The University Times Special Careers Supplement, February 2012 by Ronan Costello

The University Times

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

BRIGHT IDEAS FOR YOUR CAREER

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Consulting Accounting Legal Financial Scientific

In assocation with

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ONE LIFE, ONE YEAR, MANY CHOICES Trinity School of Business Masters Programmes MSc in Business & Management

Interested in a career in business management or in becoming an entrepreneur, but you’ve never studied business before? The MSc in Business and Management is designed specifically for graduates who have a primary undergraduate degree in a non-business related subject and who are passionate about taking control of their own career and future. This one year full-time Masters will complement your foundation degree and give you added business and entrepreneurial value, providing you with the skills required to lead, manage and create in today’s complex business environment.

MSc in Finance

The MSc in Finance is a rigorous and comprehensive introduction to the tools and skills that finance professionals require and that are core to modern financial services. This programme is designed for quantitatively skilled individuals who wish to develop their careers both inside and outside the financial services arena. The programme is accredited by the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA) and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association – it is the only programme worldwide with this unique triple accreditation. The MSc in Finance can be taken on a one-year full-time or two-year part-time basis.

MSc in International Management

Develop and practice the advanced skills required for leading and succeeding on an international management stage. The MSc in International Management is designed specifically for those who have an undergraduate degree in business or a cognate discipline. It can be taken on a one-year full-time or two-year part-time basis and includes an International Residency component in a BRIC country.

visit our website at www.tcd.ie/business

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The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

Introduction: What is the CALFS event?

CDSU IS DELIGHTED to present CALFS: a careers event focused on the areas of Consulting, Accounting, Legal, Financial and Scientific. The event itself will set out to motivate students to push themselves to excel in their academic studies by encouraging them to engage in external activities including internships in various fields. The event will be hosted by TCDSU, The Careers Advisory Service

and the Alumni Office in conjunction with various societies such as The University Times, TCD Investors Society, The Bull, Trinity SMF and Trinity Law Society, and with the support of the Science Gallery. CALFS will be held in the Science Gallery from 11:30-3:30 on Thursday the 23rd of February 2012. There will be 5 motivational speakers from 5 different professional backgrounds speaking to the audience of students. The speakers

Rachel Barry

will give informational talks about the importance of work experience in each of their fields as well as answer any questions. Each speaker will talk for 25 minutes with Q & A afterwards. Listening to 5 speakers from different fields speak one after another is to encourage students to engage and listen to not just the talk regarding their field of study but also that of others. However, don’t worry if you can’t

stay for the whole day - there will be breaks in between each talk, so you can pop in to get advice on the areas that matter most to you, or even simply to ask questions from the best in the business. In this University Times supplement to the event, you can fi nd information on how your fellow students have put themselves out there in an attempt to gain experience, and the impact that this had on their career.

The key message of CALFS is that it’s never too early or too late to start thinking about getting ahead, and there is never a wasted opportunity - we believe that Trinity students have the ability to succeed in all areas of life - CALFS attempts to help those who are wondering how to make the fi rst steps.

The CALFS Team Aidan Bond James Aidan Bond-James is the Managing Director and Founder of the event. He is a second year Student of TSM Economics and German from North County Dublin. He is enthusiastic about all aspects of University, academic and extra-curricular. He has been an active advocate for college politics since entering Trinity in 2010, acting as a class representative in fi rst year and attending USI National Congress as a Trinity delegate. Th is year he is serving as the Finance and Services Officer of the Students’ Union Campaigns Executive. Aidan has been and continues to be heavily involved in numerous societies such as ; Trinity Orchestral Society, Trinity Investors Society, The University Times and CancerSoc. Aidan has a huge interest in emerging markets, telecoms, internet start-ups and fashion. Last summer he interned as a research assistant to Prof. Eli Noam at Columbia University

Jack Cantillon Business School’s CITI office on the Upper West Side of New York City. He is the Creative Director of a Dublin-based events company and will continue to be highly involved in, and contribute direction to their Irish Operations this coming summer. He is always looking for new business ideas and takes a very student-oriented focus on the professional world. Aidan has been involved in many prestigious orchestras throughout his musical career including the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, playing numerous social outreach concerts, most notably one in Harlem NYC in 2009 for over 7000 disadvantaged inner city children along with many “meet the orchestra concerts” here in Ireland.

