What makes someone a POOR Summer Analyst

We've seen and had a countless number of threads on what makes someone a GOOD Summer Analyst. What makes someone a POOR or BAD Summer Analyst though? (Apart from making repetitive mistakes in his/her work)

To those who are already in the industry, do you have any stories? What kind of things does one SA do that puts him in a negative light?

 

Are you that pessimistic about your upcoming stint? Most ppl (associates and analysts) will generally want to get to know you so they can make an accurate assessment of your fit and skills.

Take a second and calm down. If you can execute tasks and get along with others (go to all the social events you can) you will have a good shot at getting an offer.

 

The biggest red flags are bad attitude and not "getting it". Everything else can (and is expected to) be taught, but interns that complain a lot or don't appreciate the urgency/seriousness of a project have a hard time converting FT offers

The internship is all about finding people who are competent and good to work with,. Pretty much anyone with an internship offer is capable of learning the technicals. It's the latter where interns really stand out

 

It's mainly about showing that you're eager to learn and being enthusiastic about the stuff you get assigned. You don't need to go overboard, but you don't want to look like you're sulking or annoyed about the work you have to do. As an intern, you'll likely do a good amount of painfully menially tasks, and that's just part of the job. Just put on a good face for 10 weeks

 

1) doesn’t attend the social events with the other SA’s. This shows that the SA doesn’t get along with the group and might not be a good fit if FT

2) doesn’t actively seek out work. Expects work to fall on their lap

3) if working with another SA - aka teaming up on something - a bad/poor SA will blame the other SA if something is wrong. The VP/ED will note that the SA jumps to place blame instead of focus on solutions

Those are the main ones I would argue

 
  1. What if you are the only Summer Analyst on the team?

  2. I heard that asking for more work can be a double-edged sword and can overwhelm you in the future since your colleagues would assume that you can take on more work on the existing workload that was planned for you,

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Look, if you’re in a class of other SAs then taking on more work and being the “go-to” will differentiate yourself when they decide who to give the FT to.

If you’re by yourself, well, you’re going to be forced to be the “go-to” since there’s no one else.

When you’re FT, especially if you’re in a larger organization, taking on more work than the others - and retaining the high quality of the deliverable - will differentiate yourself if that FT analyst wants to move around internally.

I am yet to decline work, no matter how small / and “un-important” the work is. You’re in the wrong field if you want to work a strict 9-5 without stress

 

What do you mean by student loans? How would they even know if one has a student loan or not?

For excessive spending, you mean when they are only a SA and brags about whatever that they bought on 5th Avenue or Soho?

I am also confused about the family support part...

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Don't act as if you know everything, and don't challenge your superior.

Showed a guy how to model out PPE. Intern kept saying shit like this.

"Oh yea, remember that from school" "Shouldn't you do A instead of B?" "Why are we even looking at this Company? The Company sucks"

To echo what most people said in here, being unlikable was a critical reason for why this intern wasn't asked to come back. If an MD likes you, he won't mind an occasional screw up. Don't be like this kid and have unlikable characteristics AND screw up, which is exactly what he did.

 

Bad attitude - Not wanting to do work or getting frustrated easily and showing it to everyone in the office. Not getting along with other interns - If you don't go to the events or get along with your class, how are you going to work with them as a team? Treating support staff poorly - A lot of people get frustrated with IT/printing services/etc., a good rule of thumb is to treat everyone in the building as if they could hire or fire you. Irresponsible - One intern in my class went on a weekend trip and didn't tell anyone, when we inevitably got called in to work he was no where to be found. Always stay accountable and let your deal teams know where you are / when you're leaving the office. Not getting it - As mentioned before, if you can't follow directions it's an issue. Dirty - Honestly, keep your desk in okay shape and try to tidy up before you leave at night. Having a disgusting desk with papers everywhere and wrappers all over the floor is a bad look.

 

Biggest pet peeve with summer interns is when we give them the shit work and then they complain about when they have to do something tedious. Yes- you may not be getting a lot out of it, but you have no idea how much you're helping the analyst/associate who can focus their attention on other things. Your job as a summer intern is to make the live's above you a lot easier while learning at the same time

 

While I don't have IB experience, I can comment on a few general things to keep in my as a newer employee.

