Enternships Case Study: A Financial Story Posted on Monday 12 December 2011 at 12:08PM by trrpaipai

Enock Koola is a former intern at Amoo Venture Capital Advisory, a boutique firm supporting pre- and post-VC technology startups with strategic direction and business development. He has taken the time to answer a few questions, revealing how his enternship lead him to be offered a full-time position in a funky financial firm.

How did you come across Enternships?

I was referred on to the website by a friend. He had used it and thought it would be a good tool to use in search of a summer internship.

What made you decide to do an internship?

I was interested in VC/PE and felt an internship will provide me with insight on how either VC/PE work and whether it was a perfect suit for me.

What are the challenges you’re facing when looking for an internship? What’s the most difficult part?

The most challenging issue is finding the right internship to apply for. There aren’t many internship programs for working in the PE/VC sector.

How did you go about the application? How do you usually prepare your job applications?

I made sure I had done my homework. I researched and studied the company to know more about the role and the company. I kept up with the latest global financial news.  I made a specific CV and Cover letter to the companies I was applying to in order show my understanding of their businesses.

What do you think is the most important part in a job application? What helped you get the internship you applied for?

In my opinion, making yourself aware of the business and role you are applying for and whether it suits you is a very important key step in getting the job. I got the job because I researched the company and the position and I was very passionate about VC which I think came across in the interview.

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for on an employer’s profile/internship listing?/Why did you choose to intern at Amoo?

1. Track Record
2. Early responsibilities
3. Long term goals

I chose to intern at Amoo VC Advisory as I believed it was a great opportunity to learn more about VC, opportunity to work on real live projects and because the company was small, I believed I would get more responsibility and possibly even manage my own project. In addition after my interview and meeting the director and associate, I liked the atmosphere and the long term plans for the company.

What was your role there? What kind of projects did you work on?

I applied for the sales & research analyst role; this involved working on live projects. Some of my key tasks included analysing business plans, building financial models for start-ups and supporting entrepreneurs in their fund raising process. Furthermore I attended several tech events a week and this provided me the opportunity to interact and meet very inspiring entrepreneurs.

Has the enternship helped you get closer to your career goals? If so, how?

My career goal is to one-day start my own fund with an African focus. The internship allowed me to work with smart, creative and innovate people, gave me the opportunity to gain a better understanding of VC and how they work.  I enjoyed working in the VC environment and supporting clients through their different fund raising round. The internship ignited my entrepreneurship spirit and has fuelled my desire to start my own firm.

Was the internship worth it, would you do it all over again if you could go back in time or is there something you would change?

The entire experience was a blessing and I am grateful for that opportunity as I learnt valuable transferable skills. I would definitely do it all over again and again.

What would be your best piece of advice to give other students/graduates looking for internships?

Internships are good as they give you an insight and the opportunity to realise, adjust, and validate your career goals.  Sometimes we are not sure what exactly we want to do and doing an internship allows you to see whether the role suits you and if it is the right lifestyle for you.  Moreover employers nowadays look for graduates with experience so doing an internship gives you a competitive advantage over the other graduates.

What do you think about the work Enternships is doing in helping students finding internships?

I think it is great what Enternships is trying to do; it allows students to discover their entrepreneurship spirit working with small and dynamic businesses. Especially nowadays where unemployment is at an all-time high, we need such platforms like Enternships to help students get internships.

What is your piece of advice for us at Enternships? Is there anything we could improve on to help candidates in their internship seeking?

The website is great but I think the site could do with a better interface. Also there weren’t as many financial roles when I was applying. It will be good if Enternships could get even more mid-cap companies to recruit through their website.