Catalina de la Sota Catalina de la Sota is the Financial and Business Co-ordinator of this event and is a second year PPES student, who has just completed schols. Catalina hails from the Basque Country and is passionate about her degree. As an extension to it, she is a Co-founder and chief editor of Trinity Agora, a new studentrun political magazine to create a platform of discussion and aimed at becoming a monthly review of the world political landscape. She was involved in the VDP Soup Run last year, debates at the Hist, and is in the Sailing Team. She was included on the Dean of Students roll of honor 2011. In terms of work experience, last summer

Jack Cantillon is the Law and Accounting Coordinator of CALFS. He is an SF Law Student from County Kildare educated at Newbridge College. Jack is the founder and Auditor of TCD Horse Racing, one of the largest societies in Trinity in its fi rst year with 1,400 members. He is founder and chief organiser of the Spin 103.8 Raceday. A student raceday to held in Leopardstown on the 28th of March for over 5,000 people. He was 1st year representative to the Law Society last year and is this years Librarian. He also acted as Brand Ambassador for Linklaters, a magic circle Law fi rm, in Trinity for 2011/2011 academic year. He is a frequent communalist in The University Times and is a winner of the internationally acclaimed Martin Wills award for Writing and a poetry scholarship to the Gerald Manly Hopkins Summer School.

He completed an internship with the Chief Hearing Officer of the Office of Administrative Hearings, Environmental and Energy Cabinet in the Commonwealth of Kentucky this summer. Jack is also a successful Horse Breeder having co-bred champion Irish two year old, Casamento, last year and run a lucrative foal buying syndicate for a number of years. He has worked as a "Front Man" for international Horse Sale consignments in Ireland, UK, France and the USA. He also spent time working in Japan working for Sheikh Mohammed Darley Japan operation. He's worked as an advisor to the Racing Post and Curragh Racecourse and is a frequent Paddock Presenter at Fairyhouse and Naas Racecourse. He was included on the Dean of Students roll of honor and was a fi nalist for Fresher of the Year at last years society of the year awards.

Bishoy Abdou Catalina interned in a Parisian holding company working for Charles Beigbeder. She dealt colesly with some of the holding’s companies while assisting the team involved in the bid to host the 2018 winter Olympics in Annecy. In the fall of 2011 she worked as a translator for a private equity fund, working on the Memorandum of the company from Spanish and French into English, and assisting the company in its beginnings. In summer, she is very committed to an NGO in Cambodia, “For a Child’s Smile”, to get the children out of the slums and allow them to go to school.

Bishoy Abdou is the Engineering and Scientific Co-ordinator of the this event. He is an extremely proactive second year student of Engineering in Trinity, who has just completed schols with promising results. Before Bish joined the team the event was initially titled “CALF” but with his guidance it was soon changed to the better suited name of “CALFS” to integrate the Scientific element of the project. Aside from being an hugely successful class representative Bish is involved in many societies in college including but not limited to ;Jujitsu Society, Animation Society and EngSoc. Bishoy has completed numerous

non-for-profit internships in Ireland and in the UK, learning a great deal about social outreach and development. His goal for this summer is to secure an internship in Silicon Valley, California and he has focused his energy wholeheartedly over the last few months trying to making this dream a reality. He also plans to further enhance his practical engineering skills by spending time in workshops working on new projects.

The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

Yale University

Studying in the United States Full name: Rebecca Higgins Age: 22 Course of study: Microbiology Photo: Internship completed: Yale University Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA Period: Summer 2011 Length: 9 weeks Consisted of: 9 weeks of practical lab work studying ribosome bio-genesis

How difficult was the admission process and how did you go through all the different steps: I asked a professor of mine if she knew of any academics who would be willing to take on students to work for the summer, she referred me to a colleague of her’s at Yale and I sent off a detailed email and cover letter explaining why I wanted to work there. I had read up about the work that was being done on the various projects in the lab itself and made sure I was up to date with the papers that the lab had published. It was really crucial to make sure the head of the lab knew that I was genuinely interested in the work that was being done there, I think that it is a hugely important factor in applying to this sort of internship! I had no formal interview as such, but I did meet up with one

of the girls from the lab when she happened to be in Ireland but I had been offered a place before that.

