Investment Banking Summer Analyst Review

The intern supports analysts with their work across sourcing and live deals. The main deliverables are PowerPoint presentations which require competency with other platforms in order to reach the final outcome. A typical day would entail several client calls and then quickly responding to any immediate asks before continuing with the broader work streams. This might include board presentations or general admin tasks such as working group lists or sending emails out to clients. In truth, given the sporadic nature of calls and client demands, there can be no typical day.

I have learnt so much by being on the programme, in terms of both soft skills and hard skills. In terms of software competency, I now feel much more comfortable with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, FactSet and Bloomberg. It has also been really useful to gain exposure to a range of different working styles and the accompanying challenge that it is to adapt to different people. This enables you to manage expectations and find a better balance between speed and accuracy.

The level of responsibility that I was given during the internship was beyond belief. By week 3, I was already emailing clients and this only continued as time went on. This surpassed all expectations of what I expected from a Bulge Bracket bank. The exposure and trust I was provided with made me more confident and despite it being really scary, pushed me outside of my comfort zone multiples times a day. However, you need to perform well in order to be trusted with more responsibility.

Everyone was only a message away. I tend to be someone who prefers to work it out themselves rather than ask, so it did feel a little unnatural for me to do so. However, I was reassured that everyone would be welcoming of my questions at any point. It can be more difficult when people are working from home due to the fact that you cannot just walk over to someone’s desk but I people would share screen and call.

Citi is by far the friendliest bank that I have encountered. The people, across all divisions and seniority, are down to Earth and are interesting people. Naturally, this creates a more inclusive and friendly environment to work in. There were an array of socials, both within the intern cohort as well as within the team itself. This provided a real opportunity to let loose and take downtime from the hectic day to day work. This included a range of different activities.

One of the best summers of my life. I went to work with a smile on my face and enjoyed almost every second of it. The internship was extremely challenging but I felt supported and welcomed the challenge with open arms. The people were fantastic and I was begging to go back the next day. The clients were very interesting to work with and provided a new challenge everyday. This wouldn’t have been possible without a supportive team.

Yes

Just be an interesting person and show personality. If you have to sit next to someone for 12+ hours a days the most important thing is thsy you can get on with them. Don’t worry about technicals and make sure to ask questions. Don’t be thrown off if they ask the same question to you multiple times in the same/different format. Enjoy the experience and make good luck with it all!! You can do it