Top 50 Profiles - Citi
Student Case Study University: Bocconi, Italy Course: MSc Finance Position: Analyst
Federica Comunello
www.top50.gd/citi
What was the application process like? This application process was straightforward; you apply online, successful applicants are asked to sit an online test for which I recommend you practice. The next stage is the first round interview which I found to be very thorough. The final and most challenging is the assessment centre which took place in London, the toughest I’ve experienced. That said, I feel that the different tasks that candidates are required to do during the centre allow them to be tested in a way that demonstrates their knowledge and potential effectively, resulting in the best candidates for the job getting through. What did you do on a daily basis? My everyday duties included creating as well as updating market overviews, company profiles and databases, I worked some financial models and was often involved in internal meetings where exposure to senior management allowed me to really understand the rationale and the aims of the tasks I was taking care of. The role doesn’t allow you to get bored, it pushes you to cope with continuously changing situations, environments and people, I think it’s important for a young person at the beginning of his or her career to get to use to that kind of pace. Moreover, it allows you learn something new every day, both through the tasks that you are required to do and the large number of people you interact with. The experience itself was highly valuable, my 10 weeks was the fastest learning experience I have ever had. What was your greatest challenge? I think that the greatest challenge at the beginning was understanding the bigger picture, which was realising the
importance and the meaning of the tasks I had been given and truly seeing how this fitted into the wider activities of both my team and the company. How has this placement / internship affected your career prospects? At the end of the Internship I got a job offer and I am now an analyst. I can definitely say that the Internship has been key in shaping at least the beginning of my career. I have found the job that I enjoy, but even if that wasn’t the case, the experience forces you to develop some skills that I believe are a must in other industries and environments. It was certainly worth the effort required. For this reason, my strong advice is to exploit every single aspect of this experience. What was the social life like? The social aspect for our Intern class turned was helpful to the whole experience, as all the organized events helped me to get a better understanding of the firm itself and, most of all, of the people working in it. Conferences, meetings and a few good nights out have helped me to make good friends and to enjoy my time at Citi even better. Any top tips for a student interested in a placement / internship here? My advice for any student interested in an Internship here would be to try and get the most from the people they work with. At Citi there are plenty of experienced and highly skilled people and the chance to work with them has been the greatest value add of my time here and also the reason why I was more than happy to come back to Citi after graduating.
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