What was the most interesting aspect of your internship? Everything that I got to learn! Over the 9 weeks I really learned how to handle myself in the working environment .I really enjoyed becoming familiar with the lab etiquette and I found the different ongoing experiments particularly interesting as well. As I figured out exactly what field of Science I wanted to go into later in life, it really opened my eyes to a lot of the different aspects of Microbiology.

What are the most valuable skills you acquired during this working experience? To carry out experiments and to perfect certain skills, which are extremely important in the field of Microbiology such as how to work under completely sterile conditions (aseptic technique) This is a huge part of the learning curve of working in a fast-paced lab environment. Up until now in my labs in University the class had one supervisor to guide the students on proper lab procedures and techniquea, but in Yale the PhD student I was assisting was able to really take me aside and explain in detail what I was doing

right…and wrong! That was so valuable to me as it is such a practical and transferable skill that I don’t think I would have had the chance to perfect in college. The girl I was assisting had the best aseptic technique I had ever seen, I have been able to bring that back to Trinity and share it with my fellow classmates!

How did this internship contribute to your understanding of the professional world? The internship taught me that there are literally so many different fields of Science that you can try your hand at after your degree, for example; Lab work, academia and lecturing, working with pharmaceutical companies, research… the list of possibilities is endless! I learned how many simple things you do in the lab could actually have such strong relevance in daily life in the professional world, it was helpful for me to understand and make these connections. Did you I struggle making the leap from textbooks to working life? Personally, not at all. I know a lot of people who would struggle with that leap of leaving their textbooks for the practical world but for me I always felt a lot more comfortable doing all the hands on work in the lab and really just learning by doing it!

Did this internship provide you with a deeper understanding of the main dynamics of the scientific world? It definitely did, it really opened my eyes to the different tiers of scientific work. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet lots of really influential world famous scientists, including nobel laureates. I was so inspired by these people I knew that science was the path in life I wanted to follow. I really became focused on getting my final year project started with the aspirations of completing a PhD in Trinity in the future.

What would be your main advice to an indecisive student trying to find a career path? Some students who are in the same position as I was before my internship wouldn’t really know exactly what they want to do in life after they complete their degree in Science and for that fact I would really and wholeheartedly recommend anyone and everyone to apply to do some sort of internship. Its only 8-10 weeks of your life that you are sacrificing and it is well worth your while because after 3 weeks of intensive lab work it will be pretty clear cut whether or not you are

suited for that line of work. After my internship I came back to 4th year in college and really hit the ground running whereas a lot of my classmates would have had to think quite hard about their final year projects, I think that I owe a huge proportion of that guidance and confidence to my internship.

Were you given any particular responsibilities and did you encounter any problems with them? If so how did you overcome them? I wasn’t given any individual responsibilities as such but I was assigned to a PhD student who designated me certain tasks on a weekly basis and in return she taught me how to complete simple procedures such as isolating plasmids and to learn from my mistakes. I didn’t encounter any major difficulties with the projects, but that being said it is a laboratory and there are ALWAYS going to be minor mistakes made, especially when your learning! List of similar internships Columbia University, Princeton, Harvard, Washington University in Saint Louis, Oxford, Cambridge, pharmaceutical companies, Uppsala University in Sweden.

The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

Where the elite are schooled: America’s best universities

Left: Harvard University, long regarded as one of the top three universities in the world. Below left: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where “Good Will Hunting“ was set. Below right: Princeton University.

We’ve one issue left this year. If you want to contribute, email editor@universitytimes.ie

The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

The Careers Advisory Service is around the corner from the entrance to the East Chapel.

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A helping hand from CAS Edel Caraway, Careers Adviser, Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science talks you through the best way to research suitable internships, prepare your CV and how the Careers Service can help you

N JOURNALISM, RESEARCH and police investigation the Five W’s is a concept used as the basis for information gathering. This article will investigate the answers to the Who? What? Why? Where? When? and How? of Internship Programmes. This will give you the whole story about internships, to put you ahead of the crowd in terms of your career.

