Trung Hieu Nguyen ’13

Major(s): INBM
Internship Site: Wells Fargo Global Financial Institutions - Philadelphia, PA

The Internship:   
I found out about this program from a listserv email from the Career Center. I applied through DickinsonConnect. Without, the tremendous help and resources from the Career Center in preparing me for my interview, I would not be able to perform well in the interview and secure this internship.

The mock interview I had with our Career Center really empowered me and helped me to be more confident and cautious of my mistakes during the actual interview. The alumni connection could be very helpful if you know someone working in the related field. I searched Dickinson alumni on LinkedIn who worked in the field of finance or the company I was going to interview with and have had them share with me their experiences in the interview processes.

I was assigned to Portfolio Strategies and Credit Origination team so most of the projects are on building financial models to assess the financial health of our clients and creating reports at counterparty, regional and global levels. Besides working in the office, I also had opportunities to meet Wells Fargo’s clients and our big insurance partners in New York City and attend global team meetings in San Francisco. These trips are my favorite experiences because they helped me to see a bigger picture of our business and established good relationships with my co-workers and our clients.

The Preparation:   
Every co-worker has a different and unique background. Every client has a different business focuses in different industries. Whether it’s a business or non-business classes, I think every class I took at Dickinson prepared me well because it helped me to be interested and engaged in the conversation with my co-workers and clients quicker. My work requires a good knowledge and experience on Excel and my classes in Corporate Finance, Accounting and Managerial Economics definitely are very helpful. My Global Economy class also helped me to understand my work better.

Making Connections:   
Having a mentor is very helpful to your internship success. During my internship at Wells Fargo, I was assigned to a "buddy" who would meet up with me often to talk about my experiences, difficulties and to give me guidance so I can make the best out of my time here. I learned about the politics in the company so I could be more sensitive to other working environments. She also taught me about some of the tools and resources that are critical to my work. She shared with me her experience at the firm as an Asian employee from foreign country which really resonates with my case so I can make a better decision and shape my career path, going forward, better.

Tips from Hieu: 
Dickinson College and the Career Center have a lot to offer. If you know how to maximize your resources, you will land a good internship where you will not only have an opportunity to learn but also to grow. Dickinson College has a very strong alumni network and knowing how to leverage this networking is very important.


*To find out more about how to get an internship, make an appointment with a career counselor. Just call the Career Center at 717-245-1740 or stop by Biddle House.