Cocky Intern

Literally lay into them, don't be bashful.

Be the adult and realize it probably comes from a place of insecurity or immaturity. Then decide if the cocky behavior is mostly harmless and you should just ignore it, or if he's hurting himself by rubbing people the wrong way and needs a figurative slap in the face.

If the latter, I suggest slowly adding coins to the handset on his phone. Then one day, take them out.

only one way to deal with it. put them in their place.

"Look man, i don't give a fuck if you got an A in macro-econ, this is the real world and you've been at this for 3 weeks and I've been doing it for 3 years. Go back to your desk and finish this thing, email me when it's done with the project attached and make sure the email reads as though you're addressing the head of the office because i might be asked to forward it to him. Then come check with me to see what's next. and next time bring a pen, notepad and your calculator."

Maybe this isn't your forte, but I've found that it's usually best to give them a dose of their own medicine while still being somewhat subtle. Especially if you're somewhat of a witty person, just make sarcastic comments that somewhat shuts them down in a funny way (within reason) and usually it will put them in their place/shut them up.

The best solution is not very creative, but it is extremely effective: no return offer

Crush him into dust and try rebuilding him. You must crush his soul before the rebuilding can begin.

He could be brainwashed by crap like Shark Tank and Boiler Room. Try to coach him on his decorum so he can become an asset to your team.

If he is too cocky to learn, then yes, go to war and break him down until he gets it.

give him menial tasks like fetching coffee

take a SS of his desktop and set it as his background

This is why internships exist - so people can learn to function in the workplace. Grab a colleague, pull him into a meeting room, and tell him that everyone has noticed this behavior and it's unacceptable in a professional environment, especially as an intern.

If he's still a bad guy; then rip him with work and ding him on the offer. But you'll be doing him a favor in the long run if you have this conversation and he listens.

Actually dealt with a similar situation this summer. I pulled the kid aside, she was nice, but clearly either didn’t get it or was trying too hard to assert herself. I essentially was like “what’s the deal here? Why did you do x, do you think that’s proper?” And we had a nice conversation for about 20 mins. Ultimately I believe she was just trying to fit in as everyone is very assertive in meetings on our team, but took it too far. She’s toned it down and if she keeps it up I think she’ll get an offer.

Chimp scampi:

Any creative subtle solutions on dealing with a cocky intern who likes to re-iterate everything you say and talk over you?

She repeats everything you say?

If he reiterates everything you say and you come here complaining is probably because whenever he does so you keep your mouth shut otherwise you wouldn't have felt bothered if you had argued against him. Stand up for yourself, prove him wrong on his assertions and impose respect. If you do that once it should suffice for him to stop. However, if you just stay quiet you're exposing a weaker side of yours and giving him room to keep belittling you and the things you say. I'd even argue what you're dealing with is bullying but to a lesser degree.

My thoughts: An internship is a trial run to assess fit and competency. Given that there is a 1000:1 demand for every seat on the street, why should I be responsible for telling an intern that his behavior is inappropriate or otherwise be his life coach for 10 weeks? I don't get why everyone is saying to pull the kid aside or give him some kind of life lesson. Interns are there to make an impression, hopefully a positive one, and I'm there to get my job done with hopefully some of their help. If an intern can't act professionally and deliver decent work, then this job is not the right one for that person.

Hook up a secret wireless mouse and do a haunted computer situation Better yet, hook up a secret keyboard and talk shit to him whenever he types

I wrote out a decent response about explaining how the world works to the kid, then re-read your message.

For clarity, is the intern re-iterating what you've said to prove they understand the statement / ask? Because that's arguably a good thing, perhaps they just need to figure out timing on when to re-iterate? When dealing with inexperienced juniors I make them take notes and then repeat back what the ask is, and when it's due by.

May sound like I'm criticising, it could also be the delivery, is the kid interrupting because you're not leaving room for a reply? That said, if the kid is a cocky shit, the answer (unless they are some BSD's kid) is to take them to a break-out room and explain that fit and attitude are as important as anything else in recruiting, and if you were asked today on whether the bank should provide an offer, what your response would be.

You have to be the adult, part of your job at every level is to recruit and develop talent for the bank, it's part of what gets you promoted and top ranked.

I'd also coach. It reflects on your own maturity how you handle this situation. You'll be a better manager/leader down the line if you learn how to first approach these situations with direct feedback.

