With the finance summer internship season fast approaching, here is a guide on securing an internship for the future, doing well during your internship, and the benefits of doing one.
Whether you come from a finance or non-finance background, securing a finance summer internship is highly valuable if you are considering a career in the industry. Internships not only offer practical experience that can help you decide whether you’ll enjoy a specific area of finance, but also increase your chances of being offered a graduate job. Many companies hire graduates from their internship schemes who have excelled, and other companies see it as advantageous when hiring, as they have demonstrated knowledge and interest in the industry.
Securing an internship can be very competitive and one way to boost your chances of obtaining one can be by doing a Spring Week in the Easter during your first year at university. Companies can hire students who have completed Spring Weeks for their summer internship schemes in the second year and it also adds benefit to CVs for applying to other companies. If you haven’t secured one of these, getting hired onto an internship is still very achievable by demonstrating a strong interest and knowledge of finance. According to Milkround, many internship deadlines happen in December or January, and some companies have a rolling deadline, so getting applications submitted early can be beneficial. In addition, having strong knowledge about the company to which you are applying, why you want the role, and why you want to work for the company is hugely important.
In addition, having strong knowledge about the company to which you are applying, why you want the role, and why you want to work for the company is hugely important.”
For those who have an internship lined up for this summer, or who are interested in doing one in the future, making a meaningful impact during your time is important for future employment prospects. Arriving at the internship promptly, working without distractions, networking, efficiency, and attentiveness are important to consider once you’ve started. Furthermore, do plenty of background research on the role and the expectations before you start to ensure that you appear confident. Getting a summer internship can be very helpful for getting a graduate role but for
those who have missed the opportunity, there is still plenty of opportunity to succeed without one. Although it can be difficult to stay on top of application deadlines, it is most important to find a balance to ensure that your studies are not negatively impacted.