How to turn an internship into a full-time job at Goldman

If you come to Goldman Sachs as a summer intern, be prepared for an experience which is very similar to working here full-time. You will need not only to produce work, but to take responsibility for it.

That means being confident in what you do and being able to impart your knowledge to others, by presenting your findings.

As an intern in the M&A division, I was involved in several live deals, usually simultaneously. Working as an investment banker is all about multi-tasking: you are typically involved in a number of projects at the same time. Working as an intern was no exception.

M&A bankers offer advice to companies that want to buy or sell businesses, or that want to prevent themselves from being acquired by others. As an intern my role was to identify potential target companies for the bank's clients to purchase and to analyse ways in which that acquisition could be financed.

I fulfil a similar function as a graduate trainee. The role offers an interesting combination of big picture analysis and nitty-gritty detail. M&A analysts look both at what a company has been doing and how it fits into the wider industry and economic context.

During my internship, a client in the consumer retail sector acted on my team's advice and purchased one of the target companies we had identified. That was very satisfying. It's exciting to think you are actually making a difference!

Working as an intern is fun and a great way to gain experience. It is also an opportunity to convert a summer position into a full-time place as a graduate trainee. This means being willing to learn from a very bright and experienced group of people, as well as producing high quality work.

Interns should not be afraid to be creative. If you have an idea and you feel there is something that could be done differently, you need to have the courage to put forward your argument. Nine times out of 10, people are receptive. It's good to show that you can learn, but also that you can add value.

Working as a summer intern is definitely not about competing with fellow interns for the offer of a full-time place. At the start of the summer internship, we were told there were potentially jobs available for us all. Succeeding as an intern is about team work and pulling together to produce high quality work for clients.

I made some great friends during the internship. We trained together in New York before starting at the firm full time.

Both the interns and the graduate trainees at Goldman Sachs come from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnic groups. This makes for an interesting and diverse environment in which to work.

The deadline for internship applications at Goldman Sachs is January 22nd.