I have been looking for a summer internship for 4 months, but I have not been able to get one. I have been told by multiple financial firms that I was the top candidate, but because I was a sophmore, they decided to choose someone else. I am going this week for summer, and I really want to get a job that has something to do with finance asap. Any recommendations on how to get one?

edited.

You're looking for an internship in ancient Mesopotamia?

1. Job market is very tought righ now, esp. for finance.

2. Being a sophomore does not help either. Juniors get a preference, becaues they are graduating next year, and the internship is more like an extended interview.

3. What school are you attending? That might have something to do with it too. What city are you in, and where are you looking for internships.

4. You might want to downgrade your expectations and do something else.

5. From the description you have provided, it is not clear what type of job you are looking for. "Financial firm" can mean anything: depositary institution, investment bank, insurance company, tax company, consulting company w/ an M&A arm, you name it. Care to provide more detail?

6. All those firms that say you are the top candidate. You can make them put up or shut up. If you are savvy, you can directly ask them: would you consider me for an internship next year? I know next year is about one-and-a-half century in the future as far as the state of the financial markets is concerned, but you can still get some mileage out of "you are our top candidate". Get the phone numbers of hiring managers, HR, and rank-and-file employees. Call them at the end of the summer, call them in the fall. Don't pressure them to give you an internship next time (except perhaps for asking them once as I mentioned earlier). But keep in touch, so to speak. If they are really interested, they will do their part to keep in touch with you and maybe give you a stronger consideration than someone else in one year's time.

I would imagine that some government office in Tallahassee could use an unpaid intern in some economics/finance-related field. See if any of the legislature's committees are looking for help. Start making some phone calls. I really think that's your best option. You might want to consult with your school's career services office to see if they can provide any help.

Realistically, you're probably not going to get a job in industry at this point. You're not far enough along in your education, your school isn't elite, and it's really late in the game. Some experience in a somewhat-related area is better than no experience at all.

Also, have you considered looking outside of Florida? DC is the place to be for summer interns!

FW Genius said:get a job as lifeguard, bring you laptop and surf finance forum on FW

I am speechless..

tenniseddo said:There are two places who told me i was the top candidate, but i was too young.

You are kidding, right? "Too young" can not be used to decline you a job offer. Perhaps their wording was different. Or else, we should page codename47

tenniseddo said:One of them said something about working for them over winter break, which I am going to keep in touch about. And the other one I am almost definitely going to work for next summer.

That' great.

tenniseddo said:I just want to work for a reputable financial firm

What's a reputable financial firm? If you are looking to work for the local broker (Merrill, Smith Barney, etc), that's not going to get you far. You will be making photocopies, answering the phone, and fixing the copy machine.

Some of the better quality jobs might be less advertized. City or county tax or accounting office? Maybe the accounting / audit / corporate finance department of a small or medium corporation? You might get a much better experience in one of those than the Smith Barney broker.

To the rest of FWF members: why is OP getting negative feedback?

Have you checked with the banks operating in your area?

tolamapS said:tenniseddo said:There are two places who told me i was the top candidate, but i was too young.

You are kidding, right? "Too young" can not be used to decline you a job offer. Perhaps their wording was different. Or else, we should page codename47

You would actually be quite incorrect about that. Age discrimination is perfectly legal for anyone under 40, whether it's too old or too young. Age discrimination is only illegal to those forty and older. And even then, you can discriminate against someone who is too young, as long as it's in favor of someone older.