Investment Banking Spring Internship Review

The first part of the insight was an introduction to the different departments of Goldman Sachs and the culture and values of the bank. This was followed by a division specific vendor training, case studies, and a wide range of different networking opportunities such as networking lunches. The program also included presentations by employees on their division and their personal experience. During all of the program we were encouraged to ask all of our questions and had the opportunity to network with the employees and our fellow participants.

Both the vendor training and the case studies where very valuable for us to develop new skills useful for the work in investment banking. The vendor training was intended to give us the knowledge and skills we would need for working on the case studies, which was a great way of getting everyone on a similar level of skills as not all participants were studying business related subjects. During our case study preparations, we received advice by employees and were given personal feedback on our teamwork, presentation and communication skills.

We were given the opportunity of talking to employees from different parts of the Investment Banking Division, which enabled us to gain a very wide understanding of the business of the bank in this division. All employees gave their very own personal perspective on their daily work and the differences between the various departments of the bank and how they are interconnected. During the networking sessions, we also talked to employees who had previously been summer interns at the bank so that we could learn more about the summer internship program for which we could interview after the insight week.

For me it was very remarkable how consistent all employees talked about the culture of the bank and one could really feel how important the companies values are to all of the employees, especially the aspects of working as a team and the importance of diversity. Everyone was very open to answer our questions and to talk about their personal experience, regardless of their career level, and many participants arranged for coffee chats, which all employees were very open to. The atmosphere was therefore very encouraging and supportive.

The insight program was a very valuable experience for me and exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed most the opportunity to get to know a large number of new people, both from inside the firm as well as students from other universities. This made all of the program exciting and varied. The schedule also included a lot of events in a more relaxed atmosphere such as networking lunches, where we could talk in smaller groups to employees. I experienced the culture as very open, encouraging me to get to know others on a very personal level. For me, the four days went by much too quickly.

Yes

I experienced the interview process at Goldman Sachs as less quantitative compared to other banks. In general, there is a great focus of whether your personality fits the banks culture. When preparing for my HireVue, I found the advice on the companies website very helpful as well as really practicing before taking the recordings. I would encourage everyone to arrange for coffee chats before or at the beginning of the event, which is something I was not used to before participating in the Insight Week, but which many of my fellow participants found very insightful.