OLIVIA KIM
“Hi everyone, my name is Olivia Kim, and I am a junior and student-athlete attending Columbia College majoring in Economics! I am in the Professional Development committee this year and I am currently enjoying getting closer and discussing ideas with my fellow committee members. Everyone is so kind and open, and I look forward to working hard with them to be able to host some fun events this year!
Regarding finance recruiting, I found out about finance and investment banking much later than the average person going into finance. Still, I always had a wonderful support system and everyone I have reached out to for advice and help has always been there to extend words of wisdom that have motivated me to learn more about the industry. As a college student-athlete, I learned to use my resources, as there is a vast network of athletes working in finance, and I was first introduced to the finance industry through a case-competition program for college student-athletes when I was a freshman. From there, my interest in finance, particularly investment banking, sparked, as my team’s mentor during that program was currently working in investment banking. After that, I took the time to try to teach myself some technical skills, reach out to people to learn more about what finance was about, and apply to internships. Investment banking recruiting definitely was pretty stressful at times as there was a lot to do and apply for, but everyone I talked to was candid about their experiences. I applied to the RBC Women’s Advisory Program for the fall of my sophomore year and was lucky enough to get in. In that program, I was still unsure of what financial career path I wanted to pursue, so I talked to multiple employees at RBC and they provided me with their advice and experiences that helped guide me through my decision-making process. Everyone I met at RBC was knowledgeable and even when I did not know much about banking at that time, they treated me with respect and taught me things so that I could learn them with ease. I hope to provide this level of comfort to others, so please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you have about recruiting!
My advice for finance recruiting would be to go after and try to make opportunities, keep an open mind to learn as much as you can, and make genuine connections with people. I think it is so important to create that real connection with the people that you network with, because at the end of the day, bankers, and everyone else who have jobs, are just people, and they want to get to know you for who you are. I know recruiting can be a big time commitment, but putting in that work to learn about the markets and getting to know people will help you grow that passion for finance. To reduce any possible stress, I would say to just take it one step at a time, be consistent, and make sure to lean on your support system! I am so grateful that I found like-minded, goal-oriented people with positive growth mindsets who were willing to help me, and this is one of the main reasons why I chose RBC. I am so excited for this upcoming summer as I will be working with them as a summer analyst, and I encourage people looking into finance to find their people as well. I wish the best of luck to everyone looking into pursuing financial careers and hope that you find your fit just as I did!”
Olivia Kim, January 2025