“As an intern, my team at OppenheimerFunds worked so well together, and I loved being surrounded by the culture there. Then I realized I’d be leaving all of that behind at the end of the summer.”
In May, 2017 Steven Reilly graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in marketing and communications. Then, he started his full-time job as a Business Development Services Analyst at leading global asset management firm OppenheimerFunds, where he interned the summer before. Steven’s career has come a long way in the past year. Here’s how it happened and what he’s up to now:
Finding the Right Internship
When he started applying to internships, Steven knew he wanted a program in New York City and that he wanted to work in an environment where he’d be learning something from scratch. The business development internship at OppenheimerFunds checked off both of those boxes. As he was interviewing for the position, Steven learned that he’d be the only intern on his specific team, and that he’d play an integral role in that team’s success. He was sold. Thankfully, he landed the internship.
Diving In
“Interning in business development services, my team had a lot of hard deadlines that were influenced by the end of the quarter,” says Steven. That meant some long hours and a lot of hard work, but Steven was committed to making the biggest impact possible during his few months at the company. About half-way through the summer, he realized how much he wanted to work there full-time after graduation.
Establishing Trust
“You don’t want people to say ‘we can’t trust the intern to work on this,” he says about making an impact during any internship. “Every intern—no matter where they work—starts out being able to contribute a certain amount.” With each project, you have to show what you’re capable of and establish trust with your team. Steven says listening carefully to every instruction you’re given is one of the quickest ways to get more responsibilities as an intern.
Hoping for that Offer
“As an intern, you’re always sitting there, wondering if you’re going to get a job offer,” he says. Then, on his very last day at OppenheimerFunds, his manager told Steven how much he’d be missed and asked if he could intern again during winter break. While his end-of-semester exam schedule kept him from interning again, not long after his summer internship ended, Steven got something even better: a full-time job offer.
Transitioning to Full-Time
Steven started working at OppenheimerFunds full-time this June. “Right now, I’m working on getting past that ‘new employee’ stage, so I can take on more responsibility,” he says. His best advice for being a memorable intern and increasing your chances of getting a job offer? “Come in early, stay late and always offer to help out.” Steven also made sure to keep in touch with his team throughout his senior year. It’s harder to do when you’re not physically in the office, he says, but it’s absolutely worth it.
Think you’d make a great addition to the OppenheimerFunds team? They’re hiring now for roles like Corporate Communications Associate and Division Associate, Internal Sales on WayUp!
