You don’t need to go far to get great career advice
Sigma Phi Epsilon, Babson Investment Banking Association and the Undergraduate Center for Career Development came together and hosted an event last Friday with the goal of current students learning about Finance recruiting and internship experiences from their classmates. We want students to realize the access that they have to juniors and seniors that have gone through the recruiting process and also have had work experience in the industry. Your best career advice might be from the person you are sitting next to in class!
Whether you are just starting to explore a career in finance or are already interviewing, seeking advice and insight from students that have gone through the process is extremely valuable and easy to get! It is just as important to network with Alumni of the College as it is to network with current students. The current seniors and juniors will be those alumni that the first years and sophomores will be reaching to when it is their turn. Why not get to know them now while you are all still here at Babson?
During this event, our panelists (2 seniors and 2 juniors) have backgrounds in Investment Banking and Sales & Trading. I am highlighting below some key messages around recruiting & interviewing that were discussed. These 4 students gave terrific advice and insight into each of their industry areas. I hope the below tips are helpful to those of you preparing for these career paths. Keep in mind this is advice from students that are going into Banking and Sales & Trading.
- You need to be current on the markets. You need to be reading the Wall Street Journal. Interview questions will be about the current markets.
- Networking. You need to do something to stand out and that others are not doing. Reach out and connect and you will be better prepared come interview time.
- Networking (again!). You must be always networking with current students, alumni, employers. Follow-up with those that you have networked with. It is even important to follow-up once you have secured your internship or job to let them know thank you and this is where I have landed.
- Most companies have a first round and a second round “Super Day” interview. Both interviews consisted of technical and behavioral questions. Know your technical questions extremely well and be headstrong. This can set you apart from other schools early on.
- Breaking into Wall Street was an extremely helpful interview guide for interviews.
- Be able to impress with the “Tell me about yourself” question which will require you to understand why you are wanting this career path and what are the things that led you to it.
- The deal teams vary based on the size of the Bank, so give some thought as to what type of team structure you are looking for and what environment you will be best suited for.