Who Are Internship Programmes Aimed At? While, internship programmes are generally aimed at Junior Sophister students, some multinational companies provide opportunities for second year students as well as for first years.

What is an Internship Programme? An Internship can also be known as work placement,

summer employment, work shadowing, volunteering and anything that provides a student with a practical and relevant work experience in their field of study. The Trinity College VACWORK Programme for Junior Sophisters is an umbrella term for all types of careerrelated summer work. This includes: • Internship Programmes, varying in length from a few weeks to three months • International Work Experience • Part-time Work • Summer Research Opportunities • Volunteer Programmes • Work Shadowing Employers post many internship opportunities on the VACWORK Programme website. Check it out: http:// www.tcd.ie/Careers/vacancies/ Click ‘VACWORK’ under ‘Types of Work’ to search

open positions. You will need your TCD username and password to access VACWORK vacancies.

Why are Work Placements Important for YOU? Graduate recruitment is extremely competitive and employers are increasingly seeking graduates with work experience. Employers with structured summer placement opportunities use these as the primary source of recruitment onto their graduate programmes. Research suggests that employers will retain between eighty and ninety percent of their summer placement employees on their graduate programme. A placement programme is the most successful selection technique…employers get to see what you are really like!

Improve your Employability

There is a gap between the skills you have developed and the skills that employers require you to have in a working environment. Work experience can help you boost your self-confidence and also to develop a wide range of skills necessary for the working world, such as problem-solving, project management, I.T. skills, numerical reasoning Although academic results are important employers also value a well-rounded person, who will be a good fit for their organisation. Therefore, practical work experience is invaluable. Any form of work experience can highlight your motivation to a prospective employer. Become more aware of the skills you like using and the types of organisation you like using them in An internship will help you understand how you learn in new situations and give you a greater sense of your ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork, communication

etc. Work experience can help you to enhance your career planning by making contacts, testing out interests and companies that you may fit well with, and providing up-to-date information about upcoming opportunities. Identify the sector, company and type of position you would like to work in. Identify the career path of these roles.

Where Do I find Relevant Internships? If you are a Junior Sophister, the aim of the VACWORK programme is to assist you to gain career-related work experience during the summer months. You can find VACWORK positions advertised on the VACWORK section of the Careers Advisory Service’s vacancy website: www.tcd.ie/Careers/ vacancies Updates of VACWORK positions are e-mailed to

students on a weekly basis. Please read the e-mail! Talk to the Academics within your School regarding Commercial and Research Opportunities Alumni – Front Gate – Use the Alumni Careers Network: http://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/ TDD/ This is a unique database of College graduates eager to help current students. A recent survey identified over 100 alumni willing to provide internship experience

When Should I Apply for an Internship Programme? You need to apply Now! Some employer programmes have closed but there are many more with closing dates this month and next month.

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The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

The men who stare at numbers

Anish Raghavan talks about the world of management consulting, having completed an internship in Deloitte Full name: Anish Raghavan Age: 20 Course of study: JS Engineering (Computer and Electronic Engineering) Photo: Internship completed: Deloitte Location: Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, Dublin 2 Period: Summer 2011 Length: 8 weeks Consisted of: Managment Consulting and Technology Integration Service

How difficult was the admission process and how did you go through all the different steps? The admission process was really easy. It was basically an application form, an easy application form, with nothing too hard. In the interview, they actually ask you three questions from the application form. One of them was ‘What were your career goals?’ So basically, it was a short application, with three questions, 250 words each. And obviously a CV, but the cover letter was optional. I actually didn’t do it believe it or not. So it goes to show that you don’t have to do it to get it! After that, they call you for

an interview if they are impressed by you. The interviewers were very nice, they don’t scare you or grill you or anything of such. They don’t even ask you any technical questions, they just want to find out what you’ve done and what you are capable of. It’s also a competencybased interview, where they might ask you to ‘describe a time when you did …’. Those were a bit tricky. They also asked me what I did last summer. There was no way to prepare for those kind of questions. But what I did prepare was to talk about all my past experiences in college and outside college, such as the projects I did in second year and how I could tie that into those kind of questions. Regardless of all that, it goes by really quickly.

