If you’re looking to get a finance internship with no experience, there are a few things you need to do.
First of all, understand that there’s a lot of competition out there. You can’t just slap together a resume and hope that someone will hire you. In fact, when it comes to internships, companies are often more likely to look for someone with experience than someone who has none at all. That’s why it’s important to be proactive in your job search from the start—you should always be working on getting an internship at the same time as applying for jobs and other opportunities.
So how do you get an internship if you don’t have experience? First of all, focus on networking and building relationships with people who already work in finance (such as professors or professionals from previous internships). The more connections you make with people who know what it takes to succeed in this industry, the better off you’ll be later on down the road when it comes time to find an actual job!
Second: be willing to work hard! You might not have any experience yet but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn new skills quickly or pick up the basics while doing other things like volunteering at local non-profits or helping out around campus with various activities
How To Get A Finance Internship With No Experience
Introduction
If you’re trying to get an internship in finance, it can seem like a Catch-22: How do you get experience if no one will give you the opportunity to work for them? The answer is: You need to be prepared. If you have your resume down, know what kinds of questions you’ll be asked, and prepare answers that show off your skillset, then all it takes is a little networking. So here’s some tips on how to get started with getting that finance internship!
Your resume is everything.
Your resume is everything. It should be tailored to the position you are applying for, and it should be easy to read and follow. The first thing a hiring manager sees when looking at your resume is the overall formatting of it; if there are too many sections or font sizes, they will pass over your application without taking another look at it.
Your resume should have a clear structure—the ideal format is one page with specific sections such as education/training, experience, skills, awards/accomplishments/other achievements, volunteer activities (if applicable), and references (with whom you’ve worked who would recommend you).
Research interviewing tactics.
When you’re interviewing with a company, there are a lot of things you should do to prepare. Researching your interviewer and the position is essential because that will help you tailor your answers and show that you’re serious about the job. Here’s what else you can research:
- The company culture
- Your potential coworkers
- Competitors’ products and services
- The role itself
Identify companies with a good track record of hiring interns.
- Visit the company website.
- Check out their social media accounts.
- Look at their alumni network, especially if they are a well-known organization or have been around for a while.
- Check out their internship program requirements and benefits, as well as what they offer to interns in general (i.e., paid travel days).
Go to career fairs and networking events.
Attending career fairs and networking events is an excellent way to meet people in your field. You can talk to them about their jobs, the company they work for, their internship programs and salary. You’ll also be able to find out more about the company culture before applying for an internship or full-time position there.
By building a network of people who are already working in finance, you may even be able to get some advice on how you can improve your chances of getting hired at their firm or even finding an internship with them!
Cold contact them (but make sure you do your research first).
It’s also important to make sure you have done your research on the company, so you can make a personalized pitch for yourself. If you know that their most recent product launch was a disaster and they are now looking for someone who can fix it, then mention this in your email. Or if there is an internal promotion coming up at the company that fits with your experience, mention this too!
The next step is researching the person who will be reading your application. Get familiar with their LinkedIn profile or Twitter account and find something unique about them (and then mention it). If possible, connect with them first before sending off an email about how awesome you are – this makes it much more likely they will take notice of what comes next!
Finally – don’t forget to check out what roles are available at the company before applying! This means doing some research into their current job listings as well as scanning through Glassdoor reviews by past employees (which should give insight into any challenges faced within those roles).
Don’t be afraid of being underqualified.
Don’t be afraid of being underqualified.
If there’s one thing I learned about getting a finance internship, it’s that it often pays to be underqualified. That doesn’t mean you should lie on your resume or cover letter—be honest! Your skills, interests and career goals will shine through in the interview process, so there’s no need to embellish anything. But if you’re just starting out in the field or if you’ve never worked in finance before? That could work in your favor.
The reason is simple: companies want to hire people who are excited about learning new things and who bring some kind of unique perspective to their team (and yours doesn’t have any other interns with three years of experience). If an employer thinks that they can teach someone everything they need to know about their business model and how things work within their organization, then maybe the company won’t look as appealing anymore—especially when compared with another opportunity out there where someone else does all of those things already!
Use LinkedIn to find the right people to talk to.
LinkedIn is the best way to find the right people to talk to. You can use LinkedIn’s advanced search or LinkedIn groups, or even just LinkedIn’s basic search.
LinkedIn has a lot of information about you, and it’s likely that many people at your target companies are on there too—so there are plenty of ways you could find them!
Ask an alumni for help.
Ask an alumni for help. The best way to get a job is through the people you know, so it’s helpful to have friends who work at banks or investment firms. But if you don’t have any connections in the finance industry and want to get an internship with no experience, ask someone who does have connections in the field for advice and help.
Ask them what companies they recommend applying to. Ask them how they landed their first internships at their company. If they were successful, ask if they could introduce you with a recommendation letter or even act as a reference when looking for jobs after graduation (and mention how much talking up your professional skills would mean).
Apply early.
The earlier you begin applying to internships, the more opportunities you’ll have. Start looking for them around February and March, as most companies don’t start interviewing candidates until then.
Apply early in the year. You may be surprised at how many companies will still be looking for interns in June or July of the following year! It might seem like it’s too late to apply now, but if any company is hiring interns, they’ll likely still be taking applications until mid-March or April (or even longer). Remember: there are plenty of opportunities out there! The sooner you act on this advice and get started applying for internships, the better off your chances are of finding something suitable.
Some employers do have their own application deadlines; make sure that yours doesn’t fall too close to theirs so that they can consider your candidacy fairly and thoroughly—but not so far away that by waiting longer than necessary before sending in an application there’s no hope left at all.*
It is never too soon or too late to apply for a finance internship!
It is never too soon or too late to apply for a finance internship. If you know you want to work in the industry, apply as soon as you can. The earlier, the better because it’s more likely that your application will be read and considered by recruiters. It’s also important to note that many firms have internship programs with multiple deadlines throughout the year; if you miss one deadline it doesn’t mean your chances are over! Apply again next year as well—you never know what might happen between now and then!
At any point during your career path in finance (or any other field), if you don’t get an internship offer right away or at all, try again next year or even later on down the line when applying for actual jobs. While internships are great ways to learn about different industries and establish connections with professionals in them, they shouldn’t be perceived as necessary steps along one’s journey towards success; they should instead be viewed as opportunities that arise randomly throughout life based on factors such as timing and luck (not necessarily skill).
Conclusion
While all of these tips are helpful, the most important thing is to stay positive and remember that you will get an internship. As long as you stay focused and keep looking, it is only a matter of time before you have a job offer in hand.
