Andy Morina
I’m sure that every finance, business management, economics student understands the unbelievably hard, and brutal process of trying to get an internship. It will chew you up and spit you out. And to top it all off, I went to a non-target university (target university being the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial etc), and was able to do it, so it’s definitely not impossible.
I would like to preface this by saying, please don’t get sucked into the one-dimensional mindset of thinking that the only good career choice out of finance is investment banking and private equity. They are both incredible careers respectively, but there are plenty of other roles out there (that pay extremely well too). In this short blog, I will be discussing my journey and experience.
Nobody in my family works in finance, meaning I had no connections, and no understanding of how the hiring and interview process worked. I only became aware of the likes of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan in my first year of university…. And while I wasn’t able to make it into either investment banking or private equity (still a bit upset but life goes on), I was able to get into a very large, internationally known asset management firm.
So, how was I able to do it? There’s no magic secret, but the best advice I could give is to get a mentor, and demonstrate a genuine interest in whatever it is you like, you must also show determination to be keen to learn. ‘Getting yourself out there’ sounds very cliché, but it is crucial in a competitive environment, especially within very prestigious jobs. I was able to get a mentor by attending my university’s finance societies’ events. I also made it known that I was actively searching for internships and needed help, as I knew nothing and had no idea where to start. Speaking to people in your university who have good internships lined up is a great place to start.
By doing so, I was paired up with someone who had knowledge regarding the financial landscape and environment, as they actually worked within the sector, and so had been through the exact process I was going through. He was able to tell me about what types of jobs within the sector I may enjoy, and describe what the hiring process is like. We built my CV and tweaked it, making sure it was up to standard with what banks and HR look for (my first CV was genuinely terrifying, I’m not sure how I even got my first job). We also did mock interviews, and so he adjusted my answers as he knew what interviewers would like to hear. Interviews can also be intimidating at times, so it was great to have some form of preparation and trial beforehand.
Now onto the best bit: the application process. Out of 100+ applications, I got around 4 interviews, and only made it to the final stage for 1 of them. As mentioned earlier, it is a brutal process. I did feel a lot more comfortable with interviews as I had practiced, and it definitely made life a lot easier - the confidence really goes far. The online assessment ‘games’ are pretty tough too, I’m still not even sure what they measure?
Following from previous advice, once in the internship, you should continue to really get yourself out there, and also prove that you’re a good, and hard worker. Soak up as much knowledge as possible. Try and shadow other divisions, speak to different directors (only if possible, don’t be annoying), introduce yourself to others. You get the gist. The connections you make with other people there can be exceptionally useful, as they are able to further mentor you, and can also help you potentially switch divisions if you want to. A lot of companies like to hire internally. It’s also just nice to be friends with the people you are with for most of the day. JUST BE A GOOD INTERN!
My internship experience at Fisher Investments was invaluable. I was able to understand how the company runs, learn about other divisions and how they operate, make good connections within the firm. I was also lucky to have a great, and a very friendly team to work with. They let me shadow other people, and see sides to roles I didn’t even know about. All of this was possible by me just asking politely, and showing some sort of interest, on top of being a good and reliable intern. Ask, and you shall receive!
For more information on my internship, or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, I’m always happy to help!
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