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MBASummerInternshipSeriesbyDavidOhrvall

1) Introduction2) Gettingofftoagoodstart3) Igotthejob! Cantwaittogoback.4) Igotthejob! ButIdontwanttogoback.5) Nooffer. Nowwhat?

1)Introduction

Beforeyouknowit,Whatareyoudoingforthesummer?willquicklyconverttoHowwasyoursummerjob? Thesummer

internshipgoesbyfast. Onemomentyouarethrilledtohaveasummerposition;andthenextmomentyourewrappingitall

up. AsasavvyMBA,itstimetoanalyzehowtotakeadvantageofeachstageoftheprocess. Makeplansnowtogetyour

internshipofftoagreatstart,andstayfocusedonyourmaingoalafulltimeoffer. Thisarticleoutlinesseveralsituationsyou

mayencounter,

and

shows

you

how

to

leverage

your

summer

experience

into

the

full

time

job

you

want.

2)Gettingofftoagoodstart

Fiveweeksisallyouhave. IknowImbeingakilljoy. Butrealistically,ataboutthehalfwaymarkofatenweekinternship,firm

partnerswillaskthemanagerstoidentifytheinternsmostlikelytosucceed. Thesameistrueoutsideofconsultingfirms:no

marketing,financialorindustrygroupisgoingtowaituntiltheveryendofthesummertodecideiftheywantyoufulltime.

Thatmeansyouneedtogetofftoasolidstartwithyoursummer. Herearesometipsforstartingstrong.

BeallbusinessFindwaystocreatevaluerightfromthebeginning. Soakupthetraining,learnthetools,gettoknowthe

typicaloutputs,andzeroinonsuccessfulpeerswhoare12yearsintothejob. Thereisalotofrahrahatthebeginningof

everysummeranditiseasytobedistracted. Asyoutrytoabsorballthesethingsatonce,rememberthe80/20rule: mostof

yourvaluewillcomefromafewthings. Personally,IworkedforBainformysummerinternshipandmymostimportantoutput

wasapricing

model

that

Ideveloped

early

in

the

summer.

They

apparently

continued

to

use

it

after

Iwas

gone.

Be

ready

to

makesomethingthatleavesyourmark.

ButbelotsoffunWhilegettingdowntobusinessyoualsohavetoplaythegame. Thatis,thegameofappearingtoenjoy

yourself. ItmaybehardtodobecauseyouareSOSTRESSEDOUTABOUTGETTINGTHEOFFER. Somepeoplegoalittletoofar

inthiscategoryandforgetabouttheirwork. Theybecomesocialbutterflies,caughtupintheofficefun,politicsand

personalities. Strikingabalanceiscritical. Hereareafewguidelines:

Nevermissanevent. Ifitwasplannedforyoursummerinternshipgrouporthewholeoffice,youmustgo. Andstaythewholetime. Dontletitbeknownthatyoushowedyourfaceforafewminutesandthensnuckbacktoyourcube

todomorework. Everyonewantstoseeifyoucanbalanceyourworkandplay,somakesurethatyougivethefun

eventsadequatetime.

Nevergossip. Stayabovethefrayandneversayanythingbadaboutyourmanager,peers,theofficeorcompany.Remember,youarejustavisitorforthesummer. Youhavenorealalliancesandanythingyousaywilltravelfarand

quickly.

Participate. Ifeveryoneisplayingvolleyballbutyoureafraidtoplaybecauseyoureterribleatit,playanyway. Beingabletolaughatyourselfisagreattrait. Noonewillrememberifyoucantservetheball,buttheywillrememberif

yousitonthesidelines.

Bereadytoburnthemidnightoil. Balancingfunwithhardworkis,well,hardwork,soplantoputinextrahours.Thatmaymeanyouquietlytakesomeworkhomeorstartextraearlyeachdaytostayontopofthings. Avoidfalling

behind. Thesummerisveryshortanditcanbehardtocatchup. Trytokeepyoursocialandfamilyobligationslight.