Set aside a coffee chat, ask how they think they're performing and whether they think they're on track for an offer. When they reply (probably enthusiastically yes, based on what you've written) you sternly put them in their place. "Your technical skills are aligned with where they should be, but you need to work on your soft skills. Here are 2-3 examples. Continuing in this manner will not only jeopardize your offer but will affect your ability to succeed at other firms".

You can also note that most of your peers would not have an open discussion on this matter, and you're doing them a favor.

If they take it to heart, you might gain a stellar intern. You might also gain their appreciation. If they don't, then, yeah, fuck em over at offer time.

You'd expect that a supervisor would give you direct feedback on underperformance, whether hard or soft skills, well before they fucked you over. Do the same.

Ultimately, people rise to the level of their competency matched with leadership abilities. Worker bees come in all flavors. S/he will ultimately fail as it becomes clear that others don't want to be around him / her. Entry level is about learning the job, but also demonstrating you are the type of person the firm wants in front of clients, leading groups, etc. This individual will either learn that and get in line or they won't (and be left out of true opportunity ). At the end of the day, it works itself out.

I, personally, would use the Lazard patented printer slap.

reminded me of this https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/boss-asked-me-to-get-coffee

I swear, this industry has so many non-confrontational and awkward dudes. Just tell him straight up he's gotta tone it down a little. Let him know for his own good that dudes who have been grinding it out in the office for the last handful of years don't want to hear it from a college kid who thinks he's a genius because he's read about the industry in a textbook and done a couple case studies.

I was a little too comfortable my first year out of college, way back when I was still in IB and I really appreciated a Senior Analyst telling me one day that I had to have a little more of a filter when talking to superiors because it was coming off as borderline irreverent. I was like oh, shit, I can completely see how I could be coming off poorly, thanks for letting me know.

Bro if you can come up with Chimp Scampi, I think you can easily come across some ways to burn an intern.

Seriously though that name is gold.

The amount of people unwilling to help out an SA is outstanding, is an SA that threatening?

First few times in a work environment, no one is going to get it right from the get go. Realistically if you as a more experienced employee want to make it further up the totem pole, you are going to have to develop the people below you. That's part of managing, you need to actually be able to run a team and interact and to some extent mould certain personalities and behaviours.

I'd understand the responses if this was a peer, but the kid is just trying to learn how to progress in the working world.

I think you'd learn a huge amount about wether or not the SA should be a return candidate from how they respond to constructive criticism - so many grown adults in finance are unable to take a hint of criticism or dish out anything remotely constructive - and at much higher levels than SA - if they respond well, that's great, it shows adaptability and emotional intelligence and bodes well for the future. If they don't respond well and sulk or retreat, then you might get a sense they are not the right fit for the group.

More senior guys that go in hard on you without reason just come across as pathetic and insecure, and ultimately makes it easy to lose respect for them.

Wait till he leaves his desktop open when he leaves his desk and send out an email to entire group...let your creativity guide you from there.

Pull him aside and let him know that he's not performing to the standard, and that he should take the lead from full time guys. He'll get the picture...or he won't.

First time post in awhile. Would love to know from FT employees who are at banks what the general intern scene has been like this summer. I ask because some friend and I were just speculating about it...wonder how much the rise of finance meme/instagram accounts are impacting these kids (and not in good ways). I can just imagine interns showing up on day 1 with "deal sleds" and already throwing finance jokes around the office thinking they are doing a good job at fitting in with the scene.

"Back in my day" we only had EBITDAD but now there is so much content out there.

You could ask him how much he made last year.

Most of you guys sound like insecure and immature asshats. This is why internships exist, to help people know how to function at work. It's not that hard to give him feedback on this in a helpful and professional way.

There are so many ridiculous posts on this thread. Just pull him into an office and have a real conversation with the kid. Interns are there to learn not to be the perfect co-worker...

Keep it honest, stern, and growth-oriented.

"Hey listen, I understand you're young but there are a couple things you may not be aware you're doing which not only bother me personally but will hold you back in your career if they continue unchecked. Name your first point... name your second point... I find it incredibly disrespectful what you're doing, and so do my superiors. Let's both move forward from this conversation, you're a hard worker and show solid potential, but you need to fix these things if you want to be a truly successful banker. Work with me and we'll get you there."

i would remind him that a career is a long time and relationships are a piece of the puzzle they do not teach in school. His actions today could have a lasting impact on his future prospects and its best to start his career on his best foot until his performance speaks for itself.

Use it as a learning tool to help the kid.