A common horror story is being thrown into a high - pressure situation without proper training. For instance, an intern was suddenly put in charge of communicating with important clients during a crucial deal phase. They didn't know the full details of the deal and made some blunders in communication. Another horror story is having to deal with office politics as an intern. Some interns find themselves caught in the middle of power struggles between different teams or senior managers. This can be really stressful as they don't want to take sides but are often pressured to do so. Also, there are cases where interns are overworked during their internship and don't have any time for personal development or even to unwind, which can lead to a very negative experience.
Well, I heard of an intern who was assigned to a project where the team was very disorganized. The intern was told different things by different people, so they ended up doing a lot of re - work. It was like running in circles. Also, there was an intern who had to endure a very unprofessional work environment. There were constant arguments among the full - time employees that made it difficult for the intern to focus on their tasks. And sometimes, interns can be given tasks that are way below their skill level, like being made to do menial tasks such as photocopying and getting coffee all day instead of actually learning about investment banking.
One horror story could be being given an impossible task with a very short deadline. For example, an intern was asked to create a complex financial model for a major deal in just a day. The intern had to work all night, with little guidance, and still got scolded for minor mistakes. Another could be dealing with extremely long hours. An intern was expected to be in the office from 7 am until midnight every day, which led to burnout very quickly. And then there's the case of being bullied by senior colleagues. An intern was constantly criticized and made to feel small by a senior banker who took out their own stress on the newbie.
Sure. There was an intern who was given so many projects at once that it was physically impossible to complete them all on time. They had to skip meals and sleep just to try and keep up. Another intern was constantly given urgent tasks that piled up on top of their regular workload. They worked weekends and holidays but still couldn't get everything done to the satisfaction of their superiors.
The pressure to meet tight deadlines can also be a horror story. Analysts are often given very short time frames to complete complex tasks. For example, an analyst might be given just a day or two to put together a detailed financial model for a large merger. The stress of getting everything accurate and done on time can be overwhelming, and mistakes can have serious consequences for their career.
Overwork is a very common theme. Investment bankers often have to sacrifice their personal lives for the job. Another theme is the high - pressure environment. There's always the risk of making a costly mistake in deals.
There was a case where a deal went horribly wrong. The investment bank had misjudged the market conditions for a big IPO. They priced it too high. As a result, the shares tanked on the first day of trading. The bank faced huge losses and a damaged reputation. Their clients were furious, and the bankers involved were under intense scrutiny and pressure.
One horror story is when a candidate was asked extremely complex financial math questions on the spot without any warning. They froze and couldn't answer, feeling completely embarrassed. It was a high - pressure situation and they hadn't prepared for such in - depth math during the interview.
One common theme is high - risk, high - reward situations. Investment banks often take big risks on deals that could either make them a lot of money or cost them dearly.
Sure. There was a story about a small investment bank that took a big risk on a startup. Everyone thought they were crazy, but the startup ended up being a huge success and made the bank a fortune.
Sure. One story is about a small investment bank that took a chance on a startup in the tech industry. Everyone thought the startup was too risky, but the investment bank believed in its potential. They provided the necessary funds for research and development. Years later, that startup became a huge success and the investment bank reaped great rewards.
There was this story of an investment banker who was presenting to a very important client. He accidentally spilled coffee all over his presentation papers right in front of the client. But instead of panicking, he just laughed it off and improvised the rest of the presentation without the papers, and still managed to close the deal.
I heard of a situation in an investment bank where a group of bankers were having a serious discussion about a merger. Out of nowhere, a junior banker's phone rang with a really goofy ringtone. It was a cartoon theme song. The whole serious mood was shattered and everyone had a good laugh. And it actually made the rest of the meeting a bit more relaxed.