How to kill it as an intern
This is probably a common question but would love some more insight.
I am going to be a 2021 SA at a BB and with 2021 SA most likely being virtual, how can I kill it as an intern at a firm that traditionally has lower return rates.
I honestly doubt we'll be in person too much of a liability for the firm
Congrats on the offer, it’s been a tough environment I’ve heard to land SA’s this season.
I definitely agree with some of the other posts: being available almost all of the time (regardless of time zone) is super important in a virtual environment. This year especially, committing time towards completing assignments, responding quickly to turns and emails, and being present for those early morning/late night responses is vital. When you’re selected for random projects/deals, the first requirement is simply being the first intern available. Early bird gets the worm type of deal.
Make life easier for the analysts and associates you’re paired with. If it costs only a few minutes to go the extra mile (hyperlinks, spell check entire document instead of only your own section, do outside research to have a baseline understanding of more complicated businesses), it is in your best interest to push past expectations.
Communicate well. It’s a little weird being virtual, but don’t be afraid to ask questions or get feedback before a project is done. You can get feedback from the analyst who assigned the work, or from an analyst or associate who you have a good relationship with. You taking turns on your own assignment and getting a good product out means less time on their end fixing a bunch of mistakes. It’s much faster to give you feedback along the way as opposed to getting in there themselves and rearranging everything.
EOD it’s about trying to be present, attentive, and as helpful as you can be. People who work to make their boss’s life easier get promoted, and an intern getting a FT return offer is the same deal. Good luck!
Dont fuck Up. Don’t make mistakes, be honest if you don’t know how to do something, take ownership over your work, work quickly (but without mistakes). - to nuance this, nobody expects you to know everything, but you should set the tone early on that you’re not the kind of person that makes typos or links the wrong cell on excel.
Be likeable and feel free to speak up to a certain extent.
To add onto this, if you do fuck up, own your mistake, apologize and be sure to never make the same mistake going forward. The interns that take responsibility for their mistakes and continue on with a positive attitude are likely to be respected more at the end of the day than the interns that make excuses and trudge on with a bad attitude.
Be available (10-15 min tops to respond to emails/messages/calls) as that is most important.
Show interest in the work you are doing as that definitely gets noticed (I personally used to chat with the analysts on the project after meetings/deliverables getting done to understand the bigger picture - everyone will be happy to help and answer questions)
Get your questions cleared upfront - I know you might think not knowing something can show incompetence (at least I thought that at the start) but trust me it does not. Speak about what you don't know and get things cleared. It is better to not know and ask a question 20 minutes after being assigned work rather than you struggling for 3 hours without getting anywhere and just delaying everything.
Don't be afraid to communicate if you have a lot of work on your plate (this is even more important in a virtual environment since people will not be able to see if you are busy. I was always messaging analysts that I am working on deliverable A currently so can your deliverable B be begun later.
Take the time you think you will take to do the work and ask for a deadline 1 hour on top of that (if it takes 2 hours say it you will get it back in 3). Use the extra time to check and re-check, you will be surprised at the amount of mistakes that can be caught this way (pro tip- Always check footnotes I got caught out so much on those; another important thing is to see if numbers tie - the sales multiple that reads 8.5x on page 6 should not be 8.4x on page 20)
Thought this said: How to kill an intern
It’s not rocket science and no one expects you to be an expect (yet). The internship process is really (primarily) an exercise in grit, adaptability and emotional intelligence; if you’re the unicorn summer analyst/associate who can check all those boxes AND add material value to the team’s workflows, congratu-fucking-lations, everyone thought your kind was extinct yearssss ago and you’ve just secured either (a) an offer, (b) the most aggressively enthusiastic support/endorsements your colleagues have ever given anyone, even their own kids or, better yet, both.
*be careful with this one, really depends on the culture of the team you're on; the best/highest performing teams on the street, by and large, are going to have a flat(ter) culture that emphasizes an entrepreneurial "see something, say something" approach to their work. On these teams, your title doesn't matter so much, if you've noticed something that's not been mentioned by your colleagues, speak the fuck up; whether or not they agree with you, they'll respect that you had the audacity to share your thoughts. Also, don't overdo it; it's like tequila benders, every once in a while they can be refreshing, but in becoming commonplace they become an absolute abomination.