Personal Contributions – Northmarq Capital

So far I feel as though I have had a number of opportunities to contribute in real meaningful ways at my internship so far. Northmarq Capital has spent a large amount of time and resources to ensure interns like myself have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to be able to contribute starting the first week. As I become more comfortable and proficient at completing certain tasks like new loan audits, loan reviews, and operating statement analysis I am assigned new work that broadens the depth which I am able to contribute. I have appreciated the company’s willingness to give me the opportunity to take on roles and responsibilities that a normal full-time analyst would be given. Currently I am being assigned work that is coming directly from my trainer’s portfolio which I complete for him before being quality checked then sent out the borrower. It is exciting to know that after just a few weeks I am completing work that is being seen directly by individuals beyond just Northmarq.
Another aspect of the internship that is exciting to me regarding personal contributions is the upcoming start of the internship project. Starting next week I will begin working on a team with four other interns to complete a project that we will work on throughout the remainder of the summer and present to various managers and the department leader. We have not yet been told exactly what the project will include but I am curious to see how much flexibility we will have in creating the project. The intern project from last summer is in use currently and has an impact each week for me. They created a mentorship curriculum in which interns have one on one conversations with managers to discuss various personal and professional topics that include readings and videos. Seeing the impact of last year’s project gives me optimism that our team will be able to create a similarly impactful end result.
Last week I was also given the opportunity to provide feedback about the current training process. My manager was very open and encouraging when it came to soliciting honest and candid feedback about how the training has been. I came up with some ideas regarding how we were taught how to review loan accords to file for future access, as myself and the other intern found the process to be rather confusing. I suggested the training start with a big picture look at what the purpose of the task is and what it will accomplish in connection with other departments. Adding this step to the process would provide the necessary context to work through the task with greater comprehension. Additionally, I suggested creating a visual flow chart of the steps of the ACORD process so that it could be looked at when questions came up without having to interrupt one of the other analysts, as well as being a tool that will benefit more visual learners that may otherwise have a hard time.