If you are looking for an internship or currently interning in the investment industry.

This thread contains my observations as a hiring manager and a mentor.

I hope you will find it helpful.

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Application: know the company, articulate why you want the internship. Be clear about your matching skill sets and illustrate them with your work sample. Demonstrate that you are willing to learn.

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Again, be specific. If you say you are a good fit and can add value as an intern, demonstrate. I take an honest, realistic cover letter seriously. Self-awareness is important.

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Be kind. I cannot stress this enough. Your intelligence and impeccable pedigree can only help you get so far. Unless you are in the tail end of the distribution, not being a kind person will set you back.

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Be professional and respectful. Carefully review the company policies, missions, and firmwide communication. Behave above and beyond the standards.

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Work with your mentor to set expectations and goals up front for your internship. If goals are qualitative, come up with metrics so you can assess your progress. Discuss and revise your goals as necessary.

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How to add values as an intern:

Work really hard. Be a voracious learner. Read and work through materials that help prepare you for the full time role. Do not be afraid to appear clueless and ask a lot of questions. Respect other people's time.

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You might not come up with ideas or research. That is not the expectation. You are here to learn and on balance help your mentor. All the little things matter: collecting data, organizing information, etc.

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Basically, identify the pain points and see if you can add values by removing them. If you are good with technology, see if there are simple but tedious processes that can be automated and streamlined.

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Reach out to the rest of the firm to learn more about how everything connects and works together. Learn about different roles, having this breadth of knowledge is important to decide how you would like to move forward.

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Do not be discouraged if your internship does not result in full time offers. It is important to recognize an internship as a great opportunity to learn and build long-term relationships.

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Finally, be kind, generous, and helpful. You will be surprised how far you will go in life with these three simple traits. You will also likely be happier too.

Fin/