Vandy in Finance

This community gives access to resources, events, and career advice for students interested in careers in finance. We encourage you to use this space to help you make an informed decision about the area(s) in which you want to engage in for volunteering, internships, and your career.

Welcome!

Vandy in Finance is a career community that supports students interested in the financial sector, including but not limited to asset/ investment management, corporate finance, hedge funds, insurance, investment banking, private equity, venture capital or real estate. Through tailored resources and informational sessions, students will build the skills necessary to succeed during the highly competitive recruiting process.

Your Community Contacts

  • Kate Shepherd

    Kate Shepherd

    Career Advisor

  • Anna Flagg

    Anna Flagg

    Associate Director, Employer Relations

Drop In Hours

Finance Specific Drop In Hours

Do you have industry-specific questions? Drop in hours are a great place to have your application materials reviewed, understand industry recruiting timelines, and learn how to get connected to top employers in your industry!

  • These drop ins are similar to standard drop ins except they will be reserved for students interested in finance.
  • No appointment needed and these conversations can last up to 15 minutes.
  • View drop-in hours.

Note: Drop ins are not held when classes are not in session (holiday breaks, exam days, inclement weather, etc).

Vandy in Finance

Recruitment Timeline

The finance industry employs an accelerated recruiting timeline with investment banking being the earliest area to open summer internship applications. While formal recruiting activities for IB typically do not begin until spring semester (or even late fall) of sophomore year when investment banks recruit for one’s junior year summer internship, financial firms also offer early insights or experiential learning programming across all areas of finance targeting freshmen and sophomores. The applications for these early programs debut in the late summer/early fall and offer a terrific way to stand out in the recruiting process by showing an interest in finance while mastering technical skills. While more financial firms, like those in the private equity space, are starting to pull their applications earlier, outside of investment banking, most of the other areas typically recruit 6-9 months prior to the start of employment.

FAQs

  • What Is the Best Way to Get into Finance?

    The best way to get into finance is to show an interest in the space. Before you even land a job in finance, you can demonstrate interest by immersing yourself in the industry – subscribe to free newspapers, like the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and NY Times, through Vanderbilt’s library, listen to podcasts, take an economics class or join a finance-focused club. You can also start to study the technical financial skills that you will need for the interview process by using Vanderbilt’s free subscription to Wall Street Oasis or enrolling in the Vandy in Finance Preparation Pathway series. Work hard to maintain the highest GPA possible as this matters during the initial selection process.

  • What is the Vandy in Finance: Preparation Pathway?

    The Vandy in Finance: Preparation Pathway is a series of programming throughout the year, both on campus and virtual, to help students learn about the many jobs in the finance industry as well as gain knowledge around all aspects of recruiting, from resume building to networking to interviewing to technical skills. These multi-week seminars are held in both the fall and spring semesters as well as via virtual learning during the summer months through either Wall Street Prep or Wall Street Oasis. Students should also ensure that they’re signed up to receive the weekly Vandy in Finance newsletter which is filled with tips on navigating the job search and contains an excel spreadsheet with all the available opportunities from Handshake.

  • What Skills Do Employers Look for in Candidates?

    In addition to showing an interest in finance and having relevant work experience, employers will assess an applicant’s soft and hard skills throughout the interview process. To succeed in finance, a candidate should exhibit strong communications skills, excellent attention to detail, the ability to work well in teams and resilience. In addition to these soft skills, a candidate will need to demonstrate a solid understanding of technical skills which typically need to be acquired outside of college coursework.

  • How Important Is Networking in This Industry?

    Networking is a critical part of the hiring process in finance. Months in advance of applications opening, students should be actively networking with alumni and contacts at target firms. Students should be methodical about their outreach, keeping detailed records of conversations, and look to target well over 100 interactions which hopefully will translate into 25-30 coffee chats. Once an application opens and the resume is submitted, these contacts can significantly improve a candidate’s chance of being invited to the interview process.

  • What Happens if I Don’t Land a Competitive Investment Banking Summer Internship?

    If you were looking to receive a coveted summer internship at a top-tier investment bank and didn’t, then it’s not the end of the world; these roles are highly competitive and it’s truly a numbers game. First, review your resume and schedule a mock interview with a career coach or alum to ensure that you’re as prepared as you believe. Next, broaden your search by branching out to smaller boutique firms or regional banks which still may have open applications. You can also look to pursue tangential roles in other areas of the investment bank like corporate banking, corporate finance or private banking. Continue to network aggressively and don’t stop applying to open roles. You can also consider off-cycle internships which may take place during the school year.