STATEMENTS OF INTEREST
INVESTMENT BANKING
I’ve always been interested in Finance. Throughout school, I have enjoyed working with numbers, and I think the financials are the heartbeat of a company. Without a strong finance team, the company cannot operate. I’m specifically excited about exploring the field of Investment Banking.
Investment Bankers are always working; many arrive at the office at 8am and work until midnight or later. Their days consist of working with Excel spreadsheets, creating PowerPoints, running in and out of meetings, and hopping on and off calls. Most meals are taken at their desks as to not waste any time. Individuals working in IB tend to work 90-100 hours a week for the first couple of years to prove themselves worthy. They leave with incredible exit opportunities, setting themselves up for the rest of their futures. Most are located in major cities, such as New York, Chicago, Boston, or San Francisco. The majority of analysts work in professional attire (which I absolutely love).
Instead of shying away from the vast amount of work, I’m excited to start. I thrive working in a fast-paced, intense environment. I perform at my highest level when I am stressed and have a lot on my plate. When my calendar is full and I have specific deadlines, I feel my productivity kick into the highest gear. I’m detail-oriented and fight to produce my best work every day, which will help me succeed in the IB industry. I’m also a huge coffee drinker and I’m a night-owl, which will help me continue working late into the evening.
I know that this field will push me in ways that many others won’t because of the constant workload. I’m a bit weary of the potential burn-out, but I know that when I put my mind to something I will achieve it. My biggest current gap is that I do not have experience in Investment Banking, so I am lacking many of the technical skills. I have some Excel and PowerPoint skills, and while I am confident in my communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills, I am concerned about the practical IB skills. I also might be too much of an extrovert and a people-person to sit alone in front of a computer screen all day. However, I am a fast learner so I know I will be able to pick it up quickly.
I’m excited to try Investment Banking out to see if it is the correct fit for me, because on paper it looks like a great option.
CONSULTING
I am a people person. I love working with other people to solve problems. Communication, collaboration, and teamwork are extremely important to me. I also want to make a positive impact on companies' lives and the lives of those I work with.
I care a lot about having a work-life balance. I would love to have a family in the future, but it is important to me to be a working wife and mother with a successful career. Consulting is one of the fields where I can truly have it all. Of course, it takes a lot of hard work and prioritizing, but consulting would allow me to have a life outside work, where I can continue my passions of tennis, traveling with my family, and spending time with my friends.
I love to travel and I’m extremely comfortable in airports and hotels. Before the pandemic, traveling was a big part of consulting. Consultants would travel 3-4 days a week, so they need to be able to work on the go and be extremely flexible. During the pandemic, consultants have a lot more zoom meetings and phone calls with clients and team members. Entry-level consultants work 9-6, 5 to 6 days a week. They spend most of their days in meetings, on phone calls, conducting research for clients, and putting together the material in presentations and organized documents.
I think my ambition and my desire to help others succeed would make me a strong consultant. My people-oriented nature, positive spirit, attention to detail, and loyalty to those around me would make me thrive in the consulting industry. People know that they can rely on me no matter what. Consulting will keep me motivated because I will always be learning. For each project for every company, I will need to challenge myself to learn as much as I can to help the company to the best of my ability. It attracts intelligent, outgoing, creative, and kind individuals, whom I would love to work. I enjoy public speaking and writing, two key traits in consultants. I haven’t had a lot of experience with casing yet, which is a huge part of the consulting application process. I will be working with upperclassmen friends who have gone through the process of practices cases to prep me for my own interviews.
I can’t wait to help as many people as I can and use my people skills to form deep and long-lasting professional connections as a future consultant.