http://www.abrdn.com

abrdn

Investment Operations Intern

June - August 2021 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The culture is inviting, welcoming, and accepting of interns. With abrdn's rebranding, they've developed DEI benchmarks to ensure that they are hiring diverse talent. I thoroughly enjoyed the people and the culture that exists and enjoyed the internship. They really put effort in to ensuring that my internship experience was tailored to my career goals while offering me training opportunities to broaden my knowledge in the finance industry. The internship experience offered an overview of the company and each department, introducing the intern to many different career paths and job roles within the company., and thus, the Early Careers Analyst rotational program if given the offer. The internship can be viewed as a mini rotation. This is useful for students who aren't sure what they want to do. I definitely learned a lot through this internship. When you're in the internship, they give you actual projects to work on that isn't just busy work, and you definitely feel like you contributed to the team in more ways than one. The team I was on was understanding when personal issues happened. Abrdn really encourages you to have a work life balance. They do their research on what makes a productive, positive work force.

What I wish was different

I'm not sure what I would change. I experienced the internship virtually, so I thought it was impressive that the company was able to do so and offer out of state students the opportunity to visit.

Advice

Do not be afraid to ask questions. Engage with the material and the people. Respect and genuinely see value the people that work there, as everyone will be able to offer you a perspective that can help you figure out if the company is right for you. The company has a lot of resources to give someone who has a tough time figuring out exactly what they want to do within the finance industry. The company makes it clear that this is a two way street, so you have to be honest with yourself and ask "Is this company right for me?" as much as the company asking "does this intern fit with the company?" Lastly, focus on the day to day duties and have fun with it! Abrdn encourages personal well being from the start.
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ETF intern

June - August 2021 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved the culture. They are not one of the financial firms that work you to the ground and mandate 60-80 hour work weeks; it was strictly 40 hours. If your workload is greater than 40 hours, they encourage you to communicate that with management. They also valued your opinion; although the title is intern, they treated you as if you were already a full-time team member. The culture was also progressive, and they went above and beyond to make sure everyone felt accepted as they are.

What I wish was different

I honestly do not think I would have changed a thing. If anything I think working in more opportunities to socialize with people outside of the assigned team. However, my internship took place in a virtual setting and I am sure that would be alleviated in a more traditional work setting.

Advice

Dive in and recognize you only get out of the experience what you put into it. Do not be afraid to innovate; if you are given a task that seems trivial, insert your creative spin. I also think it would be advantageous to do what you can to track what is on your plate. This will help communicate if your workload is too heavy and will be great for the exit interview.
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