Be someone you'd want to work with: Don't be an insufferable douche. Take a joke. Be social with peers. Don't complain. Have fun. If an assignment sucks and y'all are working really late, crack a joke.

Think for yourself: Try to figure something out on your own before asking someone up the foodchain for help. It's very frustrating to have a new employee ask me something which they could have easily figured out in 5 or 10 minutes with minimal effort.

Be on time: Or better yet, a couple minutes early, but don't be a dick and rub it in peoples' faces.

Put in the hours (and work): I'm not saying to be the first one in and last one out every day, but be there above the minimum. Also, don't talk about how many hours you're putting in. No one wants to listen to someone go on and on about that. When you're at the office, be working, it doesn't matter if someone is at work for 12 hours if they're just looking at dank memes all day.

I'm realizing that some of that sounds a bit rude and condescending, if so please don't take it that way. I think you're on the right track in asking what makes a bad analyst as well as what makes a good analyst.

** EDIT: Dress well but don't show off and keep your appearance professional. **

 

Here are some reasons some analysts in my group did not receive offers in the past:

  1. They spend their entire summer in the analyst bullpen, meaning that they don't develop any relationships with anyone above an analyst. When it came time to discuss their candidacy for a FT offer, nobody knew who they were and couldn't speak to why they should get an offer.

  2. They are really unprofessional. I mean, I'm all for hearing about your weekend in Vegas where you got really drunk and banged some hot girl, and I know that you are trying to bond with me, but I've known you for two weeks and I'm your VP. It's too much too soon. Or they show up on the weekend to the office in a wife beater, basketball shorts, and a baseball hat. I mean, I know it's a Saturday, but you are still in a professional office environment.

  3. They lie and shirk responsibility. For example, one summer analyst wanted to go to some rave or concert over the weekend. But she got staffed. She told people she was sick and couldn't come into the office, so the work got handed to someone else. Somehow, word got out that she went to a concert over the weekend from the other analysts. That was the end of her.

  4. They are dumb. There aren't too many of these, and the two that I'm thinking were client kids who did not fit the typical profile of someone we would normally hire. But there are also a couple that were really brilliant on paper but lacked common sense in person.

  5. They try to play politics but unsuccessfully. One summer analyst buddied up to a VP in our group who had a lot of clout. He spent his entire summer working on this guy's projects at the expense of other "less important" people whose work he put to the side whenever there was a competing deadline. In the end, the VP had one vote and everyone who he shunned each had one vote.

  6. They get really drunk and do something really dumb at a company event. Enough said.

The bar to get a return offer is not that high, to be honest. We're all rooting for your success. You just need to not shoot yourself in the foot. Just show up to the office looking professional. Smile and be gracious to everyone, including all of the assistants and support staff. Make sure you get out of the bullpen and try to talk to the associates and VPs and Directors in your group, as these are the people who will decide if you get a return offer. Work hard but no need to be the last person out of the office every night. In meetings with your associate or VP, ask an innocuous question to show that you are engaged and interested. Show up to the summer events and take the opportunity to introduce yourself to a MD or two and make chit chat. It's OK to make mistakes on your work. Just apologize and tell people that you will double check your work next time and make sure that it won't happen again. Honestly, that's it.

 

Well spoken hominem +1 SB

I believe this is true across all industries when considering interns for full-time offers. Many people treat their internship poorly, or not seriously enough (or lack of any attention). Internships are like the tryouts for the sports team, and they want to see who is a fit and who is not.

Obviously, there are a lot of people trying out, but only a few will pull through.

  1. Being on time - always crucial. This shows dependability.
  2. Positive attitude - every interview I have gone through, been part of, always emphasized this.
  3. Do the work, and put your time in - There is no free meal.

As far as overcoming awkwardness and shyness, behavioral...it has to be reassured that people who have a hard time socializing and building relationships should seek advice or help. There is no shame in this. Whether it is Public Speaking, or Interpersonal Communication, it helps to learn the essentials to be able to talk to others - especially in finance. The promotions in the career become less technical and more relationship building, right?

No pain no game.
 

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