advice. I don’t want to come across as an unprofessional young person trying to brag, but I also don’t want to undersell myself by not highlighting my relevant experience.
Your experience does sound impressive, and it's great that you're taking care about the way you express it. Here's how you can go about it:
What to Put on Your CV:
Role and Responsibilities: State clearly with your role—for instance, "Corporate M&A Intern"—and mention the key tasks undertaken by you, such as deal sourcing, research, and analysis.
Achievements: A good answer will contribute to the largest transaction in the history of the firm, without mentioning the name of the firm. For example, "Contributed to the sourcing and research for a transaction valued at [approximate value], the largest in the company's history."
Skills Gained: Emphasize any particular skills you developed, for example, financial modeling, due diligence, or working with senior stakeholders.
What to Discuss During Interviews:
Overall deal experience: You may want to say something like, "I worked on significant transactions, including 'I participated in closing deals, including one valued at [approximate value], the largest in the company's history'.
Names of clients and/or transactions: You can normally refer to clients or transactions in general terms unless bound by confidentiality agreements. You may say, "I worked on a number of deals with a leading PE fund," without mentioning the name of the fund or the details of the transaction.
Value and Impact: This is the effect one has because of his work; for instance, your research was literally a reason for success in one of the largest transactions ever done. What did you learn from the experience, and how did you add value to the team?.
Balancing Professionalism and Self-Promotion:
Tone: When talking about your experience, frame it as something you’re proud of but also as a learning experience. Emphasize teamwork and the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals.
Contextualize: Always provide context to your achievements, explaining how your contributions fit into the broader goals of the team or company.
Example CV Bullet Points:
"Collaborated on the largest transaction in company history, valued at over $X million, contributing to deal sourcing and market research."
"Worked closely with senior M&A professionals, gaining hands-on experience in corporate finance and strategic decision-making."
"Developed and refined financial models used in the evaluation of potential acquisitions and partnerships."
Thoughtout my last internship, I didn't not sign an NDA, which technically should allow me to mention the parent fund of the portfolio companies that we worked with. On this Corp M&A gig, I didn't sign an NDA, but I believe if the transaction made headlines in the WSJ/Barrons/Reuters/Bloomberg, the not names rule disappears. For sure if at the name, deal value and seller (quite famous), the rest comes with me to the grave. Thanks man for the advise, I will start building a list with all the info I remember that I can discuss.
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