What was the most interesting aspect of your internship? Basically seeing how Deloitte operates. It was the first time I actually did an office job; one of those jobs that I could potentially be doing for the rest of my life. I had never done anything like that before, so it was really

One of Deloitte’s flagship buildings. interesting for me in working where I was. Also, as I said, the people were very nice so it was just enjoyable to work with them.

What are the most valuable skills you acquired during this working experience? How to collaborate well within a team; how to work up to standard. I can’t say I learn’t much technical skills, nothing that I couldn’t have picked up by myself or within another company. The internship taught me more concrete skills like how to engage and keep your momentum within a work environment.

How did this internship contribute to your understanding of the professional world? It was great. Compared to some engineering

internships, which are research based, you wouldn’t really get it from them. With Deloitte, you’re actually working within a company, you’re learning and engaging with professionals and managers. The best thing though is the experience of seeing people working around you. You’ll be surprized by how much you learn from just the people around you. I can say that in some cases, I would learn more about something from seeing other people do it than actually doing the work itself.

Did you find the transition hard from Textbooks to working life? Its safe to say that Deloitte help you through that phase. They are very aware of you being there. They don’t expect you to know much, being a 2nd year, which is a relief cause I really didn’t know what to expect from them

going into the internship! Best of all, if you experience any trouble, you can just ask them for help. It’s as easy as that. However, they do expect you to take some initiative, in terms of finding out the related information to a problem, to ask the people around you, that kind of attitude.

Did this internship provide you with a deeper understanding of the main dynamics of the engineering or business world? Definitely the business world. Not so much the engineering world. What would be your main advice to an indecisive student trying to find a career path? My advice? Apply everywhere and decide later! By that I mean certainly put effort into applying everywhere. It takes a lot of effort to get internships, especially

these days because there are so few of them. So apply everywhere but put effort into each application. List of similar internshipsGoogle, Microsoft, Facebook, Intel, Arup, Mercury Engineering, RPS Group, Sandvik, Ericsson Ireland, Schrader Electronics.

The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

Working on the trading floor

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Patrick Lynch describes his internship in Morgan Stanley, how he got it and how they tested him when ge got there

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Full name: Patrick Lynch Age: 22 Course of study: Business and Economics Photo: Internship completed: Morgan Stanley – Sales & Trading Location: Canary Wharf, London, UK Period: Summer 2011 Length: 10 weeks Consisted of: 1 week of training followed by three 3-week rotations through different desks within the bank. (Credit sales, Delta One Equity Trading and Short Term interest Rate Trading)

How difficult was the admission process and how did you go through all the different steps? Subsequent to the milk round the application consisted of a CV and Cover Letter submission followed by a brief logical test. On proceeding through this screening process there were two phone interview of 30-40 minutes each. 15 minutes of each of these interviews was CV and Cover Letter based with the remainder surrounding the financial markets and in particular my macro outlook. When I was accepted to the next stage of the process I flew to London

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for the assessment centre. This consisted of 3 30-minute one-on-one interviews, a 20-minute presentation for which I was given 10 minutes preparation, a group exercise for around an hour and a half, and finally a 10-minute numeracy test. I was delighted to get through this process but knew that the real test was still ahead of me.

What was the most interesting aspect of your internship? Being within the fast paced environment that is the trading floor. As news and rumours disseminated through the floor there was often great commotion and being party to that was absolutely fantastic.

What are the most valuable skills you acquired during this working experience? Time management. In the internship situation the object is to test you as much as possible both at the desk and with intern-wide projects. As such it is difficult to balance time spent at the desk and making sure this work is

Morgan Stanley’s offices in London completed to a high standard with group work with colleagues at other desks. Often many deadlines come at once and as such forward planning was essential to ensure I wasn’t left trying to make excuses. This often resulted in late nights and weekend work however the name of the game is to best represent yourself and if that’s what it takes then that’s what must be done.

