We caught up with Elise to find out how she secured her terrific insight week with Goldman Sachs and how she demonstrated her interest in tech coming from a Physics degree. She also shares her top three tips on how you can follow in her footsteps.
Why did you choose Goldman Sachs?
I chose Goldman Sachs because the specific tech focus strongly aligned with my interests in financial modelling and cybersecurity, and I knew they were a forward thinking company, and a big tech department. I also wanted work experience from a large company because there would be some unique experience acquired, from working in larger teams and having great responsibilities associated with big clients and projects.
How did you find the application process?
I think honestly at first I felt I was at a disadvantage pertaining to interviews, as a Physics student I am quite proficient of mathematics and have some coding experience but most of the real world tech applications I learnt through my own personal interest and had almost no knowledge on the world of finance. Due to this I felt more anxiety during any kind of phone or video interview. I overcame this by doing adequate research about the company by going beyond what was listed on company websites, updating myself on current tech news and sectors that truly interested me and really highlighting where the skills I have learnt from both my degree and extracurricular activities apply in my field of interest. Being true to what I was passionate about was extremely important to me.
What three top tips do you have for Bright Network members?
1. Don't let anything hold you back from applying to places even if it is a huge corporation as long as you communicate what you have to offer and where your skills apply companies will see value in that
2. I always reminded myself that the worst case scenario is a no from all places but ultimately gained experience in a rigorous application process knowing how to improve for the next academic year is a huge takeaway
3. Time and experience will make application process and tests much easier so trust the process
How did Bright Network help you throughout the application process?
Bright Network helped in numerous ways, from the online CV template, the continuous reminder emails of application deadlines and finally the one of 3 networking events I attended where I saw the Goldman Sachs employee who recommended I apply, Bright Network gave me the confidence to complete the application to the best of my ability.
