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What are the most competitive Finance Internships in America?

I would like to start applying to internships but I want to make it worth my while. Which internships will stand out on a CV or lead to a potential job in Finance?

#internships #jobs #resume #finance #competitive

Thank you comment icon Check Ameriprise Katy Maclean

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Ken’s Answer

You do not have to be involved in a remarkable or outstanding internship program. You just have to be a remarkable and outstanding participant in an internship program which is most suitable for you as an individual.


The best way for you to become successful in the area of finance is to get to know how your personality traits fit into this broad area and then talk face to face and in person to determine if this is indeed a good fit and get their assistance and input on your journey into finance and seeking suitable internship opportunities.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Let me share an interesting internship story: ## During my daughter's senior year in high school, the highlight of the year (and of the whole high school experience) was to be a several month long internship program. Everyone signed up and indicated the type of internship that they wanted - all except for one girl. This girl wanted to become a doctor and wanted her internship to be with the local EMS unit at the local fire station. So, she talked to the head of the EMS unit and got his approval and made arrangements with the school to create her own internship. Of all of the students about which I heard, she was the one who benefited the most by her internships. My daughter's was definitely not the highlight of her school career. Her first choice fell through and her final assignment was not really what she wanted and did not give her the type of exposure that she had hoped for. This shows that you can create your own internship! Locate a company that fits the parameters of the type of experience and exposure that you are seeking and work with them and the appropriate people in your school to put it in motion. After all, if there is an internship program existing today, anywhere, it had to be created by someone.
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Alyssa’s Answer

This website I discovered is incredibly useful, take a look: https://www.investopedia.com/most-prestigious-finance-internships-5270357
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Debbie’s Answer

Hi! If you're interested in Finance, you have many opportunities! For me, I have found the Big 4 accounting firms to be a great place to get grounded in the fundamentals and gain a broad experience to different industries and clients in a short amount of time. It is also a great place to develop soft skills like presentation and networking. They offer very competitive internship opportunities which could also lead to a full time offer. Good luck!
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Rori’s Answer

There's no one internship that will guarantee a job or that's "best." Focus in on the experience and the skills that you'll actually be gaining that might help you down the road. If you don't have a lot of experience in Excel, maybe an internship that'll focus in on building models and doing analysis using Excel. If you're maybe lacking experience presenting, you could possibly focus more on an internship where you'll have an opportunity build decks, present to leadership, and have lots of face-to-face time with leadership. Think more about the type of role you'd be most interested in and the sort of company you'd like to work for (i.e. Do their values align with yours?) and that will help you find a great internship for you!

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