What is the most striking difference between the professional and college environment?

You work on a completely different level both in terms of what is expected of you and what you expect of yourself. In college the earliest start for most is 7:30 and the greatest pressure is around exam time. However in the office I was at my desk at 6am and was working to complete numerous projects at once.

Did this internship provide you with a deeper understanding of the main dynamics of the financial world? Yes.

What would be your main advice to an indecisive student trying to choose a career? Submit as many applications as possible. The worst that can happen is they will say no at your interview but that in essence just improves your interview skills! Be careful in realising your perceptions of different industries and what they entail. It is very easy to create a glamorous perception of one versus another but until you experience it first hand you

will not know for sure if it is for you. List of similar internships: RBS, Golman Sachs, Barclays Capital, CitiGroup, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase

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The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

Mixing with the legal eagles Rachel Barry on life in in a large Dublin law firm Arthur Cos solicitors are some of the best lawyers in Ireland. Name:Rachel Barry, TCDSU Education Officer/ CALFS SU Co-Ordinator Age: 23 course of study: Law photo: Internships completed: Arthur Cox, 2 weeks June 2010, Intern, McCann Fitzgerald, 2 weeks June 2010, Intern

How difficult was the admission process and how did you go through all the different steps? I was a third year law student. I was lucky that my course was quite competitive. Everyone one would be applying for an internship and this environment pushed me to do the same. The first step consisted in a substantial internet research, Then I had to prepare my CV followed by the cover letter, and the most difficult was indeed the latter. I think that the cover letter is the most important. It distinguishes you particularly and makes you stand out from a pile of papers. I wrote most of my CV alone and then asked friends for advice. I wish I knew the Careers office at the time. They have all the resources to help you and provide personal assistance for making a CV. With regards to the interview, for me, the most important thing is to get it. Once you have a foot

at the door, you can express yourself and directly give life to all that you wrote in your cover letter. For this, extracurricular activities are essential. You learn as much from outside the lecture theatre than as you do from inside and your CV and cover letter must clearly show it. It is of no use to simply write that you played in Trinity’s hockey team. You must specify what you got from such an experience, and how it makes you stand out. But, one essential point, do a different letter for each internship you are applying to. There is nothing worse than a generic letter sent to all. It will look blind and hollow.

What was the most interesting aspect of your internship? I completed two internships so I had the chance to compare very different experiences, albeit both being linked to law. It was particularly interesting to see how commercial firms could be so much at variance in terms of their working environment. People think that they are faceless and the same, but the reality is another one. I got very different feelings from both experiences and discovered how different firms can look for

different personalities. Some might be particularly concerned about the academic achievement of their applicants while others might put an emphasis on communication skills.

What are the most valuable skills you acquired during this working experience? The most valuable learning this internship provided me with was simply that of working. Realizing what it is like to work might sound simple, but there is nothing like doing it. It is like trying to explain someone how it is like to play a football match. You simply have to play it to fully discover what it is like, to experience the feelings associated with it. One valuable quality I developed was that of adaptability. I was assigned to the aircraft leasing sector of which I knew absolutely nothing. But I was able to adapt to this wholly new environment by applying my knowledge of commercial law studied in College. More importantly, I used my skills acquired outside the lecture theatre.

How did this internship contribute to your understanding of the professional world?

It was only a two-week placement but in this time, I really got a feeling of the firm, a grasp of its ethos. I understood what this kind of firm expect from a student in an internship program. These programs are really structured and set up so as to give a student the better possible picture of what it’s like to work in the future for such a company. You also need to be proactive and “dig yourself”. Do ask questions and try to discover as much as you can about your internship environment.

Did you struggle making the leap from textbooks to working life? Yes, you do struggle in this process, but above all, don’t be scared of it! If you know you are going into a particular area of specialization, get ready, read and try to gather as much information about it as you can. Even if you are not doing a law degree, do apply to a similar internship to mine. Companies look for a wide range of academic backgrounds. Different experiences add to the company’s ethos. Even working experience in a Saturday job can help. A lot of law firms recognise the value of such little jobs. It can help for instance to know the client. Where you worked in a bike shop and one of the company’s clients is a bike business,

your experience can really help!

