Four Ways To Make The Most Out Of Your Boutique Internship

As summer approaches, most finance students are getting ready to finish up the school year and temporarily join the working world. Many of these students will miss the big bank experience and instead find themselves at smaller, regional financial boutiques. Though you may miss out on having a marquee name on your resume, an internship at a smaller firm provides a great opportunity to take on responsibility, develop unique skills and strongly position yourself for the coming recruiting season. After spending last summer at a small private equity firm, I wanted to share some tips for getting all you can out of an internship at a boutique.

• Prepare

  If you have some time after school ends, preparing for your internship can help you stand out from the crowd as a capable and mature member of the team. Unless your collegiate program had a strong focus on modeling, take the time to review the basic financial modeling concepts that are likely to arise in your internship. This preparation can ease your transition into the job and help you gain rapport with your bosses.

• Take On Responsibility

  In my boutique internship experience there was often more work to be done than there were people to do it. If you prove that you are capable, your boss is likely to increase the amount (and importance) of work that you are doing. Getting hands on experience with complex modeling and client interaction can serve as great fodder for interview discussions in the fall and differentiate your resume from those with more limited experiences.

• Ask Questions

  Without a formalized training process, you may be left to figure out quite a bit on your own as an intern at a boutique. Luckily, at your smaller firm you will also be working more closely with senior team members. Leverage your co-workers experience and knowledge to develop the skill sets that you will need for FT positions. Share your genuine desire to learn and you can reap the benefits of your co-workers years of experience.

• Network

  The boutique you are working at over summer may not have the space or the budget to hire you in the next recruiting season. That being said, chances high are that someone in your bosses network will be hiring in the near future. Turn your good work at the boutique and your bosses’ connections into assets through networking.

  As your internship draws to a close, have a frank conversation with your boss about your career goals and interests moving forward. In my experience, most superiors are more than willing to connect you with people working in your areas of interest. A good word from your former boss about your work ethic and skills can help turn an informational interview into a real interview and move you towards your goal of a great FT job.