Equity Research Intern Review

My role as an intern included aiding my team and analyst in constructing research reports, mostly in the form of collecting data or directly writing parts of the report myself. I also created two financial models for companies with the assistance of my team, collating historical data about a company, alongside future projections for company metrics.

I have developed my skills in spreadsheet software and financial modelling to an almost unrecognisable extent over the course of my internship. At the beginning of the internship, my knowledge in constructing financial models was close to non-existent, whereas I was confident in producing large models from scratch by the end. My writing skills, most notably writing about financial analysis have also come on greatly, as well as skills in communication and professionalism.

Yes I was given significant responsibility. When constructing financial models, if I had failed at my task or delayed significantly, I would have pushed back the entire process of a stock initiation, which could have cost the company significant market share and revenue. I was also given significant responsibility in writing research notes, taking charge of an entire industry note.

I recieved a large amount of support, with a week of dedicated training and induction at the beginning of the internship, as well as regular training sessions throughout. My team and fellow interns, as well as the wider department were also incredibly helpful and gave suitable headroom for me to tackle problems by myself, although never feeling helpless.

The culture at Jefferies is definitely what sparked my interested in applying to the firm. The company has a very flat culture, in the sense that ideas and leadership can come from anyone, regardless of status. This entrepreneurial culture encourages constant improvement and keeps motivation high. Jefferies as a firm more generally remains incredibly optimistic and driven, with the company having seen impressive growth recently, being driven and driving forward the culture at Jefferies.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. I've been able to meet (albeit virtually) and interact with some incredibly talented and intelligent people, as well as expand my professional network and learn a huge amount about the world of finance and business in the process. I also feel like I've been able to make a tangible impact on the firm's business, contributing directly to revenue generating work.

Yes

Make sure to do as much research on the company as possible, and ensure you are genuinely motivated to work at Jefferies and you resonate with the culture at the company. Showing Initiative goes a long way at such a dynamic firm, and anyone who is able to show initiative in their prior experience when applying will definitely be well received.