Did this internship provide you with a deeper understanding of the main dynamics of the legal environment? Originally, my interest lay in family law; commercial law did not appeal to me at all. But I thought I’d apply to this internship to “tick it off”, to put an end to some questions I was asking myself. The fact is that I really loved it. I discovered and particularly liked the client contact involved in my job. I was also enthusiastic to deal with big cases, some of which I could hear of everyday reading the papers.

What would be your main advice to an indecisive student trying to choose a career? Constantly ask yourself questions. Self-reflexion is essential to discover the path you want to take in life, and it is a lot easier to reflect with experience, such as an internship. You really have nothing to lose applying. You need essentially three elements: the basic skills, the motivation and the ability to express both. I am convinced that every student in this college has the first element, the

potential. I want the CALFS event to stimulate this potential and create motivation within students. I want it to bring the same competitive environment as in the law degree. And this is not bad competition, it is healthy competition. It pushes people to aim higher and encourages fantastic students’ initiatives such as the Trinity Economic Forum. Students must realize that once they finish their degree, they will face an international population of young graduates, highly qualified and motivated, competing for the same jobs. At the moment, I have my Students’ Union job. But I also have a job waiting for me for next year, and this is not a coincidence. List of similar internships: Matheson Ormsby Prentice, Mason Hayes & Curran, William Fry, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Allen & Overy IBA (International Bar Association) Public and European institutions European Movement Ireland (See their Green Book for European Institutions Internships) Financial Firms: Citigroup, Deloitte

The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

One of the London branches of theRoyal Bank of Scotland.

Being a servant of Canary Wharf Full name: Donal O’Cofaigh Age: 23 Course of study: Economics Photo: Internship completed: The Royal Bank Of Scotland Location: Bishopsgate Street, London, UK Period: Summer 2011 Length: 10 weeks Consisted of: 1 week of training followed by two and a half weeks of rotations through different desks within the trading and structuring arm of the investment bank. This was then followed by a bidding process, between the interns and the desks for both side’s favoured position. I spent the summer within the Interest Rate Trading division, on the Inflation Trading desk.

How difficult was the admission process and how did you go through all the different steps? I had been previously unsuccessful with an assessment centre at another of the banks, which stood to me well going in to RBS.

Prior to the assessment centre for RBS there was an online application with a number of motivational questions which included the following: • Why do you believe it is the Right Time for you to join the GBM Markets Programme? Programme and how this fits with your career aspirations. • Why do you believe RBS is the Right Place for you? • What strengths and experience do you have that make you the Right Person for the GBM Markets Programme? Prior to this there had been no phone interview. The assessment centre consisted of four elements, a research assessment, a sales pitch, a trading game, and a group structuring exercise. Each tested my suitability for the respective division along with general market knowledge. In comparison, this year I went through the process again with JP Morgan, which was somewhat different. Following the online

application, which included CV, cover letter, and motivational questions, I was invited to the first round, which constituted three 30-minute interviews. One was problem solving, the others involved more motivational and competency orientated questions. Following this I was invited back to interview for specific desks. The number of interviews totaled in excess of 15, including the three first round assessments. This process was somewhat more intense than what I had been through previously but the experience was invaluable, and most definitely contributed to my success with the JP Morgan interview.

What was the most interesting aspect of your internship? -Sitting on the desk when news disseminates through the trading floor is without a doubt exhilarating. On one occasion last summer news fed through from the Repo trading desk that the

ECB was buying Italian and Spanish bonds. This subsequently led to a flurry activity throughout the floor as traders rushed to cover their positions. Being party to the activity was a fantastic experience, and witnessing first hand how traders react and operate under pressure is unparalleled in terms of work experience.

What are the most valuable skills you acquired during this working experience? The fact that I was unfortunately not offered a job at the end of the internship with RBS taught me a number of things. The most important of which was highlighted to me in my exit interview with my line manager. He stressed that in the finance industry, it is paramount that you sell yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.

What is the most striking difference between the professional and collegeenvironment?

If you do poorly in an exam, you bear the consequences yourself, and you hope that you make amends next time. In the professional environment, there is a high probability that there will not be a next time, and everyday is virtually a fresh examination.

