If you’re interning in an investment bank, you may be wondering what you can do to ensure you come away with an offer at the end of the process.

The answer is everything – and nothing. It’s not very helpful, but the fact is that the interns who get the offers are the ones who leave us having created the impression that they “get it.”

Success as an intern is all about the way you interact with people in the bank and the feedback they give the HR team. You want the general consensus to be, 'That kid gets it, I want him/her working for me.'

Personality

Personally, the first thing I look for is someone who is nice. Confident, yet not overbearing. I don't like sharp elbows, and someone who has no social life. I want an all-rounder who I can sit next to for 15 hours a day.

Projects

The projects you get given as an intern are a devil in disguise. Projects are often things on the desk no one has had a chance to do. They can be tedious and annoying but if you're clever you use them as a tool to interact with the desk and expand your network. It’s vital the projects are done in a timely fashion and that expectations are managed as to when you will complete them. Above all, projects need to be perfect - no incorrect dates, clumsy careless mistakes, spelling errors etc.

When I give something to my analyst, I want to be sure he is going to go away and return it to me before the deadline. And while I will always cast my eye over his work, I want to have the confidence that I  don’t really need to check it.

Attitude

We look for a 'can do' attitude. This could manifest as a willingness to grab the desk lunch, take the afternoon tea order, or taking notes at an important conference. We want candidates who make us believe no task is too much and there is nothing they can't do. If you can't get the coffee order right I'm not going to be confident to leave you with the bigger stuff.

One of the things interns always struggle with is managing their time effectively. Between training, lectures, social and networking events, projects and rotations interns can often get a little overwhelmed...I don't want to see it. I look for that guy that jumps at any opportunity we give him, who does whatever it takes to get it done.

Ability to Learn

There is NOTHING worse than an intern who has taken an hour or two of your time and then when you truly believe they have understood the concept, out comes a ridiculous question which only serves to demonstrate they haven’t at all. The ability to pick things up quickly and be able to then execute on what you learned is vital.

Good feedback

Every person you encounter during your internship will be asked to submit feedback on you. This will cover things like:

- Were you on time for your meeting?

- Did you come prepared?

- During the meeting, were you focused, attentive -did you show an interest in the desk/product-did you ask good questions?

You  need build a reputation/general consensus around yourself. You want everyone to mention your name when the conversations on 'good interns' arises.

Even if you don't get hired on the particular desk you’ve been working, you need to ensure you've left such a good impression that they will recommend you to another desk in their division.

That's the key to getting hired.