FocusonyourmanagerYourofferdecisionwillrestmainlyinthehandsofyourmanager. WhenIhaveclientswhodidnot

receiveasummeroffer,theirstorytypicallycentersonaproblemwithhisorhermanager. Theirrelationshipsoureddueto

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differencesinpersonalities,workstyles,oranunfortunateclientsituation. Consequently,themanagerwouldnotstandupfor

himorherattheendofthesummer. Makeyourrelationshipwithyourmanageratoppriority.

BeaspiderSinceyourmanagerwillhavetoexplainhisdecisiontoothermanagersandpartners,buildawebofpeoplewho

haveseenyourgreatwork. Ifyoufindyourselfisolatedbytheengagementorclientsituation,doyourbesttomakeothers

awareofwhatyouaredoing. Otherseniorpeopleintheofficecanswayanonthefencedecision. Themoreconnectionsyou

build,the

greater

your

chances

of

receiving

an

offer.

3) Lovedmyjob! Gotanoffer. Iplantogoback. Imayinterviewalittlejusttobesure.

Congratulations!YourenowpartoftheLuckySummerClub.Inmyexperiencetheonlypeoplewhoplantogobackforsureare

theoneswholandedsummerswiththemostelitemanagementconsultingfirms(McKinsey,Bain,BCG)orbanks,andwhofit

reallywellwiththatfirmsculture.Everyoneelsetypicallywantstoupgradebrands,getmoremoney,findanewlocationor

justexplore.Assumingyouareinterviewinglightlyandarenotthatseriousaboutswitchingtoanotherfirm,heresagameplan

thatwillhelpyouavoidgettingpummeledoncampusbyjealousclassmates,whilestrengtheningyourpositionwithyournew

employer:

KeepitlowkeyoncampusOK,ok,weknowyouhadagreattimewhitewaterraftingandhavingdrinkswiththemanaging

partner.And,

sure,

it

must

be

great

to

know

exactly

what

you

want

to

do,

not

have

to

go

through

interview

stress

all

over

again,

andnotsuckuptoallthefirmrepsbutplease,chill.Yourclassmatescanonlybehappyforyouforalittlewhile.Likeabout5

seconds.Sotrytostayhumbleandbehelpful.Youreagreatresourcenowforfirminformation,andofcourseyoullmakea

goodmockinterviewpartner.Butyourealsoaneasytargetforgossip:Hessodifferentsincethesummer....Trytostay

aboveitallbykeepingalowprofileaboutyoursuccess.

Keepyourbridgesstrong Youmadealotcontactsoverthesummer;dontletthoserelationshipsgocold.Youmaynotbe

backatthefirmforanother12months,anditwillbeeasytoforgetaboutyou.Keepinmindthatawholenewsummerclass

willbedivertingthefirmsattentionbeforeyouevenstartworkfulltime.Hereareafewtipsformaintainingstrong

relationshipswithyourfirm.

1.Thankyounotes:Agratefulemailorthankyoucardwillgoalongwayinendingthesummerwell.Despiteyour

stellarperformance,keypeoplehadtovouchforyoubehindthescenesforyoutogetthatoffer.Thankthem

properlyattheendofthesummerandyoullkeepthedooropenformoreconversations

2.HowcanIhelp?Ifyouhavesaidyestotheoffer,younowbasicallyworkforthefirm.Youshouldoffertoidentify

goodpeople(yourclassmates),attendfirmfunctionsandkeepupwithofficenews.Beagoodsportabouthelping

outandyoullkeepthepositivemomentumgoingfromyourstrongsummer.Youcanbetheireyesandearson

campusandtheyllappreciatetheextrafeedbackaboutstudents,eventsandthegeneraltoneatyourschool.

3.Twomonthcheckins:Dontforgettotouchbasewithyourbestcontactsandmentorsfromthesummer.Highon

thelistshouldbethepeopleinrecruiting.Itstheirjobtoensurethatallthecandidatessayyestotheofferandare

stillexcitedaboutthefirm.TheHRfolksareoftenthehubofinformation,sootherpeopleinthefirmwillkeeptabs

onyouthroughthem.Ifyoudontkeepintouch,theresnothingtotalkabout.Keepyourpersonalbrandestablished

intheirminds.

