I Got Screwed With My Internship Placement, Can I Ask to Switch Roles or Am I Fucked?
For some context, I am a rising senior at a semi-target school and I only made the transition to finance this year. Last summer I had a sales internship with a Fortune 50 company, and I found quickly that I did not want to be within sales. I networked within the organization and found that Finance would be the best role for me.
Even though I hated the work I was doing, I did really well and was able to secure an internship within their Financial Leadership Program before the summer even ended. Being foolish, I accepted without even looking into all the options for a Finance major(I wish I found this site).
So time passed and they kept pushing off telling me my placement for the summer, and finally, a week before I start, they tell me that I got placed within their Controllership and Accountancy division. WHAT THE FUCK. Out of the five possible placements, I got the shittiest one, in the shittiest location and I was literally the first fucking person they hired for this position. I knew that my experience this summer wasn't perfect, but I was hoping with some relevant experience, a strong GPA(Not 4.0 but not 3.5), high engagement in extracurriculars and leadership positions that I could leverage into a better full time position. Now I'm going to have accounting on my resume for my junior year internship.
It is possible for me to ask them to switch my role, or do I just have to tough it out? Also, would I even have a shot at some of the more competitive full time positions with this on my resume or will I have to take an alternative route?
I'd say just tough it out and shoot for something like consulting. They value different types of experiences and if you're as good as a candidate as you say you are, then you should be fine getting a job at a Tier 1 or Tier 2 firm. Then, after a few years leverage that to get your MBA or go into PE or whatever you find yourself interested in by then.
I wouldn't waste your time trying to get a top IB role, I assume that's what you meant by the more competitive positions.
Yeah I would amend this. If you hustle you may have a decent shot at T2 firms in consulting, but T1 would likely be next to impossible. It would require A LOT of work on your part. I do believe consulting is a good path to look into, and you could also consider LMM IBs. Your first job won't define you and you have a good background, so getting into the right industry is what you should focus on. Having a strong understanding of accounting is helpful too, so do not completely disregard that. The work you're going to be doing will suck this summer, but the hours will likely not be too bad and if you're smart you can use the time to figure out what you want to do and network your ass off. What are you interested in doing upon graduation?
IB and consulting were my top 2 choices. I’m glad to know I still have a chance. My school gets mild interest from MBB, but lots of interest from tier 2. We also get lots of MM banks coming to our school.
So i guess that I’ll have to suck it up and make the best of my situation this summer. Do you have any personal advice for networking or should I just hop over to a networking thread?
So I think the biggest thing is that you need to come up with a VERY strong narrative as to why you wanted to change gears and move into finance (and more specifically IB/Consulting). You go to a good school and have a solid GPA so you don't need to worry too much about people being critical about your transition, just put together a cohesive story to explain it. I would also say that networking is all about the connection you form, and it isn't crucial to stay on the topic of work. Some of my most successful networking calls have been about skiing, local breweries, march madness, etc (these guys work a lot, so they would probably rather talk about non-work related stuff every once in a while). Obviously do your research and come prepared with specific and thoughtful questions about their firm and role, but let it flow organically. I've done about 100 networking calls, most of which were cold, and they get much easier with each one. PM me if you have more specific questions.
That's very valuable advice, thank you for taking the time to write it out
I think you're pegged for regional IB firms and Tier 2 consulting shops. Regional IB with an alumni recommendation to get the interview. You could probably pump out some offers in Tier 2 consulting - some of the gigs can be pretty good.
Don't fret though, you just have to knock out a couple of years and you can go to get an MBA and then jump into some better positions if you desire. You could probably turn that 3.5 into a 3.65 with two 4.0 semesters to have good stats + good GMAT for an MBA application.
Ea dolore neque repellat soluta sapiente et eligendi. Nihil impedit autem in. Ducimus omnis porro magnam dolor nulla. Sint similique labore est animi.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...