Part of MY story is I interviewed for FULL TIME investment banking jobs my senior year without having a junior year finance internship — my internship was at a biotech company. While I made it to super days at tons of firms, I never actually got a job offer. Why? As someone majoring in biomedical engineering, my resume had nothing to back up the story I was trying to sell that I wanted to work in finance!
So what I did was I took 3 economics classes my second semester year (taking my total course load to 5 as a second semester senior), I got an internship at the local Smith Barney in Providence — it was in PWM not banking, but it at least showed I WAS interested in finance, and I stuck around college for a 5th year to get a Masters in Innovation, Management and Entrepreneurship to insert myself back into the recruiting cycle.
Because that following year I had the combination of coursework, a finance internship and a story that was BACKED UP ON MY RESUME, I landed a job offer at Morgan Stanley, my top choice.
Now this was close to 20 years ago. The landscape continues to get more and more competitive, so while that might not work these days, it’s absolutely true that you must have a story that can be backed up by your resume. It’s not enough to say you want something, you need to demonstrate it through your coursework, extracurriculars and yes internships. And even if it’s not the perfect internship, it’s all about how you spin it. <3
#investmentbanking #internship #womeninfinance #financecareer
thewallstreetskinny
