This document provides guidance for students completing summer internships. It emphasizes demonstrating strong work ethic, seeking challenges to learn new skills, and networking within the company. Interns are advised to scope projects thoroughly, identify mentors, provide and seek feedback, and represent their school positively. Producing quality work and impressing employers is key, as internships serve as extended interviews for full-time roles. Overall, interns should aim to gain practical experience and determine if the company is a good long-term fit.

1. Making the most of your
(consulting) summer
internship
J-P Martins, Consulting Careers Team
2 May 2012

2. Sit near the front!

3. We’re here to talk about summer!
For those of you not from
the UK, we probably had
it on Monday…
…and this is a blue sky
…this is a beach…
2

4. First, YOU…
Who are you?
Where is your internship?
What are you looking forward to most?
And what are you most unsure about?
3

5. Now, the panel…
Student Interned with
Peter Balliss McKinsey & Co
Daphne Chung ZS Associates
Eduardo Crespo BCG
4

6. Questions?

7. Words of Career Services Wisdom
Secure an assignment/project that will challenge you Build your network within the company which can help you
where you can demonstrate to a prospective employer what and which you can pass to others
you can do
Use the summer internship to learn more about ‘how the
Scope your assignment/project before you start with your company does business’, the ‘culture’ and of course
employer investigate ‘job opportunities’
Be sure to have a company supervisor for the Check out whether the company meets your
assignment/project who can also help you in many other ways expectation as an employer
Identify a senior or peer who can be a mentor (this could be Update your CV when you have completed your
your supervisor) – and advisor more broadly than just on the assignment/project
job in hand
Act as a representative and promote the best interests
Produce your best work and seek to impress the employer of the School
remember, this is more about a mutual trial or extended
interview than gaining work experience Keep Career Services informed of your progress and let
us know if we can be of help
Ask for and give feedback to your supervisor
Enjoy your experience
Demonstrate your resourcefulness and strong work ethic
J-P ‘wisdom’: ‘Output’ is the key way of expressing what you’re
learning – write a slide every day
6

8. Appendix - Internship Assessment Criteria
Overall
Assessment
Written Oral Structuring and Thought Building Self
Analytics
Communication Communication Managing Work Leadership Relationships Development
Accurate and Clear and Clear and Generates Logical Productive Asks
thorough concise concise hypotheses/ frameworks relationships proactively for
research identifies data with clients feedback
Creative and Active Creative
requirements and colleagues
Logical and compelling participant solutions Accepts
for testing
accurate Team player feedback
Vertical and Active listener Meaningful
modelling Efficient/ constructively
horizontal logic insights and Balanced under
realistic
Sound conclusions stress
Accurate and workplans
qualitative
client-ready Hypothesis Constructive
analysis Prioritises
(nearly) driven when raising
Reasonable Prepares for approach issues
assumptions meetings
Picks up Questions or
Probes Regular concepts disagrees
inconsistency updates quickly appropriately
Checks own Timely issue Works well in Active on
work raising unstructured Fridays in
environment home office 7
Discerns fact Delivers on
from opinion deadlines
Source: Internal document, leading strategy consultancy