Name:  Nadia Dodenova
Year: ‘08
Internship Site: Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC

The Internship: “I learned about the internship at Janney Montgomery Scott, Equity Research department through DickinsonConnect.” Applying for this internship was appealing for a number of reasons, including that the supervisor was a Dickinson alum, Heike Doerr ’00. “I got very excited about the opportunity, so after researching the firm, I immediately decided to apply.” After having her resume and cover letter reviewed by the Career Center and two successful rounds of interviews, Nadia was selected for the position.

“I participated in various projects that stressed different skill-sets. I contributed to company-specific and broader industry research reports, which was an excellent way for me to practice concise and informative writing. While building financial models, I worked with numbers and used my knowledge of accounting and Microsoft Excel. Some of the projects were more visual in nature and involved extra creativity and ‘designer’ skills as well as ability to utilize Microsoft Office Suite...It gave me a greater opportunity to develop a number of skills and to see what valuable qualities a research analyst should have.”

Challenges: A big challenge was keeping up with the news. “I had to do a lot of reading every day ranging from market and industry news to financial textbooks and other professional sources. I am a firm believer that one cannot do his or her job well, if that person does not understand the meaning of the information under review or [does not] put it in context, therefore I would always go the extra mile to research the unfamiliar and new. Parallel to all the reading, I still had my day-to-day projects going. So finding enough time to educate myself and keep up with all the important events and news and having my other tasks running smoothly at the same time was definitely a challenge. However, that challenge was the greatest learning experience because it thought me a lot about myself and it thought me also how to prioritize and bring myself up to speed to be a valuable member of my team.”

The Future: Internships often shed light on what a future in a given industry might be like. For Nadia, the internship gave “hands-on experience of the sell-side of the equity research business.” Nadia was also able to meet with professionals who work in related capital markets fields. “The experience was the best way for me to evaluate if the pace of work, the workload and the skills needed for the analyst job fit my personality and abilities.”

Tips from Nadia: “…Contact as many people as possible, follow professional etiquette, express [that you understand their goals for the position], and convey sincere interest in a specific field. I think students shouldn’t decline an opportunity just because ‘it is not their dream job’ or because ‘they do not feel qualified enough for it.’ Part of the experience is to learn and to estimate for yourself if a certain industry matches your skills, aspirations and personality. To sum up, my advice for a student looking for an internship will be: be persistent, be courteous, be ambitious and be willing to work hard.”

To find out more about how to get an internship, visit www.dickinson.edu/career/internships.html or make an appointment in the Career Center.