Mohan has been keen to step out of her comfort zone from an early age – spreading her wings and relocating from Beijing to Geneva before entering the world of work. During her Bachelor of Arts degree in French Language and Literature, Mohan participated in a one-year exchange programme in Switzerland before completing internships in the UK and US. Her Master’s in Management in London – with two semesters in France and Italy – has further added to her international experience.
It's this yearning to see the world and stretch her potential that led her to Deutsche Bank. As part of her degree, Mohan needed to complete two placements. After seeing an advert on LinkedIn and meeting one of our representatives, Mohan applied to our Corporate Finance Seasonal Internship. And in early 2022, she was accepted into the programme, joining our Infrastructure and Utilities team. From there, her experience would only become more enriched and exciting.
Thrill seeker turned technical specialist
It’s in Mohan’s nature to experience new things and embrace her curiosity. When she’s not scaling rock faces – rope-free – she’s looking for fresh challenges in the workplace. From working on financial forecasts to hands-on people-driven projects, Mohan gets stuck in. She truly believes that no matter what route you take, “there’s so much to learn”.
“You build trust within your team during the seasonal internship because you spend longer working together than on a traditional internship. There’s a very good dynamic within my team – knowledge is shared openly, senior colleagues listen, and everyone is very supportive. You can tell how much people love what they do here.”
Fast-paced progression
What has been most surprising for Mohan on her journey with Deutsche Bank is the “steep learning curve” and the impact a junior colleague can have. Since joining Corporate Finance, she’s been in awe of the scale at which interns can develop in a short space of time. This has been helped by “how capable the senior bankers are”. She says that it’s “their knowledge of how to handle different situations and difficult clients” that inspires her, as well as their “humble and helpful” attitudes.
When it comes to her own progression, she feels that it’s her technical and analytical skills that have seen the most growth. “I was surprised at how sophisticated and complicated the technical training was to start with – and as the internship went on, I understood so much more about the workings of each model. Next, I’m excited to develop my interpersonal skills and client management abilities.”
She’s enjoyed learning on the job, being part of the team pitching real projects to real clients and supporting on analytical work. “I was involved in drafting the marketing materials, supporting with simple financial modelling tasks – and I learnt a lot throughout.” Building relationships with her clients – both regionally and internationally – is important to Mohan, and she hopes to do more people-led work in her career.
A collaborative workplace
Working from the office for most of the week, Mohan was able to enjoy a truly collaborative experience throughout her internship. Even during busy times within the office, her colleagues “reviewed work and gave feedback” that would push her to reach her full potential.
“It was obvious throughout my internship that diversity and gender equality is important at DB. How work is split between juniors within the team was very fair and all the Analysts were allocated mentors to assist in their development.”
One of the most successful parts of the internship for Mohan was our buddy programme. Not only did having a recent graduate to turn to during her internship put her at ease, but it also helped during the interview phase too. This support, alongside plenty of opportunities to network and collaborate, has made her journey with Deutsche Bank even more exciting – with open discussions about her future welcomed throughout.
“The ‘Meet the Teams’ virtual event I participated in before I joined DB was so helpful at understanding the roles of each team and where I might like to sit during my seasonal internship. Each team told their story – and the seniors (MDs) in the team took a real and honest interest in follow up calls and meetings with me and my fellow seasonal interns.”
A word to future interns
“If you enjoy meeting challenges, developing yourself and working in a collaborative and inclusive environment, you should get in touch with a Deutsche Bank employee. If you’re from a non-finance background, don’t worry – you’ll learn on the job. And remember to be yourself. Don’t stress – recruiters are human beings and are there to help guide you throughout the application and assessment process.”