I truly believe my Applied Data Science Master’s Degree at the iSchool was a key to my successful data science internship at Bloomberg.
Below are my top 5 tips to help others successfully navigate through an internship. These tips can set you up to receive a full-time offer.
Selfie with my Analytics Team
For those who don’t know, Bloomberg is a global pioneer in the financial technology realm. Bloomberg provides financial software tools and enterprise applications for their clients in the financial market.
I worked in NYC with their Analytics & Sales team. Bloomberg’s Analytics and Sales team is essential to their business. Analytics representatives deliver timely and accurate financial data to clients, provide trainings on specific topic matters, develop an expertise in the different asset classes, and deepen their product knowledge to advance to Sales. The Sales team has one focus: sell core Terminals and generate revenue for the company.
What I Did During My Internship
During my time as an intern, I had the opportunity to gain a hands-on experience working with Hedge Fund clients as well as Sell-Side ERM Banks like JP. Morgan, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley. I was able to leverage my technical background and work one-on-one with C-Suite clients to help them read and interpret financial data and deepen their analysis using machine learning tools in Python and Apache Spark.
Based on my successful data science internship, I was offered a full-time position starting in July 2023.
- Don’t Worry if You Don’t Have a Technical Background
(Prior to enrolling in the MS-ADS program)
Coming in as an intern with a background in Public Policy and Technology, I constantly battled with imposter syndrome. I was intimidated by my peers who had backgrounds in finance and economics. In fact, I constantly found myself worried others would be more palatable to the Bloomberg team. Luckily for me, this notion was quickly debunked.
During my internship at Bloomberg, I truly found my calling and I attribute all of this to simply being myself and knowing the value I have to contribute. Even though I didn’t come from a finance background, I was able to shine as the intern who had experience in different programming languages and technical software applications.
- Leverage Your New Skills
I had some unique opportunities afforded to me because I was the only intern with prior experience in Python, SQL, Apache Spark, Hadoop, and R, which were skills I gained in my MS-ADS classes.
For example, I was able to work with Bloomberg’s Quants team!
I also had the opportunity to work one-on-one with very prominent figures from the Hedge Fund community (such as Equity Analysts). In this situation, I used Python packages (like Pandas, Matlab, and Numpy) to create prediction models and visualizations.
- Network
If I learned anything during my time interning at Bloomberg, it’s this: networking is not about what you can do, it’s about who you know.
Networking is pivotal for your career, but in order to reap the benefits, you have to master the following skills: first, network with purpose. This means knowing your reasoning for reaching out to a specific person, understanding their role/title, and knowing what kind of conversation you intend to have.
Overall, have an idea of what you want to gain from the relationship and that will keep you on track. Second, give as much as you take. Networking isn’t only about what you can gain from others, it’s also about what you can reciprocate in return. You want your network of people to know that you can be there for them just as much as they are there for you.
Proper networking allowed my name to enter rooms that I haven’t even entered for myself, but I couldn’t be any more proud because this is what got me a full-time job offer, and this can happen for you too.
My team after we presented our final sales project to over 200 Bloomberg employees including Global Heads, Sales Managers, Team Leaders, and the Chairman of Bloomberg.
- Metrics Matter
As an intern, you’re expected to fully immerse yourself in the life as a full-time employee at said company. That’s exactly how my experience was at Bloomberg. Shifting from the college mentality to the full-time worker mentality is physically and mentally draining in the beginning but despite the obstacles, continue pushing forward.
Here’s my advice on why metrics matter: it allows you to keep your day tasks organized. Track your day-to-day by the hour in a notebook that way your day is planned out and you know what you need to accomplish on a daily basis. Additionally, jot down your weekly metrics in an Excel spreadsheet so you can see what areas you’re excelling in and what areas you need to improve on.
As an intern at Bloomberg, it was expected that we meet our weekly metrics for client calls/emails, internal campaigns, and client visits. I was able to surpass these weekly goals because I wrote down everything.
Having your metrics written down is also beneficial when it’s time for intern evaluations. During my evaluations, I was able to easily list my accomplishments, and my weekly metrics, and how I was able to surpass my targets. Doing this rewarded me in the end. If you want to succeed as an intern and receive a full-time offer, make sure you’re tracking all of your hard work. This will enable your employer to know the value you can add to the organization, and hence, set you up for a full-time role.
- Develop Your Soft Skills
Soft skills range from effective communication to presentation style, to critical thinking. Working for a firm like Bloomberg requires teamwork, interpretation of data, client interactions, and so much more.
During my internship, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone. While many of us deal with presentation anxiety, it’s a crucial skill to succeed in this line of business. I had constant back-to-back presentations with my team and for client meetings but guess what? However, I learned how to overcome my presentation anxiety, deliver amazing presentations, and communicate effectively. In addition, I also learned how to tailor my verbiage according to who my audience. Eventually became an expert in the topics I was pitching.
These skills will be useful anywhere I go. The more you practice, the better experience you will have working in industry.