How Jinesh secured an internship at SANNE Singapore

BSc Accounting & Finance student, Jinesh, reflects on his internship at SANNE Singapore where he was working as a Private Equity and Real Estate Fund Accounting intern. In this blog, he shares his reasons for applying for an internship and how the WBS CareersPlus team supported him throughout the process.

My name is Jinesh Timbadia and I am currently studying BSc Accounting & Finance at Warwick Business School (WBS). During the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to work in Singapore, the financial capital of south-east Asia. I was working as a Private Equity and Real Estate Fund Accounting Intern at a FTSE 250 company called SANNE, an alternative asset management service provider. In this blog, I will share with you my experience from the application stage to completing my ten-week internship.

I decided to complete an internship for the following reasons; firstly I wanted to gain a better understanding of the industry that I am interested in by immersing myself in the working environment. Reading numerous articles and listening to your peers is a good starting point, but from my perspective, it does not compare to working in the industry or sector that you want to follow for your future career path. Secondly, it gave me the perfect opportunity to network and create important connections with professionals within the industry. Thirdly, completing an internship is a great way to secure a graduate role, especially if you are a second-year student. If you perform well during your internship and make a great impression you may be offered a graduate role when you finish your degree, which is the end goal that we all hope for.

During my first year at WBS, I realised that I was very late in applying for spring weeks and I realised I had no experience of the various application stages which are standard for any work experience roles. After meeting with the WBS CareersPlus team I realised the importance of applying for work experience opportunities early on to ensure your application stands out. For summer internships and graduate roles, applications usually open in September and therefore in my second year I started applying for internships during the second week of term one. After taking a week to settle into my new home in Leamington Spa, I focused on attending weekly clinics with the WBS CareersPlus team to help me fine-tune my cover letters for each application.

After the initial application stage, I was tasked with completing some online assessments. Employers often use online assessment tools to judge your level of competence and they often include a situational judgement test and/or a numerical test. If you are successful in completing the online assessments you are then invited to complete a video or telephone interview. For my application to SANNE, I had to complete a telephone interview which focused on learning more about me as a person and whether my personality would be a suitable fit in their corporate dynamic.

My internship at SANNE Singapore was an extremely positive experience for me. Working in a small team of approximately 50 people enabled me to work closely with directors and managers within the company and the insight and knowledge I received from them was priceless. Working as part of a small team meant that a lot of work had to be completed within a tight timeframe which I initially saw as a downside to my internship. However, the camaraderie in the office meant that we all worked together, communicating effectively to ensure we all completed each project on time, which demonstrated to me the importance of teamwork. As a Fund Accounting intern, Microsoft Excel was one of the most important tools I used throughout my internship, allowing me to really improve my skills whilst also gaining knowledge of using specific Private Equity and Accounting software.

For future WBS students who are thinking of doing an internship, I would highly recommend it as it is a great stepping stone into the corporate world. My tops tips would be to start applying early when preparing for the start of term make a list of different companies you want to apply to and list their application requirements and closing dates. Once you have created this list you will have a much clearer view of how you should devote your time to each application. Secondly make use of all the tools available to you via the WBS CareersPlus team in helping you tailor your CV and cover letter, prepare for online assessments, and practice telephone and video interviews. My third top tip would be not to fear to ask the CareersPlus team for help, they are a dedicated team exclusively for WBS students so make the most of this added benefit whilst you can. They host one-to-one careers sessions, drop-in clinics, personal appointments, workshops, careers talks and much more. Finally, my top tip for students who are thinking of doing an internship would be to enjoy the process. Despite trying your best, some of your applications may be rejected, however do not be disheartened by this, perhaps there is a better opportunity awaiting you just around the corner.

Find out more about our BSc Accounting & Finance course and the opportunities available for you to launch your career by participating in work placements and internships.