InterviewhonestlyIfyouplantointerviewlightly,beasupfrontaspossible.Forinstance,ifyoudneverimagineworkingfor

afirm,

then

dont

waste

anyones

time

by

going

to

acocktail

reception

or

dinner

just

to

hang

out.

Your

false

interest

is

alose

loseforeveryone:itcomplicatesyourlife,theinterestedfirmiswastingresourcesonyou,andyourclassmateshavelessair

timewithyouthere.Instead,beveryfocusedonwhomyoutargetandbeupfrontaboutwhatyouareseeking.Becauseyou

alreadyhaveagreatoffer,otherfirmswillseeyouashardtoget.Infact,dontbesurprisediftheydonttrytopursueyou.

Theyknowtheoddsareagainstthem.

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4)Likedmyjob. Gotanoffer. Honestly,Ihopenottogoback. Plantopursuemydreamjob.

Welcometothemajority.Mostofyourclassmateswillhavehadagreat!summerandbereadytotalkaboutthehighlights.

Butwhentimeallows,theywillconfessthattheydrathergosomewhereelseforafulltimeposition.Itsnaturaltousethe

summertoassessyouroptionsandthenlookforabetterjobonceyourebackoncampus.Everyonefromyoursummerfirm

expectsyoutolookaroundwhenyoureturn.Yourchallengeistokeepyourrelationshipsstrongwiththefirmwhileexploring

youroptionswithothers.Hereareafewthingstokeepinmind:

Stayhonestwithyoursummercompany

Thetruthisyoudontknowwhatyouwanttodo.Andalmosteveryoneyoulldealwithunderstandsthatfeelingandhas

probablygonethroughasimilarexperience.Whatcanbepotentiallydamagingiswhenacandidateleadshissummerfirmto

believethathesreadytojoinandthendropsthesorrybombatthelastminute.Behonestaboutwhatshappening.Your

summerfirmwontrenegeonyouroffer(theyreallycantwithoutseriousrecruitingconsequences)andyouarebeing

aboveboardbykeepingthemuptodateonyourthoughtprocess.

Bereasonableinyournegotiations

Bigfirmshavelotsoflimits:strictsalaryandbonusbands,structuredtrainingandstartdates,definedrulesaboutinternational

transfersandconsistentpoliciesforpromotions.Itsnotlikelythatyouwillbeanexceptiontoanyoftheserules.Keepyour

rankandfilestatusinmindwhentalkingtothefirm.Opportunitiesmaybementionedorwelltryourbestmightbesaida

fewtimes,

but

honestly,

the

offer

you

have

in

your

hand

is

about

as

good

as

its

going

to

get.

If

you

push

too

hard

for

special

treatmentyoullbetaggedawhinerfromdayoneanditmaytakeawhiletolosethatlabel.Sotreadcautiouslywhen

negotiatingforanewrequest.

Mineoutyourexperienceswhiletheyarefresh

Sinceyouareinterviewingseriouslyforabetteroffer,takestockofwhatyoudidforthesummer.Mostofyourfitinterviews

goingforwardwillcoveryoursummerexperience,souseittoshowoffyourtalentsandyourabilitytoworkthrough

challengingsituations.Oneofmyclientsthissummerhitabumpinhisroadtoanofferwhenthemidtermreviewpraisedhis

focusandsolidwork,buthighlightedhisneedtobeabetterteamplayer.SomehowhisseriousfocusonoutputandHBS

(Harvard)credentialsrubbedpeoplethewrongway.Fortunatelyafteramonthofwarminguphisworkrelationshipsand

spendingmoretimeconnectingwiththeteam,everythingendedfineandresultedinanoffer.Andnowhehasafreshexample

forquestionsrelatingtohisweaknesses,overcominganobstacle,orconfrontingcriticism.Takethetimetothinkthroughwhat

youlearnedthissummer,especiallythechallengingaspects.Pulloutasmuchdetailsasyoucannowwhiletheexamplesare

stillclearinyourmind.

