The global exposure and culture are the reasons why I chose J.P. Morgan as my first job. Many of the transactions I worked on has involved working with colleagues across the globe and such exposure is very rare in other firms but very beneficial for me at the early stage of the career. More importantly, the colleagues I interacted with during the event and internship are smart, friendly, driven, and easy to work with. I felt that such an environment enhanced my learning and growth, benefitting my long-term career.

When I was in college, I was very interested in the financial services industry and was always on the lookout for opportunities to connect with industry professionals to learn more. As I was about to enter the recruitment season, I learned about the Inside the Industry program. Seeing that it is a great opportunity to better understand the culture and people of a global firm like J.P. Morgan, I immediately applied and I am glad I did.

Inside the Industry Program Experience

The overall experience at Inside the Industry was interesting and helpful as I learned about the industry and the firm through speaker sessions and networking. During the networking session, I had the opportunity to interact with professionals from various teams like banking, trading, and asset management which gave me a more robust understanding of the businesses and laying a solid foundation for my summer internship experience. I also built relationships with professionals and like-mind peers, many of whom have become long-term friends now.

The most memorable experience was the case study workshop, where we worked in teams of 6 to formulate and present strategic recommendations for a leading auto company to the J.P. Morgan bankers. It was exciting to collaborate with teammates to tackle challenging real-life business questions, and meaningful to receive feedback from experienced professionals during the case preparations and final presentation. It truly helped me to learn about the analysis and perspectives of industry practitioners and further prepared me for the recruiting interviews at J.P. Morgan.

Career Advice

To anyone who is interested in working in the finance industry, seize the opportunity and apply now. This event is very beneficial regardless of whether you eventually decide to apply to the firm. For those who have already applied, be open-minded and talk to as many people as possible about their day-to-day jobs, experiences, and takeaways instead of only focusing on the group that you are interested in. It will help you learn more about the holistic landscape of the industry from different perspectives and seniority levels.