Pacific’s marketing management student Sahila Shah ‘23 has made it a goal to take up an internship every summer during her time at Pacific. She describes her most recent position as a financial products intern at Bloomberg.
How I found this opportunity
This summer, I am interning at Bloomberg as a financial products intern in San Francisco.
I participated in the Student Investment Fund in Fall 2021 and had the great opportunity to hear from Pacific alumni, Maria Jose Rios and Hannah White-Dobbs, about their current roles in Bloomberg and career journeys from Pacific to Bloomberg. Maria guided me immensely through the recruitment process by sharing valuable information about deadlines and workflow of the internship program. She worked significantly with Margaret Roberts in the Eberhardt School of Business to encourage more Pacific folks to apply for Bloomberg opportunities. Then, I applied through the Bloomberg website and underwent a four to five interview process.
Why I chose marketing
I selected marketing because of its versatility. Marketing is universal and in some shape or form, we’ve all been swayed by marketers. This is what gets the initial impression from a consumer. And that’s what I like about marketing– being competitive and adaptable to different environments and consumer bases.
Why I came to University of the Pacific
I moved to Stockton from Pakistan in 2010 and immediately fell in love with my city. Stockton is heavily stigmatized in the media, but for me, Stockton was always misunderstood. The rich history, diverse communities, and resilience in this city portray more than just numbers. I felt welcomed and loved by my community, hence why I struggled to leave for college and chose to stay close, so I can be even more active within my city and give back.
What I’ve been able to accomplish
One of the projects I worked on is called “Function Pitch Project” in which I selected a function from the terminal that displays usage gaps and how important it is for analytics and account managers to pitch to their desired clientele. I chose a function that is often used by Financial and Credit Analysts and proposed how they can strengthen their usage and engagement even more through its implementation. Another really awesome project I worked on was to compile client profiles. I conducted research on some of the company’s largest asset managers to better understand how Bloomberg can best support its clients—especially in the evolving hybrid + work-from-home environment. My research was then used by the sales team at the company to recognize opportunities in their book of business and strategic planning to enhance their client relationships.
My favorite part of working with Bloomberg
My favorite part of interning with this company is the company’s employees and team leaders. Everyone is so kind and welcoming, it motivates me to work hard and give my best. A lot of my peers are young adults so it’s easy to bond with them about Gen-Z stuff and our lives. The city is also beautiful and so busy, there’s so much to do here.
The greatest challenge I’ve had to face
The hardest part of this internship was leaving home and my beautiful hometown. As someone who lived in Stockton for so long, it felt hard to leave everything behind for the summer. I often get homesick, but I tell myself that this is an investment I am making for my future so that I lead the path and land opportunities that are often concealed.
How my expectations compared to what I experienced
I definitely expected to have projects to work on but what shocked me the most is the flexibility of certain days. This is a great experience for me because it allows me to be proactive with my time and to use it effectively. Yes, my schedule is open, but how can I best maximize my time and show my team leader that I am allocating my time efficiently. I use the flexible time to network with different departments within the company and finalize project work.
How I’ve solidified my career path
This internship solidified my choice to work for a company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion and philanthropy. I want to work for a company that is taking actionable initiatives to provide equitable opportunities for marginalized communities and also investing in said communities.
My advice to students looking for an internship
One big advice I want to say is to build their leadership experiences at Pacific. The greatest perk of coming to a private school is the ability to apply for club roles and work opportunities that are not heavily competitive. You are not competing with 500 students for a leadership role. Own this perk and build your resume up. Also, when you contract said roles, use actionable verbs and quantitative results of your work. Don’t undermine your work. When applying for corporate roles, they want to see the action and specifics of your responsibilities, so please track your work and write down any and everything you did and the impact you had.
My advice to students looking to make the most out of their internship
I would say enjoy the time you have. Since I started at Pacific, every summer, I completed an internship, and this really helped me to grow and work on my professional skills. If you feel bored during summer or want to make money, look for local opportunities or corporate programs because this is how you step out of your comfort zone and work on being the best you can as a college student.