Expert: Torski Dobson-Arnold - 11/9/2008

Question
hello I am currently a sophmore in college and I am starting to think about internships.  I am majoring in finance and want to be a stockbroker for a firm. I am wondering if it is possible to get an internship when I am a junior next year, or what do they normally look for?  Thanks

Answer
Miss Kitty:

I am so excited that you are being proactive in regards to your career prospects now.  I cannot tell you how important it is to have intern and/or externship experience, particularly in your career field of finance.

The first thing I would do it go and have a conversation with your Career Services department there at your college.  They bare going to have a wealth of knowledge in regards to potential employers who have hosted students as interns in the past and a better scope as to those that have opportunities in your given career field.

In regards to what employers look for in interns, that is going to vary from employer to employer.  In my personal situation, I reached out to a company that had not hosted interns in the past when I was a marketing major as an undergrad.  I did some research on the company and provided them a detailed proposal on what skills and abilities that I could bring to their organization as an intern, but more importantly, what type of knowledge and skills I had hoped to attain in their corporate environment and guess what?  I got the internship....and it was paid.

That's another thing to keep in mind.  Internships can be both paid and unpaid, during a school semester, or over the summer and in some cases, you may even be able to earn college credit in lieu of payment.  Don't leave any stone unturned in your pursuits!

I would research stockbroker firms NOW as they tend to be highly competitive and reach out to managers in those firms, start scheduling informational interviews and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!!

If you are involved in any finance and/or business clubs at college, I would talk to their advisors as well so tap into any leads that they may have.

Miss Kitty, best of luck to you in all of your career endeavors!

dO U!

-Torski