Best Companies For Internships

Houlihan Lokey

HOULIHAN LOKEY PULLS A HOLLY HOLM IN INVESTMENT BANKING RANKING

Along with ranking internships overall, Vault also segments companies by industry. In consulting, for example, Bain & Company retains the top spot, followed by CapTech, Bates White, the Boston Consulting Group, and PwC. BCG earned particularly high marks, with 198 out of 256 of interns giving it five stars (and another 57 scoring it with four stars). One 2015 intern described the internship as “a hell of a ride,” before clicking off the many benefits of the BCG experience: “Challenging, entertaining, working with senior leadership, close interaction and working relationship with all levels including partners, access to all parts of the company, amazing travel experiences, staying in five star hotels and flying first class, culture of personal and professional development.” Says another intern, “[You get] constructive feedback [and an] opportunity to succeed.”

In the biggest upset of the rankings, Houlihan Lokey edged Evercore in the investment banking category by a slim 9.680 to 9.677 margin. In context, it makes sense. In Vault’s 2016 investment banking rankings,for example, Houlihan Lokey topped all banks when it came to employee satisfaction in areas like firm culture, formal training, informal training, promotion policies, and supervisor relations. And such structures and camaraderie trickle down to interns. “Overall the people who work at Houlihan are amazing,” pens one 2015 intern. “Not only do the individual teams work well, but all of the groups work well together. The firm promotes unity through all of its divisions and it helps everyone immensely.”

Other top internships in their respective industries include: Frank Rimerman + Co. LLP (Accounting), Westar Energy (Energy), Northwestern Mutual (Financial Services), Nickelodeon Animation Studio (Media and Entertainment), and Boeing (Tech and Engineering).

In terms of the best internships for quality of life, Westar Energy eeked out the top spot for Fram, Rimerman + Company, with 2015 interns consistently touting the firm’s friendliness. “I really enjoyed the people I worked with and their willingness to help me and make me feel part of the culture,” shares one intern.

Overall, MBAs tended to be happier than undergraduates with their internship experience according to Vault, doling out higher scores in pay, onboarding, and career development. That said, undergrads believed they had better full-time employment prospects than MBAs by a 9.230-to 9.075 margin.

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(Go to next page for industry-based internship rankings