Month: April 2010

Advice from a Penn alum on finding an internship in UK (guest blog)

By Mark Pasha, 2008 Wharton alum who concentrated in Finance and Real Estate, now at Real Estate UK Asset Recovery, RBS

My Recruiting Experience for an Internship in London

Recruiting for a position overseas can be a very fiddly process especially as an undergrad in the US. Most overseas companies focus their resources on the markets closest to home, and so opportunities can seem sparse. Moreover, there are usually fewer positions outside the US advertised through PennLink, which means that one must take a slightly more proactive role when conducting a job search.

My principal recruiting experience was for an internship in the finance / consulting world in London for the summer of 2007 and I was fortunate enough to be able to accept a position at RBS.

From my recruiting experience, a few lessons stand out.

1. Using PennLink
Firstly, although positions for jobs in London (or abroad in general) are not as widely listed on PennLink, one can still use the system as a reference for what types of positions to look for overseas. Especially for internships and entry level positions, many companies listing positions at Penn for US locations will most likely have similar positions / programmes in their overseas offices. I found it very useful to be able to use PennLink as an index for potential jobs and then visit each company’s websites to learn more about the specific opportunities they offer abroad. If there was a position overseas, then I was usually able to apply for it directly through the company’s website.

2. Following up online applications
However, doing just a web application did not always cut it, as sometimes applicants from the US get lost amongst the masses of domestic applications. As there is limited scope for face to face meetings at career fairs and presentations etc, I found that the next best thing was trying to follow up an application by emailing someone at the firm, be it an HR contact, or someone else via another avenue (perhaps a Penn alumnus). I found this to be a massively important step in getting the application on the firms radar and ultimately getting an interview. The mode of contact did not have to be anything formal, simply a few questions about applying from overseas in an email, however starting a dialogue with someone always proved most helpful indeed.

3. Interviews
I did the majority of my interviews over the phone and was never asked to fly to London (although I know of a couple of people who were asked to). I did have one interview via video conference, which, whilst a bit odd at first, was probably a better experience than the phone interviews. It is easy to arrange through Career Services and I think most firms are happy to do it if you present the option to them.

The nature of interviews, depends more on the firm than the location. However, from my London experience, I found there to be a slightly more qualitative element than I had expected. There was definitely a little less emphasis on technical finance and accounting etc. based questions. I remember getting some brainteasers / logic problems, some simple maths problems, questions about the state of the market, as well as the typical resume based questions. Overall, I think the interview practice at Penn is perfect preparation as the processes (at least in the UK and the US) are not too dissimilar.

4. Timing
This is more of a London specific point, but a lot of people will say that the London recruiting timetable starts later than the US because universities go back later and so one can start recruiting later. Whilst it is true that universities start later in the year, I would not recommend putting off starting ones job search because of this. The range of application deadlines is very broad, with some deadlines the same as in the US. To avoid the pressures of meeting unknown or last minute deadlines, it is best to prepare early (even if that just means casually scoping out potential opportunities and deadlines over the summer or at the beginning of the school year). As a rule of thumb though, if one follows a similar timescale to US on campus recruiting, one should avoid any problems.

Editor’s note:  Special thanks to Mark Pasha for providing his perspective and advice! For resources and tips for working abroad, visit Careers Services’ International Opportunities page.

Focus on the Positive

By Barbara Hewitt

I’ve recently had a number of appointments with individuals who have been in the workforce for awhile. Two of these appointments were with individuals who have held positions in the last few years which weren’t exactly what they anticipated when they accepted them. This is not uncommon. We’ve all had experiences in which we are disappointed when the realities of a situation do not match our expectations. However, what was interesting to me when talking with these individuals was the very different outlook each had about their experiences and the way they communicated with me about them.

One of the individuals worked for a government agency. While she originally thought that she would enjoy putting her business skills to use in the public sector, she ultimately ended up extremely frustrated with the layers of bureaucracy and her inability to get things done quickly. Her general dislike of the position came across in our discussion not only in the words she used to describe her experience but also in her posture and facial expressions. Her demeanor declared very loudly that the experience was a waste of her time and not valuable in any way.

The second individual had taken a hiatus from his business career to pursue elementary education certification. He had given up a lot in terms of paying tuition for two years and foregoing a paycheck during that time. Ultimately, after completing his student teaching, he decided that elementary education was not for him. However, the way he communicated this experience was entirely more positive. Yes, he was honest about what he didn’t like about the experience – the fact that classroom management with 20 first graders was more challenging than he had expected and that affecting the change he had hoped to bring about in the students’ lives was very difficult. However, he focused most of our discussion on what the experience had given him – a better understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses, a better understanding of individuals from different cultures, and a conviction that education was the right field for him. However, he had learned that he wanted to become involved in education at the college level where he could work with older students. In this conversation, the experience of the individual was not portrayed as a waste, but rather an opportunity to develop new skills and grow as a person. Although he ultimately did not decide to pursue a career in elementary education, the skills he developed during his two years pursuing that goal will clearly be useful in many other jobs.

I bring up these appointments for two reasons. First, you can learn and grow from almost any job. Focus on the positive things you can bring away from unexpected experiences. No position is perfect, but all jobs have something that you can take away from them. Secondly, particularly in an interview for a new position, be sure to talk about the positive things that you did get from the experience. While it is fine to discuss what you are seeking in a new position that you have not found in your current one, also make sure to discuss the skills that you developed in your old job or parts of the position that you particularly enjoyed. If you present the experience in a negative light, the prospective employer will also view it in a negative light, and quite likely view you as a negative person. This is not the impression you want to leave with someone who has the power to offer you a position that will hopefully be a more ideal opportunity for you.