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:
Or maybe the following pros can chime in... @ironforex" ajshanno @ankhosla21"
I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.
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.
I took a few unpaid remote internships during the year (VC and one at a big HF) that helped me land my first paid internship which then helped me get my upcoming internship.
Wow! Unpaid remote position at a Hedgefund? That's rough. I was considering an unpaid position at a search fund, but I decided not to.
Totally harassed a lower MM bank into giving me a unpaid internship where they ended up giving me a bonus equal to what I would have been paid and an offer, but turned it down hoping to use that experience to get in to a BB -- amazingly it worked.
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.
I'll consider different kind of events. I've attended a number of veterans events... but they mostly do it for show to look good.
they don't give superdays in those events? interesting
what are superdays?
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?
How I miss the days of original action movies
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.
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.
bravado and luck
asfasd
Coming from a non-core school: tons of networking + having your interview skills down cold = mid-market summer internship > PE internship > BB FT offer
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)
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.
Study in the UK and got a couple spring week programs at IBs and converted one for the summer analyst stint.
I guess you had some stuff on your CV already in order to get the Spring Week
Yeah but nothing finance based, mostly working as an intern for a small business, volunteering for a hospital, and a couple of HS leadership positions.
bad AM shop internship sophomore year winter break, cold called a guy and within five minutes he says "yeah ill pay you minimum wage, can you start imediately?"
not the best experience, but got something on the resume.
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