Starting your IB internship soon? You'll Need this Survival Kit!

When interns and first-year analysts start Investment Banking roles, sometimes they are woefully unprepared. Don’t let that be you! Here are tips for adapting to your new  Investment Banking position:

✅ Ask questions but also try to find answers yourself first

Many people feel under pressure to know exactly what to do and not ask questions when they start a new position. Yes, you want to try and figure out an answer, but sometimes you need to ask for help. Set yourself a deadline, e.g. you’ll only spend 20 minutes trying to solve something before you ask a manager. Also give your senior advance notice if you want to speak to them, so they can be ready (it also shows you are respectful of their time).

✅ Beware of ‘assumed knowledge’

This is when we start speaking about something, expecting others to know exactly what we’re talking about. We often do this subconsciously. Before you ask questions of seniors, state specifically what you are referring to, e.g. “I’m working on the XYZ project…”

✅ Make the most of your breaks to chat with other people

Don’t demand people speak with you but do your best to foster connections with others over coffee or lunch breaks. Networking is a requirement of the finance industry that can’t be stressed enough.

✅ Sharpen up your technical/computer skills

Learn keyboard shortcuts, plus how to set up your own. Spend some time on YouTube looking up hacks for utilising Excel + PowerPoint better. It may seem like you’re ‘only’ saving a few seconds with a particular shortcut, but when you add it all up with other shortcuts you implement, you end up saving a lot more time.

✅ Get to know your IT team

Speak to the IT team and ask them for tips on how to utilise in-house software to become more efficient. You can also speak to them about possibly upgrading your computer/mouse. Just don’t go asking for upgrades on your first day!

✅ Get to the office early

Getting to the office 10-20 minutes early will give you time to settle in and help you develop an ‘early bird’ reputation.

✅ Communicate your workload

Alert your managers about your workload, instead of just taking on everything and missing deadlines 😱

It will help manage their expectations and prevent you from doing more late nights (than you need to) and staying on top of deadlines.

✅ Remember to take care of yourself

Push yourself too much and your mind and body WILL rebel against you. We all have at least a bit of the “it’ll never happen to me” mentality but we’re not superhuman. Go to the doctor when you need to, maintain happy relationships with family and friends, and exercise frequently. It’s not always easy to get your health back when your mind and body turn on you. 

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