Firm FAQ’s
How soon should we begin our assessment process?
Internship recruitment is a competitive process which starts early in the academic year. We recommend that you begin reviewing candidates as soon as GAIN allocate them to you and start your assessment process shortly after.
How many candidates will we receive?
The number of candidates we can allocate a firm is subject to the number of students who apply to the programme and are successfully screened by GAIN. As a general guideline, we aim to send firms 3 - 4 candidates where one internship position is available and 4 – 5 candidates where two internship positions are available. Additional candidates will be allocated wherever possible when three or more internship positions are available at a firm.
I have not heard back from a candidate we would like to interview, what should I do?
University firewalls can be strict on incoming mail, and firm e-mails sometimes do not get through. Please cc your candidate’s personal e-mail (if available on the application form) in your communications with them, or call the candidate on the number provided in their application form. If you still don’t hear back from the candidate, please contact the Programmes Team for support.
Candidates we have received have not specifically expressed an interest in an internship with our firm or our area of investment, why is this?
Applicants to the GAIN Empower Investment Internship Programme are applying to the programme itself, as opposed to a specific firm and understand that GAIN could match them with any of the firms participating in the programme. We do invite applicants to state if they have a preference for a particular area of investment or firm(s) in the programme, but they must provide good reason if doing so, and we make no guarantees that we can fulfil their request as they may not match the criteria of the firm.
We have identified a candidate we would like to make an offer to, what happens next?
Please make an industry-competitive offer directly to the candidate as soon as your team has decided who they would like to complete an internship with their firm (salary benchmarking data is available on request from the Programmes Team). We recommend that you have a reserve candidate in mind in case your offer is not accepted.
Once a candidate has accepted your offer, please contact the Programmes Team to let them know, confirming the internship dates and weekly compensation details.
Firms should also issue a contract and send this to the successful candidate to read and sign.
What happens between the internship offer being accepted and the internship commencing?
Your intern will join a comprehensive technical and soft skills training programme organised by GAIN
Your intern will join a peer networking group comprised of other students/recent graduates on the programme who are interning at a similar time to them for friendship and support
GAIN will invite your intern to one or more in person networking events
GAIN will allocate a mentor from our volunteer network to your intern who will meet with them before and on a regular basis throughout their internship for support
We strongly recommend that firms keep in touch with your intern during this period too, perhaps setting up a video call for pre-internship introductions, or inviting your intern for an office tour or even a social event to get to know the team and relieve any first day anxieties.