Austin Coron, Catholic '22, is a Finance and Accounting student from Wayne, PA. He's interning as a Private Wealth Management intern at Brighton Jones.

When/how did you secure your internship?

"I accepted the internship offer at Brighton Jones in November 2021 right before Thanksgiving break. Trying to find an internship the entire fall semester was difficult in and of itself, but I also was juggling academics and athletics as well. I focused on trying to find an internship specifically in either the private wealth and asset management industry as I felt this is where I would find the most success and what truly peaked my interest.

After countless preparation interviews with different firms, I finally heard back from Brighton Jones a month after submitting my application. For Brighton Jones, I interviewed a total of three times. In the third and final interview, it consisted of three back to back 45 minute interviews with employees ranging from a first year junior analyst to the senior lead advisor at the firm. With my passion and previous interview experience I was able to articulate my two main points: Why I want to work at Brighton Jones and What separates me from other competing candidates. All three interviews went extremely well and I received an official offer a few days later."

What got you interested in that type of role?

"Throughout my college career, I have been immersed in a diverse set of experiences within the financial services industry, both in the classroom and out. I have sought out wealth management advisors to better understand how they engage clients and shape their financial futures. Additionally, I had engaged with various participants in the investment management community to better understand that component of a clients portfolio. With these experiences, it blended together what Brighton Jones is all about and the type of person they look for to represent the firm."

Are there any projects or aspects of the job that you have a special interest in?

"I truly enjoy engaging in and creating relationships with people so I definitely look forward to the projects where I will be dealing with clients face to face. Also, in private wealth management no clients needs are identical to another's. The clients that Brighton Jones deals with are primarily HNWI (High Net Worth Individuals) so one client may be someone who wants to make sure they leave "x amount" for their children and another client may be someone who just sold their company for $50 million but doesn't know how or where to put their money so they have generational wealth. With that being said, I look forward to gaining a greater understanding of how to shape a client's financial future the most."

What advice do you have for students during their internship search?

"Start earlier than later. I honestly felt that I had somewhat of a late start in updating my resume and cover letters before sending out my applications. If you are looking for a finance based internship, it is extremely competitive at the top firms and some of the applications close before the fall semester even begins. My advice would be to take advantage of the free time you have in the summer to update your resume/cover letters so that when the fall semester comes you are equipped with all that's necessary to submit the applications. Additionally, take every interview that you can get because this is the epitome of 'practice makes perfect.' By the time you reach the final interview with a company for an internship that you really want, you will have done so many interviews that either went great or horrible that nothing will shake you up and you can perform when it matters most."