This summer Kevin Lee went to Wall Street as an intern at Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank, working as an Internal Audit Summer Analyst. Barclays Corporate and Investment Bank provides large corporate, government and institutional clients with a full spectrum of strategic advisory, financing and risk management solutions to help them innovate and grow.
How did the summer go? We asked Kevin…
How did you find your internship?
I’ve heard of Barclays and always wanted to work there, as it is one of the bigger banks on Wall Street. I discovered this and other internship opportunities via job notifications on LinkedIn, Google, and Glassdoor. I set the criteria for the type of internship that I was seeking so that new postings would be sent to my email. I believe that Google and LinkedIn notifications worked the best for me. I then applied to and prepared for every internship and interview opportunity that I received. I finally landed my summer 2022 internship at Barclays after applying to over 90 internships, and preparing for a bunch of 1st round interviews.
Furthermore, as I went about my summer, I learned that building a network is very important. On
top of the method, I mentioned above, I will emphasize sending cold emails to people that work in positions/ firms you will want to work for and ask for a phone call. Then, nurture the relationships with the people you enjoyed talking too. I emphasize this because having network connections is equally as important as applying.
What were you doing during this experience?
I got tasked with various projects that assessed the business environment within Barclays. One of
my favorite projects entailed auditing the U.S. Barclays branches regarding their controls for
financial crimes. I learned there are many different controls that mitigate this risk. Some controls
are related to assessing data for key reporting indicators, training, and key committees. I got the
opportunity to own the audit for the key governing committees that oversee the U.S. branches. I
researched, tested the data, interviewed key stakeholders, and wrote working papers to give a rating
to the efficacy of financial crime mitigation through the key committees. I also got to write two
global compliance update reports, which got published to the global Barclays Internal Audit
financial crimes, anti-money laundering, and compliance team. Outside of my work, Barclays
also provided volunteer events, so I also had the opportunity to clear out invasive species from a
park in New Jersey.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
I would recommend this internship due to the fact there was never a dull moment. I was learning
new things every day and I was surrounded by incredibly bright, sociable, driven, and intelligent
people. The culture at Barclays is one of their greatest competitive advantages and I strongly
stand by this statement. I would look into applying to Barclays if you are looking for a career in
internal audit. Furthermore, there are a lot of transferable skills this department can offer. It will enhance your analytical, objectivity, business writing, and client facing skills. Internal audit can also lead into jobs such as transaction advisory services, which can then lead to other opportunities such as investment banking jobs.
Kevin Lee is a senior, majoring in Business and minoring in Computer Science, planning to graduate in 2023. This fall, he will serve as a teacher’s assistant/ tutor for financial accounting and will serve on the Wealth Management Club’s board as an investment fund associate and career coach. In his spare time, Kevin participates in the Volleyball Club, and Club Basketball.
Allegheny’s Business major is designed to help students gain a deep knowledge of the managerial and business concepts typically used by the business and non-profit world. The program also focuses on the tools, skills, and competencies needed to solve practical problems faced by organizations. The business majors from Allegheny will graduate with a strong liberal arts background enabling them to learn how they can use their financial success to serve humanity, make a difference in people’s lives and leave a legacy of success and service. Every business major is expected to engage in a mentored experiential learning project or activity – this may be satisfied by a study abroad program or an internship that exposes the student to cultural, civic engagement and global issues.