How did you approach the internship search?
I had no idea where to begin with my internship search, but that's why it was so beneficial for me to work with someone from the Office of Career Services. I worked closely with Karine throughout the internship process and we did regular check ins. She gave me advice about how to improve my LinkedIn, resume, and cover letter. She also gave me great insight into what kind of careers I can pursue other than engineering. A great piece of advice is just to apply, apply, apply! Send applications to as many companies as possible and make sure to keep a spreadsheet of all the companies you have applied to. Also, don't make the mistake of talking yourself out of a position. Coming from an engineering background, I was really hesitant to apply to business/finance internships because I thought I didn't have the educational background for the role, but I received a surprising amount of responses from companies for interviews.
Any tips for fellow Tandon students on how to find internship opportunities?
Handshake is really helpful because companies who post job listings there are specifically looking for hires from our school. Indeed and Glassdoor are also great websites. Also, don't underestimate the value of networking. Go to different networking events and send a connection to the speaker/recruiter with a thoughtful message thanking them for their time. And if you are a woman and/or student of color, going to diversity events will open up a broad range of opportunities for you to make connections with companies who are specifically looking to hire diverse talent.
You landed an amazing internship for this coming summer! Tell us about it, and how the interview process went!
I will be working as a Summer Analyst for HSBC's Private Bank. I will be gaining exposure to different areas within the bank and for now, the internship will be virtual. I applied through Handshake on December 1st. I did three rounds of job simulation assessments where I answered different behavioral/technical questions. For the last two assessments, I had to record myself answering questions that were presented to me on the spot. The recruiter then reached out to me to participate in a Super Day, which consisted of 4 micro-exercises and 1:1 interviews with two separate business members. The first interview consisted of more behavioral style questions and the second consisted of more technical questions about investments. The following day, I sent a personalized thank you letter to each interviewer and I received the offer the next morning. The whole process took about 2 months.
Any interview tips?
Always research the company and their values because that will shape how you answer their questions. Look on Glassdoor for examples of interview questions for that specific company. Keep a document with all possible interview questions you can think of and your possible responses. When you have to go through a lot of interviews with different companies, it's helpful to already have answers prepared for the more common types of questions so that you look prepared. Remember, a big thing interviewers are looking for is how well you can articulate your thoughts, so make sure you don't speak too fast and that you are actually engaging with the interviewer by asking thoughtful questions and showing your interest in the company/position.