Domani Wealth – a wealth management company which prides itself on its independence, financial planning expertise, and team culture – isn’t your typical avenue for an aspiring accounting major in college. Most students studying accounting look for tax or audit internships. However, investing has always piqued my interest, which made Domani the perfect firm to apply to for an internship. Domani’s unique offering of a rotational internship through its four internal groups: Investment Strategy, Operations, Practice Management, and Wealth Advisory, was an excellent opportunity to experience every aspect of wealth management.
The interview and hiring process was carried out in a professional manner. What stood out instantly was the interest the members of the Domani team took in me as a person and my career goals. While they were trying to gauge if I would be a good fit within the firm, I felt comfortable with them as potential future coworkers. Once the offer was extended, I couldn’t accept quick enough. Members of the team I interviewed with reached out and congratulated me right away, which spoke to the character of the firm and the core values the team instills in their everyday work.
My internship with Domani was my first ever office job, so, like many, I was nervous about what to expect. Weeks before my internship even started, Domani set me up with a peer mentor within the team. The peer mentor was vital in providing insight that I may have been too nervous to ask others for, providing answers to FAQs, or simply just asking how my day was going. Those little things really go a long way in building confidence as a professional.
The internship program was very transparent about expectations and how my rotation through the four groups would work. During the four-month internship, I would spend roughly one month within each department. I say roughly one month because the rotation is dependent on work being available for an intern. One thing Domani did so well was building projects that would integrate me within each section and create exposure to the many aspects of each. The communication amongst the managers was imperative to ensuring a continual workload so I could learn new skills, and throughout my internship, there was always a new project for me to try.
What stood out to me as an intern was the value Domani allowed me to bring to the team. Confidence was instilled in me from the beginning by allowing me to work through projects instead of just telling me what to do. This was significant because it provided a sense of achievement and really made me feel like I was an integral part of the team that was able to contribute to what we offer our clients. That was my biggest takeaway from the internship program. The support system was fantastic from top to bottom and allowed me to grow. By permitting me to apply my style to projects and adapt to a new work environment, I was able to create my own narrative of how I would potentially fit in the wealth management industry.
The Domani culture epitomizes the value we bring to our clients. As someone who was not client-facing as an intern, I still felt just as important as our senior wealth advisors. The way each team member carries themselves and how they integrate our core values within their work every day emphasizes what we stand for as a firm. The relationships we build with clients and how we pride ourselves on accountability and integrity gave me a sense of gratification for the welcome into the wealth management world.
Domani’s internship program did not just end at the end of the four-month rotation. I was fortunate enough to be extended an invite to continue my internship throughout the summer, where I would move on to more in-depth analysis and projects within the firm. Throughout my experience as an intern, Domani was emphatic about their interest in me as a team member and offered me a full-time position after graduating from college. I graciously accepted a Client Service Associate role, which entails a rotation throughout the firm, similar to that of the internship but with even more growth of knowledge and relationship building. The rotational aspect of the internship and the CSA role will build a strong base of skills needed to be successful in the wealth management industry.
To learn more about upcoming internship opportunities and open positions, visit Domani Wealth’s careers page.
