how to get a spring week with no experience

The complete guide for first-years. What spring weeks are, which firms offer them, when to apply, what to put on your CV when you have almost nothing on it, and the exact steps to take this term to be competitive by October.

What Is a Spring Week?

A spring week is a 1 to 2 week work experience programme run by banks and consulting firms during the Easter break, aimed specifically at first-year students. They are the single most important thing you can do in your first year at university if you want a career in finance.

Most students don't apply. Most of those who do apply too late. The ones who get spring weeks and go on to convert them into summer internships almost always started preparing in their first term. That's the edge this post is designed to give you.

Spring weeks are offered by Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Citi, HSBC, Bank of America, Rothschild, Lazard, Blackstone, BlackRock, McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, PwC, and most of the major professional services firms. Many of them offer a fast-track route to a summer internship offer for spring week attendees who perform well.

When to Apply and Why Most People Miss the Window

This is the part that catches most first-years out. Spring week applications open in September and October of your first year and many of the most competitive programmes close before Christmas. By the time most students think about applying in January or February, Goldman, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley are already closed.

Here is the rough timeline for the major firms:

September to October: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays open. These close fastest and are the most competitive. Apply the day they open.

October to November: Citi, HSBC, Bank of America, Rothschild, Lazard, BlackRock. Still competitive but slightly more forgiving on timing.

November to January: Big 4 firms, mid-tier banks, asset managers. More runway but don't treat this as an excuse to delay the earlier ones.

The single most useful thing you can do right now is bookmark the Land the Offers internship tracker and check it weekly. Every opening and closing date is updated regularly so you never find out too late.

What to Put on Your CV When You Have Nothing

This is the question every first-year asks and the answer is more straightforward than you think. Spring week applications are designed for students with limited experience. The firms know you are 19 or 20 years old. What they are screening for is potential, commercial awareness, and genuine interest. Here is what to build your CV around.

Join your university finance or investment society immediately. Do not wait until second year. Join in freshers week, go to every event, and put your name forward for any analyst or junior role within the society. Even being a first-year member with an active role in a weekly stock pitch process is a credible CV line. A leadership position, even a minor one, is significantly better than nothing.

Complete a Forage virtual experience programme. Forage runs free virtual internship programmes with Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citi, Bank of America, Barclays, and others. Each one takes a few hours, teaches you real tasks, and gives you a certification you can list on your CV under experience or training. This is the single highest-leverage thing a first-year with no formal experience can do in a short amount of time.

List relevant coursework and academic achievements. Finance, economics, accounting, maths, statistics modules all belong on a spring week CV. If you got a strong grade in a quantitative module, list it. If your predicted degree grade is strong, include it prominently.

Frame any work experience commercially. Retail, hospitality, tutoring, anything. The key is to write about it using the language of impact: what you managed, what improved, what you delivered. A part-time job described with numbers is more compelling than a vague internship described without them.

Add a strong interests line. Spring week applications are read by humans who are also looking for interesting people. Something specific and genuine, competitive chess, a sport you play seriously, a subject you follow deeply, makes your application more memorable than one that lists reading and travelling.

What the Application Actually Involves

Most spring week applications follow the same structure. Understanding each stage in advance removes the anxiety and lets you prepare specifically rather than generically.

Online application form. Your CV, cover letter or motivation questions, and basic personal details. The cover letter or motivation questions are where most people fall down. Generic answers about being passionate about finance are ignored. Write about a specific deal, a specific market trend, or a specific reason that firm interests you over its competitors. One specific thing beats three generic ones every time.

Online tests. Numerical reasoning is almost universal. Some firms add verbal reasoning or situational judgement tests. Practice these before you apply, not on the day. SHL and Talent Q both offer free practice tests online. Aim to complete at least 10 to 15 timed practice tests before your first real one.

Video interview or HireVue. A one-way video interview where you record answers to pre-set questions with no live interviewer. Prepare 5 or 6 STAR stories covering leadership, a challenge you overcame, a time you worked in a team, and why this firm specifically. Record yourself once on your phone before the real thing so you can hear how you sound.

Assessment centre. Not all spring weeks have one at this stage but some do. Group exercise, case study, and a short competency interview. The group exercise is where most students lose points by trying to dominate rather than collaborate. Add value without taking over.

What to Do This Week to Get Ahead

Most students reading this are not yet applying. That is the advantage. Here is exactly what to do before anyone else in your year is thinking about this.

Join your finance society this week. Go to the next event. Introduce yourself to the committee. Ask how you can get involved in the stock pitch process or sector coverage. Show up twice before you ask for anything.

Complete one Forage programme in the next two weeks. Go to forage.com, search for Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan, and start the investment banking virtual experience. It takes 5 to 6 hours and gives you a real credential and talking point in your application.

Start reading the FT markets section every morning. Even 15 minutes. Pick one story per day and understand it well enough to explain it to someone who knows nothing about finance. This builds the commercial awareness that spring week applications and interviews test directly.

Do five practice numerical reasoning tests this month. Go to shldirect.com and use the free practice tests. Time yourself strictly. Getting comfortable with the format under pressure is more valuable than any amount of cramming the night before.

Bookmark the internship tracker. Set a reminder to check it every Monday. When a role you want opens, apply within the first week. Rolling applications reward early applicants and the best spots fill before the official deadline.

Spring weeks are not given to the most impressive first-years. They go to the ones who are most prepared, most specific, and most timely. Everything in this post is actionable this week.

If you are applying to a specific firm and want to know what to focus on, hit reply and tell me which one. I read every reply.

Good luck out there.

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