Bereadytoexplainyourdesiretochangefirms

SowhydontyouwanttogobacktoXYZcompany?Getusedtohearingthisquestion.Youllneedtowalkthefinelineof

beingpositiveaboutyoursummerjob(andhowgreatthecompanywas)whileexpressingyourdesireforsomethingdifferent.

Stayfocusedonwhatyouthinkyoullgainbyswitchingtoanotherfirmandtryyourbesttoknowtheuniqueattributesofthe

companyyouretargeting.Everyinterviewerlikestohearthathisorherfirmisgreat(itreaffirmstheirowndecisiontogrindit

outeveryday)anditshowsthatyouhavedoneyourhomework.Feelfreetoemphasizethespecificskillsyouarepursuing,but

besuretoremindtheintervieweroftheskillsyoualreadyhave.

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5) Didnotlikemyjob. Didnotgetanoffer. WhatdoIdo?

Yes,youareinatoughspot.Notonlydoyounothaveanoffer,butyoualsoprobablydidnthavemuchfunthissummerand

areunderstandablydiscouragedaboutyourcareer.Unfortunately,youcantjustforgetaboutitbecauseitsonyourresume.A

fewofmycoachingclientslandedtheirdreamsummerjobsbutdidnotgetafulltimeofferattheendofthesummer.Wehad

tostrategizecarefullyhowtohandlethe2ndyearinterviewseason.Withlotsofplanningupfrontandafewpeptalksfrom

friends,youcancomeoutoftheprocesswithagreatfulltimejob.HerearethesametipsIgavethem:

Writeoutyoursideofthestoryandsticktoit

Thereareundoubtedlymanyanglestoyoursummerstory.Avoidthetemptationtoexplaineverything.Youllonlysoundoverly

defensive.Keepyourresponsesbriefandstraightforward;youdontwanttheinterviewertobeconfusedaboutwhat

happened.

Convertyourstoryinto15,30and60secondanswers

Youllhear

this

question

frequently

in

the

fall:

So,

are

you

thinking

about

going

back

to

(your

summer

company)

full

time?

Developseveralshortanswersofvaryinglengthtoaccommodatethelevelofinterestcomingyourway.Mostpeoplearehappy

withabriefexplanation.Whenthequestionarises,bereadywithsomeofthesetopics:

1.Whatyoudidwrongandhowyouhavelearnedfromit.

2.Whatyoucouldhavedonedifferently.

3.Afewfactorsthatmadethesummerchallenging(e.g.noclientmap,asmallteam,anabsentmanager,an

extremelyundefinedproject)

4.Howyoutriedtofinishstrongandmakethebestofit

Understandthefirmssideofthestoryandwhattheyllsayifasked

ManyindustrieshaveatightexMBAnetworkofpeersandfriends.Dontbesurprisedifoneofyourtargetfirmscallsyour

summercompanyandasksyoursummermanagerwhathappened.Beupfrontwithyoursummercompanyandfindoutwhat

theywillandwillnotsayaboutyoursituation.

Haveabackupopportunity

Recruitersareconservative;theyliketolookforevidenceoffuturesuccess.Evenifthisnewfirmloathesyoursummer

company,theywillsomewhatrespecttheircareandevaluationofyouoverthesummer.Becauseyoursummercompany

deemedyounotworthyofanoffer,yourtargetcompanymaytakeonthesameopinion.Incaseyoukeephittingoppositionin

yourindustryofchoice,haveabackupinanareathatwontcareasmuch.Forinstance,abankmaynotcareasmuchasa

consultingfirmthatyoursummerconsultingfirmdidntgiveyouanoffer.Althoughthissecondindustrymaynotbeas

appealing,itisgoodtobeprepared.

Putthewholethingintoperspective

Everyoneyoullbedealingwiththisinterviewseasonhasbeenthroughachallengingcareersituation:aprojectthatdidntgo

well,atoughboss,adissatisfiedclientorapoorreview.Infact,duringmynineyearsinconsultingIexperiencedeveryoneof

thosesituationsatleastonce.Youwillfindagoodfulltimejoband,inthelongrun,thisbummersummerwillnothavemuch

bearingon

your

career.