Landing an internship is often the first step to kickstarting a career in corporate finance. As a field focused on managing capital and maximising value, corporate finance offers dynamic paths for those looking to enter finance. This article provides tips for students and graduates to land coveted internship roles at leading financial and international finance corporations. Whether you’re looking to gain hands-on experience or to transition an internship into a full-time job after graduation, read on for actionable advice tailored to help you secure an internship in this competitive industry.
Gaining Relevant Skills and Experiences
- Enroll in relevant university degree programs like finance, accounting, economics, and business administration. Specialising in finance and taking advanced corporate finance courses demonstrates interest and develops technical skills.
- Complete Excel training programs to master financial modelling – an essential skill for corporate finance jobs and internships.
- Undertake statistical analysis courses in corporate finance training programs to strengthen quantitative skills, such as data analysis and financial forecasting.
- Study a foreign language like Mandarin or Spanish to expand cultural perspectives and communicate across global corporate finance firms and international finance corporations.
Finding Open Corporate Finance Internships
- Attend campus career and internship fairs. Come prepared with customised resumes and practice elevator pitches that convey a genuine passion for corporate finance. Ask insightful questions to stand out.
- Search online job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor for open corporate finance internships at corporations that match your location, industry interests, and skills strengths. Set up job alerts.
- Explore smaller boutique corporate finance advisory firms, which often take on interns. Diverse experiences can help with long-term career progression.
- For international corporate finance internships, check listings at global job search websites and the career pages of international finance corporations.
Perfecting Your Corporate Finance Internship Resume
- Highlight relevant coursework like Introduction to Corporate Finance, Financial Statement Analysis, Valuation, and Portfolio Management.
- Include stats/data analysis projects undertaken and critical statistics/Excel skills gained—Emphasise financial modelling proficiency.
- Note finance student organisation leadership experiences with project management abilities like event planning, fundraising, and content creation.
- Incorporate any prior finance internships, your specific contributions, achievements, and quantitative results.
- Tailor your resume summary/profile to the specific corporate finance internship. Align to their required and preferred skills and qualifications.
Making a Strong Impression as a New Finance Intern
- Complete onboarding fully. Immerse yourself in the tools, systems and resources you’re granted access to. Learn organisational structures and team mandates.
- Schedule intro calls with key finance contacts right away. Get clarity on expectations for your role and critical objectives. Offer your skills and support.
- Jump into assignments proactively from day one. Solve problems independently first before seeking input.
- Network actively. Share your long-term corporate finance interests and learn from colleagues informally. Seek feedback on strengths/growth areas.
- Apply corporate finance concepts/analyses learned to hands-on projects. Offer innovative ideas or process improvements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, securing a corporate finance internship requires strategic preparation – gaining technical skills through relevant coursework, identifying open positions, tailoring applications, and performing excellently from day one. With passion and diligence, an internship can serve as the launchpad for a long-term career in corporate finance. Leverage these tips to land a coveted role.
FAQs
1. What undergraduate degree is best for a corporate finance internship?
A: Majoring in finance, accounting, business administration, or economics helps develop relevant technical skills in corporate finance. Specialising early shows commitment.
2. How can I improve my corporate finance modelling skills for internships?
A: Taking Excel training courses, practising building models from tutorials online, and analysing company financials using Excel are all valuable. List skills gained on your resume.
3. Where can I find open corporate finance internship listings?
A: University career portals, job boards like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, finance student clubs, global employment websites, and corporate career sites regularly post openings.
4. What should I highlight on my resume for finance roles?
A: Coursework, statistical/Excel skills, leadership experiences, prior internships/finance exposure, projects displaying relevant abilities for corporate finance training programs.
5. What types of questions do corporate finance interviewers ask?
A: Expect behavioural questions on overcoming challenges, technical questions on valuation or modelling, market/economic news inquiries, and situational scenarios to test analytical skills.
6. How can I maximise my corporate finance internship experience?
A: Fully onboard early, build connections, seek assignments proactively, and apply finance knowledge to hands-on work. Offer innovative solutions and get feedback on growth.
7. Can a corporate finance internship lead to a full-time job offer?
A: Yes, top firms use internship programs to pipeline future corporate finance talent. Converting to a full-time offer still requires hard work and firm performance.
