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Here at Vault, we’ve made it our business to know what makes a good internship program. In this series, we’re examining the four pillars of an impactful internship program and how each supports the growth and success of students. Our second pillar is Networking. Having a vast and diverse network is important for professionals at every stage in their careers, but building it is the hard part, and most of it happens during the early career phase.
I spoke to two professionals from top internship programs known for their ability to help interns build their professional networks, in industries notorious for networks being of the utmost importance. Jennifer Gordon is Head of Recruiting at Guggenheim Securities, an investment bank based in New York City. Kadeer Porter is a Senior Recruiter and Project Manager at William Morris Endeavor (WME), a talent agency based in Beverly Hills. Both Guggenheim Securities and WME run internship programs that do an exceptional job of connecting interns with peers and mentors. Jennifer and Kadeer were kind enough to offer their perspectives on the importance of networking and expound on how their companies’ programs encourage network-building.
How does your company’s internship program facilitate networking between interns, between interns and full-time employees, and/or between interns and clients?
Jennifer Gordon, Guggenheim: We view the internship as the starting point for a lifelong professional network, so we’ve structured our program to help interns form immediate, substantive connections.
Connectivity begins before the first day of the program. Our incoming interns are paired with peer mentors, consisting of returning college seniors who were in the internship program the previous summer and can help answer any preliminary questions and offer support. We also distribute class lists months before the program starts to encourage the group to start connecting with each other, and we invite the incoming class to join recruiting events and team dinners we host on their campus.
At the start of the program, we host a collective in-person training week in New York where all interns attend workshops and various events together. Analyst interns are assigned a full-time analyst mentor, and associate interns are assigned a full-time associate and a senior mentor to guide them through the summer. Additionally, interns are given a senior mentor through the Strategic Advisory Project, our marquee summer project hosted in collaboration with a client.
Our staffing model is intentional, with interns given the opportunity to work across and interact with various deal teams during the program. Interns are offered exclusive and significant networking opportunities with clients through their work on live deals. Networking between interns and full-time employees is also promoted outside of the office through organized weekly gatherings and signature events, including our poker night and sailing trip.
Kadeer Porter, WME: WME Group’s internship program is intentionally designed to create meaningful networking opportunities across multiple levels of the organization. Interns are embedded into active teams, allowing for day-to-day interaction with full-time employees, agents, and cross-functional partners. This exposure ensures that networking is not just event-based but integrated into the daily workflow.
In addition to organic relationship-building, the program includes structured touchpoints such as speaker series, panel discussions, and mentorship pairings. These create direct access to assistants, leaders, and everyone in between across departments, and provide insight into various career paths within the company. Intern cohorts are also encouraged to collaborate on group projects and attend social programming, fostering strong peer-to-peer connections that often extend beyond the internship.
Where appropriate, interns may also gain visibility into client-facing work, whether through shadowing opportunities, assisting with research, or supporting live projects, offering a unique perspective on how relationships are built and maintained in a client-driven business. Overall, the program blends formal and informal networking to ensure interns leave with both a strong internal network and a clear understanding of the industry ecosystem.
How would you describe the importance of networking to an early-career professional?
Jennifer Gordon, Guggenheim: Networking is the primary way in which an early-career professional can accelerate their development and professional life. Engaging with colleagues forces them to sharpen their technical and interpersonal skills, including relationship-building, communication, confidence, and emotional intelligence. These are key to becoming a successful investment banker.
We advise all new hires, intern and full-time, to build networks at both a peer level and a senior banker level.
Their classmates are the colleagues they will grow with throughout their careers. The relationships that are built during the program often turn into an intern’s most valuable professional contacts.
The full-time analysts and senior bankers in an intern’s network are mentors and teachers who understand the nuances of the industry with first-hand knowledge. They can help provide critical technical skills and serve as advocates throughout one’s career. Having a senior leader who is willing to promote your work and your potential is a critical component of an upward, long-term career trajectory in investment banking and beyond.
Kadeer Porter, WME: Networking is one of the most critical accelerators for early-career professionals. While skills and experience are essential, relationships often open the doors to opportunities, mentorship, and long-term career growth.
At an early stage, networking is less about transactional asks and more about building genuine, lasting connections. It provides access to knowledge that isn’t always taught in formal settings, including industry insights, career navigation advice, and exposure to different paths. It also helps individuals to better understand where they fit and how they can add value.
In industries like entertainment, sports, and fashion, where collaboration and trust are central, networking becomes even more important. The relationships built early on often evolve into future colleagues, collaborators, or advocates. When approached with authenticity, curiosity, and consistency, networking becomes a powerful tool not just for getting a job but for building a sustainable and fulfilling career.
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