Amazing Internship Flyer
On Wednesday evening, I was sitting outside my Arabic class in Sever Hall, Harvard Yard, and I saw an internship flyer that just blew me away.
The headline said:
WE NEED INTERNS TO BRING US
insights on how Colombian bonds will be affected by the rally in
COFFEE
It was an advertisement for Investment Associate and Technology Associate summer interns at Bridgewater, a hedge fund manager.
Not only was the title eye-catching, but the fine print was just as catchy. It explained Bridgewater’s drive to be the absolute best in the business – better than professors, traders and Nobel laureates.
Here is some of the language:
“We need to find the best people, bring them to their full potential, and have them contribute immediately…There isn’t one person within our walls not doing something critical to our success – including our….interns…We seek to hire the future leaders of our company straight out of college.”
It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. No finance experience was necessary, and they were telling me that I could still make an impact on the success of the company. These hedge-fund managers were saying that they weren’t just hiring interns to perform busy work; they were creating future leaders, helping them find their “full potential.”
Fostering leadership development and growth: how many times have you heard a great person say that he was inspired to be great not because he believed in himself, but because someone else believed in him? A guidance counselor, a friend, or a parent - how about an employer?
I used to hire interns at my previous job: I creating the marketing plan to reach out to them, interviewed and hired them, and gave them tasks. Sometimes I didn’t even have the time to really go over the work they did – I just needed to get stuff done. Sometimes I didn’t even need to get stuff done, but I had to find work for them anyway. This was not an optimal internship experience because as an organization we had never created a strategy for intern growth and development, despite the fact that numerous interns became full-time employees in our organization, myself included.
So imagine my surprise when I read this intern flyer for Bridgewater: here is a company that stopped to think about what the real purpose of an internship was, how it could benefit the intern as well as the company, and how to inspire the best and brightest to apply – by telling them that they are going to make a difference, that they are going to become a leader.
I know nothing about this company – just what I read on the flyer. But this simple document made a tremendous impression on me.
The headline said:
WE NEED INTERNS TO BRING US
insights on how Colombian bonds will be affected by the rally in
COFFEE
It was an advertisement for Investment Associate and Technology Associate summer interns at Bridgewater, a hedge fund manager.
Not only was the title eye-catching, but the fine print was just as catchy. It explained Bridgewater’s drive to be the absolute best in the business – better than professors, traders and Nobel laureates.
Here is some of the language:
“We need to find the best people, bring them to their full potential, and have them contribute immediately…There isn’t one person within our walls not doing something critical to our success – including our….interns…We seek to hire the future leaders of our company straight out of college.”
It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. No finance experience was necessary, and they were telling me that I could still make an impact on the success of the company. These hedge-fund managers were saying that they weren’t just hiring interns to perform busy work; they were creating future leaders, helping them find their “full potential.”
Fostering leadership development and growth: how many times have you heard a great person say that he was inspired to be great not because he believed in himself, but because someone else believed in him? A guidance counselor, a friend, or a parent - how about an employer?
I used to hire interns at my previous job: I creating the marketing plan to reach out to them, interviewed and hired them, and gave them tasks. Sometimes I didn’t even have the time to really go over the work they did – I just needed to get stuff done. Sometimes I didn’t even need to get stuff done, but I had to find work for them anyway. This was not an optimal internship experience because as an organization we had never created a strategy for intern growth and development, despite the fact that numerous interns became full-time employees in our organization, myself included.
So imagine my surprise when I read this intern flyer for Bridgewater: here is a company that stopped to think about what the real purpose of an internship was, how it could benefit the intern as well as the company, and how to inspire the best and brightest to apply – by telling them that they are going to make a difference, that they are going to become a leader.
I know nothing about this company – just what I read on the flyer. But this simple document made a tremendous impression on me.
posted by Allison at 11:48 AM
2 Comments:
Bridgewater's website is www.bwater.com . Be sure to see their Philosophy. You can apply for an internship via the website.
The CIO sounds like someone you could learn a lot from in his commitment to: the pursuit of excellence, acceptance of conflict as a change agent, the acceptance of criticism, and the importance of all actors.
I'd be interested to know if he does any speaking engagements.
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