Fancy finance? Do like Idil – boost your career as intern within investment banking

Throughout the year, we offer various internships in our Large Corporates & Institutions (LC&I) organisation, including Markets and Investment Banking & Equities. At present, we have the pleasure of having Idil Korkmaz with us for a 10 weeks’ internship in Corporate Finance within Investment Banking & Equities, Stockholm. Let’s meet Idil, and hear how she nailed the internship, and what it has been like so far – and give you a feeling of the life as intern with us.

Why did you apply for an internship in Corporate Finance?

I wanted to get a feel for what it is like to work in Corporate Finance, and also to expand my knowledge in the field of business and finance. My impression was that Nordea was a fantastic place to do an internship, and a great workplace overall. Also, Nordea is a well-known and successful bank with many great career opportunities.

Furthermore, a couple of friends, who have been interns here, told me how valuable an experience it was, and they strongly recommended me to apply for the internship at Nordea. I had also had several interactions with Nordea previously via different events, such as fairs organised by my school, dinner at Nordea’s offices organised together with Malvina, the female network at KTH, and lastly in connection with the Nordea Women’s Finance Insight Programme which I participated in earlier this year. All combined, with all the events I participated in and the people I met, further increased my already great impression of Nordea.

How did you land the internship?

I applied for the internship by submitting my CV, cover letter, as well as grade transcripts, after which I was invited for an interview. Having interacted with Nordea at several events throughout the year, I believe also helped pave way for an interview.

The interviews consist of a personal interview, and a technical interview. Since I didn’t have any investment banking experience, I decided to focus on preparing for the technical interview. At the time, I also hadn’t had any advanced courses in finance at school, so I spent quite a lot of time preparing for any finance related questions that might come up.

I asked for advice among my friends who had been to similar interviews or done similar internships, and used other resources like the internet, course books etc., to learn as much as I could prior to the interview. I also spent time preparing for the personal interview, as I got the impression that preparing for this part is something many candidates underestimate. Both interviews went well and a couple days after I received a call offering an internship.

What are your tasks as intern in corporate finance?

I assist the team on the deal, transaction, project they’re working on. So, I do market research, company analysis and financial modelling. These tasks are usually important parts of documents and materials which are prepared by the team for an upcoming transaction.

My work is very varied, meaning that I get to use my analytical as well as technical skills. So far, I have had the chance to work on preparing materials for client meetings in several different industries. I have also attended two client meetings, which I definitely didn’t expect to do as an intern.

The past two weeks, I have been part of a project where I have been doing a large amount of research in a specific industry to help the senior team members identify future strategic transactions for the client. This will ultimately be presented to the client, so my work going forward will include presenting the information in a clear and concise way in the presentation materials.

Is working here like you expected – tasks, team spirit, support?

I was excited to start my internship, and didn’t completely know what to expect. But I am really enjoying it. Working on projects as an integrated part of the team, is something I appreciate – there are a lot of learnings, and it gives great insight to what it might be like working here as full-time analyst.

In terms of workload and culture, I was a bit unsure of what to anticipate, but after a few weeks here I can surely say that everyone here are very friendly, and the collaborative spirit is extremely strong. I enjoy the work, and have had great support from my team, as well as other fellow interns. You’re encouraged to be curious and ask lots of questions, which I’ve certainly did, and that creates a very educational environment.

Bottomline; a few weeks into my 10 weeks’ internship, I enjoy every minute of it here. I’ll come back to you with more insights to my life as intern in investment banking, soon. So, stay tuned!