How to hire a finance internship

How to hire a finance internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step finance internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a finance internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new finance internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a finance internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the finance internship you need to hire. Certain finance internship roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A finance internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, finance interns from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of finance internship salaries for various roles:

   Type of Finance Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Finance Internship		$13-25
   Summer Analyst	Summer analysts are people who undertake an internship within a banking institution. These professionals perform analyses of detailed financial and corporate information... Show more	$20-49
   Investment Banking Internship	An investment banking intern is responsible for assisting investment bankers in delivering high-quality financial services to clients while learning various investment strategies and other related banking disciplines. Investment banking interns observe the investment processes, shadow bankers on their daily operations, and contribute to identifying business opportunities based on their class knowledge to practical applications... Show more	$12-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Risk Management
   • Internal Audit
   • Power Bi
   • Math
   • First Hand
   • Data Analysis
   • Financial Planning Analysis
   • Financial Analysis
   • Strong Analytical
   • Reconciliations
   • Journal Entries
   • Litigation
   • Financial Services
   • Financial Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Ensure office equipment run smoothly and properly and manage inventories, order equipment and supplies.
   • Manage team of underwriters and loan processors through the funding and secondary market sale of mortgage-backed securities.
   • Manage A/R and financial functions for large automotive global account, generating annual revenues in excess of $100M/contract year.
   • Manage administration of SalesForce accounts as well as creating and automating various business specific reports.
   • Manage financial statements and work independently to produce accurate records for petty cash, bank reconciliations, and data inventory.
   • Manage and strengthen customer relationships through cross-selling and up-selling to maximize retention and income generation by contacting existing and prospective customers.

   More finance internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the finance internship job description is a good way to get more applicants. A finance internship salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a finance internship in Mississippi may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level finance internship. Additionally, a finance internship with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average finance internship salary

   $38,458yearly

   $18.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level finance internship salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average finance internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$45,469	$22
   2	Pennsylvania	$43,406	$21
   3	Texas	$42,271	$20
   4	District of Columbia	$42,169	$20
   5	California	$41,990	$20
   6	Nevada	$41,015	$20
   7	Arizona	$40,444	$19
   8	Massachusetts	$40,443	$19
   9	Kansas	$40,382	$19
   10	North Carolina	$40,295	$19
   11	Colorado	$38,100	$18
   12	Illinois	$37,329	$18
   13	Virginia	$35,990	$17
   14	Utah	$35,514	$17
   15	Washington	$35,490	$17
   16	New Jersey	$35,411	$17
   17	Hawaii	$35,410	$17
   18	Missouri	$34,918	$17
   19	Georgia	$34,672	$17
   20	Wisconsin	$34,582	$17

   Average finance internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Shearman & Sterling	$76,097	$36.59
   2	KLA	$62,245	$29.93	6
   3	Gilead Sciences	$59,574	$28.64
   4	Jacobs Engineering Group	$57,595	$27.69
   5	Meggitt PLC	$57,159	$27.48
   6	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$56,770	$27.29	5
   7	Merck	$55,929	$26.89	2
   8	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$54,234	$26.07	34
   9	Deloitte	$53,087	$25.52	591
   10	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$53,037	$25.50	2
   11	Edward Jones	$52,631	$25.30	602
   12	Stifel Financial	$52,599	$25.29	8
   13	BNP Paribas	$51,885	$24.94	8
   14	EXL	$50,920	$24.48
   15	Johnson & Johnson	$50,706	$24.38	24
   16	Apple	$49,818	$23.95	23
   17	Bloom Energy	$49,566	$23.83	10
   18	RSM US	$49,076	$23.59	181
   19	General Electric	$48,400	$23.27	20
   20	Advent Software	$47,403	$22.79

4. Writing a finance internship job description

   A good finance internship job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a finance internship job description:

   Finance internship job description example

   This internship position will be a part of the Finance & Accounting organization. Responsible for supporting Finance & Accounting leaders in developing budgets, forecasts and providing meaningful analysis of actual results. This position will provide the intern visibility to the staff within the Finance & Accounting division as well as the operational staff across the business units. In this position, the candidate will have the opportunity to demonstrate and develop analytical skills while learning about the diverse business units within Walgreens.
   
   Walgreens has Finance & Accounting Internship openings at our corporate office in Deerfield, IL. Potential teams/areas include the following:
   
   • Business Unit Finance (i.e. Pharmacy Finance, Merchandise Finance, Headquarters Finance, Marketing Finance, etc.)
   • Financial Planning and Analysis
   • Mergers and Acquisitions
   • Internal Audit
   • Corporate Accounting
   • Tax
   Project work will differ in each area depending on business needs, and all interns will participate in the Corporate Internship Programming.
   
   Job Responsibilities Performs various activities that contribute to the strategy development process for the assigned business unit. Utilizes various tools and resources to analyze information and make recommendations to support the business. Provides general day-to-day support across the various divisions within Walgreens. Suggests recommendations to leadership for improving and updating policies and processes. May deliver a project aligning to strategic priorities and present to manager/leadership upon completion.
   An Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans
   
   About Walgreens Boots Alliance
   
   Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) is a global leader in retail pharmacy, impacting millions of lives every day through dispensing medicines, and providing accessible, high-quality care. With more than 170 years of trusted healthcare heritage and innovation in community pharmacy, the company is meeting customers' and patients' needs through its convenient retail locations, digital platforms and health and beauty products.
   
   Including equity method investments, WBA has a presence in more than 25 countries, employs more than 450,000 people and has more than 21,000 stores.
   
   WBA's purpose is to help people across the world lead healthier and happier lives. The company is proud of its contributions to healthy communities, a healthy planet, an inclusive workplace and a sustainable marketplace. WBA is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business.
   
   WBA is included in FORTUNE's 2021 list of the World's Most Admired Companies . This is the 28th consecutive year that WBA or its predecessor company, Walgreen Co., has been named to the list.
   
   More company information is available at . Qualification: Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program with 2 semesters remaining upon start date Experience communicating with key stakeholders via writing reports and presenting the information. Experience collaborating with teams Basic level skill in Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right finance internship for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with finance interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit finance interns who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your finance internship job on Zippia to find and recruit finance internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit finance interns, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new finance internship

   Once you've selected the best finance internship candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new finance internship first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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