How did you get your first/meaningful finance internship/job?

Hello all,

Curious to see how other users got their job/internship. What job, what position, what stood out to the employer, and how did you get it? What was it in the resume &/or cover letter that got you the job?

There are a lot of people that network their way into it, some used staffing agency, and some went the traditional application route.

 

Hey Hankle, the following topics might be helpful:

  • Why Did You Choose to Pursue Finance? you choose the finance major, or did you actually want to study it because you enjoy it. (or are you ... Or did you go into the industry to pay off college debt quickly, get a fat pay check, live in NYC ... and think you were going to become a millionaire. And for the college students: Did
  • How did you pick your career? traditional IB, how did you choose your career path? Also would you take the same path again? ... As we know there are so many career streams you can go into within finance, it's a little ... intimidating for somebody still starting out in the career. The dream is to work in IBD but having a back up ...
  • Choosing a Minor To Go With a Finance Major How to Network like a Master. Inside the WSO Finance networking guide, you'll get ... useful, and you'd probably learn a language or two, and, if not, you'd be able to pick one up ... blunders). This info-rich book is packed with 71 pages of detailed strategies to help you get the most of ...
  • If you had to buy your own laptop for work which one would you choose? so I think I'll need to bump up to an i7 and I guess make sure I get one of the newer ... should I get? Preferably under $1,500 (ideally in the $1000-1200 range but not trying to go too cheap on ... this). I am also be looking to buy 1-2 monitors for extra screens. I've heard a lot of people use ...
  • Amazon and your groceries-- would you choose Amazon, Kroger, Costco, or other? fray in online groceries, where would you buy your groceries from and why? What kind of business model ... day would come. Admittedly I've never ever tried buying groceries online before and will not ... really try it (I prefer going to a store), but I know this is definitely a reasonable appeal to others. ...
  • Best Watch to Buy for Young Professionals Finance networking guide, you'll get a comprehensive, all-inclusive roadmap for maximizing your ... ladder. Or, get a Rolex or Omega but not the standard one's everyone buys. You can see a basic Baume ... detailed strategies to help you get the most of your networking, including cold emailing templates, ...
  • Stimulants 101: How to wake yourself up and get shit done (without destroying your long-term health) The next time you feel sluggish, instead of another coffee try going for a walk. Get up from your desk ... mind-numbing Excel for 8 hours and your brain is turning to mush. When you've been getting crushed for ... is going home and crawling into your warm, comfortable bed to sleep, but if you don't get this ...
  • More suggestions...

Or maybe the following pros can chime in... ironforex ajshanno ankhosla21

I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

Definitely through utilizing my current network and then networking beyond that. I reached out to everyone in my current network (regardless of occupation) to see if they knew someone in the financial services industry that needed an intern. After that, I was able to get connected to someone that was looking for an intern, hopped on a few calls with them, and landed the job after an interview.

 

For me coming from a non target school. I used diversity programs as well as diversity events as a way for networking and getting to know different aspects of specific firms. I did not really use any networking because those diversity opportunities really helped on that front. I Did a Superday for my dream company and got an offer afterwards.

 
Hankle:
Curious to see how other users got their job/internship.

Sam: So, how'd you get started in this business?

Dierdre: A wealthy scoundrel seduced and betrayed me.

Sam: Same with me. How about that?

I have a friend who lives in the country, and it's supposed to be an hour from 42nd Street. A lie! The only thing that's an hour from 42nd Street is 43rd Street!
 

Knocked on doors in a suit with my resume to get my first internship (PWM) in 2007. Took a lot of hustle - trying, rejections, and follow-ups - in order to get to "Yes" and even then, that person was really taking a chance on me. I'm grateful to John for giving me that opportunity which sparked the rest of my career and I try to pay it forward to students each year the best I can.

Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.
 

Thats a lot of hustle! I've knocked on doors before to promote past business ventures, but never for a job. Knocking on doors changes a person! I remember thinking, "If I can do this and talk to strangers, I can do anything." Thanks for sharing!

 

The summer after my freshman year, I had a non-glamorous internship in the tech dept of a firm. I tried making the best of it by reaching out to a bunch of people at different trading desks throughout the summer and asking to meet with them or shadow them. When I went back to school sophomore year, I sent them all emails letting them know I was interested in interning at the firm again but on a trading desk. Two phone interviews later, I had an internship on the MBS desk for my sophomore summer.

 

My freshmen summer internship was in a business valuation shop in West LA.

At the time I was at a non-target (before transferring), had dishwashing as work experience, and didn't have finance connections but I just really wanted to know what working in finance was actually like. Starting from January to May, I cold called or emailed ~250 finance firms in LA to ask about summer internship opportunities. Eventually the firm I worked at took me on (and paid me!) because the MD I reached out to admired my approach for some reason.

It was my first real full-time office job ever so even mundane work and super, super basic valuation stuff was exciting to me. The only drawback was that my parent's home was in East LA so I had to spend 2-3 hours each way in traffic at rush hour to get to West LA and back (fuck the 10 and the 405 lol)

Created a 1-step skincare solution for men. Purchase + reviews appreciated: www.w34th.com
 

I took an terrible internship ~30 min from my school at a small CPA firm during tax season, essentially doing farmer's taxes. I did this BEFORE I even took the required tax class at my school. It was horrible and I was sort of asked to leave during spring break.

My next (bigger) break was leveraging that into an "accounting" (payroll) internship at a F500 in another crappy location after my junior year. I was able to position this as real experience and build on this into grad school and other roles.

twitter: @CorpFin_Guy
 

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