Peer Career Consultant Blogs

1. Be good at the things you GENUINELY enjoy 

One of the biggest surprises was realizing how often people succeed not just by grinding through what's expected, but by getting really good at the things they actually like. I noticed that the analysts who stood out were the ones who leaned into their strengths: whether that was building granular models, telling compelling stories through slides, or being the one who could explain a complex idea clearly on a client call. 

This taught me that self-awareness is just as important as hard work. If I enjoyed a certain type of work, it showed in the outcome – and that’s what people remembered. 

Additionally, this allowed me to not do the work that I didn’t like doing. If there was a report that an intern can run every week for work and I didn’t enjoy the work, I would maybe do it a couple of times and express more interest in the work I did enjoy doing. That’s the beauty of an internship. 

2. Go beyond the TASK, not beyond the hours 

“Going above and beyond” doesn’t always mean working until 9 PM or midnight. It often means doing more than was asked, not just longer than expected. For example, if I was asked to build a comparables sheet, I’d also look at recent M&A trends in the sector or suggest a few key KPIs to track. I’d also take a big picture look at geography, size, and revenue. These small, extra steps showed that I was thinking like a teammate, not just a task-doer. People want to work with someone who uses their discretion and judgement at every step of the process, not just when being assigned work. 

3. Be where people can see you 

This one surprised me the most: visibility matters. It’s not about self-promotion – it’s about being helpful in public. Asking thoughtful questions on calls that show you’re listening, sending useful recaps, or volunteering for a messy project that no one else wants builds trust and credibility. When you’re visible and reliable, people start pulling you into rooms you didn’t even ask to be in. Additionally, this flows into showing up to work even when there may be a hybrid schedule or your boss isn't coming in. People see you all the time when you’re an intern. 

4. Curiosity > Certainty 

I used to think I needed to have all the answers. What I’ve learned instead is that asking the right questions is usually more valuable. People respond well to curiosity. It shows you care, that you're learning, and that you’re trying to understand why things work – not just how. The most important things are never in the job description. They are “between the lines”: showing up, asking why, leaning into what you love, and doing work that goes a little further than what’s expected. 

In a world where everyone’s chasing credentials, sometimes the most impactful move is to read the room, raise your hand, and ask, What else can be done?