Did this internship provide you with a deeper understanding of the main dynamics of the financial world? Working on a trading floor immerses you in the financial markets, and the rotations among the different desk gives you an invaluable insight into the different products and mindsets involved.

What would be your main advice to an indecisive student trying to choose a career? Getting rejected is part of the process. I applied to approximately 15 banks in my Junior Sophister year, and

was rejected from virtually all of them. Apply to as many as possible. Ask for as much help as possible from anyone that knows anything or can help guide you in the right direction. Do something different. Distinguishing yourself from thousands of other applicants is what is important. In particular for Irish students, we are up against the best and brightest from the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE; getting a foot in the door is the hardest part, so the more guidance the better. List of similar internships Golman Sachs, Barclays Capital, CitiGroup, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase.

The University Times Bright Ideas - CALFS | Tuesday, February 21 2012

Crunching the numbers with KPMG James Lochrin talks about working with one of the leading accountancy firms in Ireland Full name: James Lochrin Age: 22 Course of study: Law Photo: Internship completed: KPMG Location: Dublin, Ireland Period: Summer 2011 Length: 12 weeks Consisted of: 12 weeks of working in their “Structuring and Forensic” accounting department.

What was your educational objective? My educational objective was to gain experience in a professional environment. How difficult was the admission process and how did you go through all the different steps? It was your traditional interview process. I submitted a CV and cover Letter applying to be part of the summer internship program. I was then called for an interview

in the KPMG Irish HQ. I then awaited their response and found myself receiving a phone call informing me I had been offered a spot on the program.

What are the most valuable skills you acquired during this work experience? There was just so much going on at the time. In the current financial climate, being placed in a restructuring department gave a hugely diverse range of work. I could be on a Golf Course one day then a Garage the next. It exposed me to the harsh realties of business today. The first few days were always tough when the employees were told the banks were coming in and the business was being closed down. I would be sitting in the room as countless people were told they had lost their jobs. That never got easy but I suppose,

it gave me greater awareness of what happens in business.

Did this internship contribute to your understanding of the Professional world? 100%. It gave me a great understanding of how a variety of businesses work. When you see first hand why a business is failing it has to give you a better understanding of the professional world. I could be trawling through bank statements one day trying to find irregularities as part of forensics. You learn pretty quickly what’s making this business falter.

Did you struggle making the leap from textbooks to working life? It was very hands on exposure. There was very little conventional office work. You could arrive into the office and be in Donegal in the

afternoon. I already had significant exposure to working life through part time jobs so I don’t think the jump was as significant for me as it might have been for others.

Did this internship provide you with a deeper understanding of the main dynamics of the Business world? -Obviously I come from a different Law background. It gave me a far better understanding of the world of accounting. You would be reading about cases of businesses going under and you would have been dealing with them the week before. That made the work really interesting.

Were you given any particular responsibilities and did you encounter any problems with them? If so how did you overcome them?

I remember the first job I was on formed a significant part of my own personal responsibilities for the summer. It was a garage that had gone into foreclosure. It was basically my baby to deal with over the summer while of course receiving approval from superiors for my actions. It gave me sense of independence as I rang the Auction House to prepare the cars for sales and arranged for the sale of parts to other companies. It was interactive and I really enjoyed that. I didn’t encounter too many difficulties. I think watching people lose their jobs never got easy as I said. You kind of never grow immune to someone’s livelihood being taken off him or her. Also, I was thrown right in at the deep end. We had two days of training and then away we’d go. That was tough but to be honest it was for the best.

What would be your main advice to an indecisive student trying to chose a career? Companies don’t want to make it too easy for students to get their internships. They want to see a proactive student that takes the steps necessary to find an internship and make a successful application to the company. That shows many of the qualities necessary to succeed in the business world. I would say definitely do them. It’s a great chance over a 4,6 or 12-week period to ask yourself the question, do I like this field of work? If you find yourself answering no, you might find a discrete area that you weren’t directly involved in that you enjoyed interacting with. Also, in terms of getting jobs on leaving college, internships are a no brainer.

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