Improve your CV in High School?

Hey WSO,
it looks like that the majority of new newcomers here is the college crowd looking for an Internship,
and is asking for help, how they could "pimp" their CV in a really short time.
So I was wondering, if there's something which I can do, which will help me standing out of them in in the near future,
when I'm going to apply for internships. Do you have any Ideas?

After the summer break I'm going to be a sophomore in a somewhat prestige High school, (definitely one of the most prestige schools in the state).
Also over the last year I've been an exchange student in the US. (I'm German)
In my spare time, I'm working as a non-profit school represent, for an international non-profit organisation.
Also a while ago I was a member of project, which helps independent artists from all around the world,
by offering their music in broad audience.
I was a member of the funding team with 9 other people, the project has now over 150 members and is represented in 3 different cities.
There was even an TV documentation on a local TV channel about us, as well as an Article about the project in the local newspaper.
In the near future I'm going to participate social science project, which is specialized on global development (The last team, went to Asia, for 3 weeks).
Also I'm going to make the European Computer Driving Licence with an focus on advanced spreadsheets.
I speak German and I'm learning English as well as Mandarin ( which I'm going to continue in university).
Also I have decent skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript as well as with the Microsoft office suit.
And I'm going to learn Java once school started.

But how else could I improve my CV, should I try to get an internship at a local politician?

 
Best Response

There's nothing wrong with HS students asking about this as long as they are keeping a well-balanced lifestyle. So yes, play sports, hang out with friends, and get drunk. And do this on top of all that.

You should look into wealth management - try to get a PWM internship at Merrill Lynch or MSSB. It shouldn't be difficult if you take all the right steps. Look on WSO for more info. Most likely you'll get an internship like this in the summer before college. You won't get anything IB-related as a high school student unless you have really top connections. If you do, work them.

In the meantime, consider starting an investment club and trading a virtual portfolio or a real portfolio with a small amount, say $1,000. And start reading up on the industry. Tons of into on this website.

 

Thanks, Phoenix! I guess I should start applying for an internship around 1 year before I graduate, to actually get one, the summer before I go to college. And since I will most likely end up going to a target school in Zurich (Switzerland), my odds are probably higher getting an PWM internship there. But do you think it would actually be possible for me getting an offer from NYC, without being a resident? Also what do you think about cold contacting people (HS Alumni) with the help of LinkedIn?

 

Definitely keep staying in those clubs and show a high level of participation and follow your interests (read WSJ, invest if you enjoy it, etc). Your highschool activities really only matter for getting into college though, so like everyone is saying build your social skills- get laid, drink, make lifelong friends, and try new things. Enjoy life, don't hate some of the most fun/carefree years of your life.

 

Thanks guys! I just got an awesome opportunity, my city even when it's relatively small (300.000 residents), has some PWM firms, eight hours ago I sent an E-mail to the CEO of small boutique with 5 employees (4 PM's,1 CEO and PM), with a really short introduction of mine and some questions about the firm and if it would be possible for him to answer them (Didn't mention the internship yet). I already got an answer from him, including a phone number and that I should contact him in the beginning of august, to make an appointment .

edit: I forgot to mention that all the employees are high-experiences, one of them was a MD at a BB, and 3 have worked in NYC.

 

That's great, definitely look into it. One thing I would heavily recommend, though, is to try to get a "name brand" firm on your resume. It helps a lot more than some small PWM firm. So try your best to get a UBS internship in the summer between graduation and college.

 

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