Hanna’s internship was a door-opener to a job in Markets. It could be you!

Hanna Lönnqvist works as Sales Manager in Nordea Markets, Derivatives Coverage, in Stockholm and has been with Nordea for a year now. After finishing her Master at School of Business, Economics and Law at Gothenburg University, Hanna got an internship at Markets, and that was her door-opener to a sales manager job in Markets.

Why should students apply to our internships positions?

It is a great opportunity to experience Nordea Markets as you get to spend a week at each desk e.g. the FX desk, Research etc. The rotation gives you a chance to really understand what they do at each desk, and what you would prefer to explore further – and then you get a fantastic network due to the many different teams you meet and get to work with.

What kind of work does an intern typically do in your team?

The Markets summer interns usually have weekly sessions with members from each team/desk where they learn about the products, how we work, our clients etc. in combination with a smaller business case. After each week at desk, the interns present the case for the team, before rotating to the next desk.

What are the key attributes that you look for in an intern/student?

We look for students with a true interest in the Markets division, who have a positive mindset and an outgoing personality, as many desks involve a lot of client dialogues and interaction. You are here to learn, so a deep willingness to learn and the ability to process a lot of new information, is a strong advantage.

What distinguishes an ambitious intern?

The willingness to walk the extra mile when it comes to try to understand the purpose of each desk by being curious, asking questions and trying to convert and use the lessons learned during the week in ‘real’ business cases. Social competences and abilities to communicate your findings and understandings are also highly valued as your engagement is important to us.

Give 3 recommendations on how to succeed and make the most out of an internship here?

1. I would say that the most important thing is to try to figure out what truly interests you by taking every chance you can find to talk to your colleagues at each desk.

2. Networking whenever you have the possibility will help you a lot.

3. Take notes so that you remember both what you have learned but also pros and cons, what you like and not so much, about your different rotations. You will experience a lot during a 8-10 weeks’ summer internship – or any of our internships – at Nordea Markets, so it will be useful to have notes helping you sort it all out.

In your case, an internship at Nordea was a door-opener to a job here – is that common?

Yes, definitely. I was hired after my internship, and it is a great recruitment pool in the search for new  colleagues. Last summer, one of our interns got the opportunity to stay at the bank as part-time employee next to her studies. So yes, I would say that it is common.

And I can only recommend anyone interested in corporate banking who wishes to get a sense of what it’s like working in the biggest bank in the Nordics, amongst some of the most competent people in the industry, to apply for an internship with us.