Success story: Sean McChesney signs on full-time with Citi

Areas of Study , Finance Success Stories | Feb 21, 2012 | Nicole Gesualdo

Finance major Sean McChesney (GSB ’12) has accepted a position in Citigroup’s 18-month development program and will begin work in the firm’s Philadelphia office after graduation. This will be a return home of sorts for Sean, who grew up across the river in Moorestown, New Jersey, and attended high school at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep.

The development program grooms new college graduates for permanent positions as commercial banking relationship managers for Citigroup, which provides financial services for business customers with annual sales ranging from $5 million to more than $250 million. Through a mix of training and hands-on practice, Sean and his fellow participants will complete the program able to structure commercial deals and analyze credit risk when dealing with client financial statements, risk portfolios and credit transactions. Permanent placements are made when the 18-month training ends.

“The fact that Citi is such an established company with a diverse offering of financial services make the company a great place to start my career in finance,” Sean said. He added that “the reach of Citi’s business lines means that I will always have the ability to move laterally as well as vertically within the company,” should he want to explore beyond commercial banking one day.

Sean has been working since fall 2011 for UBS, where he began as a wealth management intern. He spent the fall semester working mainly in client relations for a UBS financial advisory group, and in the spring, he was offered an internship with the management team. “I viewed this as a great opportunity to see another side of the business, and now I work with the company managers on a weekly basis compiling branch-wide status reports and working on ad hoc projects,” Sean said.

From his perspective as a senior, Sean advises his peers not to overlook the value of networking. “I would urge every Gabelli student who is or will be looking for a job in the future to start building their network base now,” he said. “The best opportunities come from those people who you already know. During my job search, I was able to make connections with Fordham alumni, old family friends and finance professionals that ultimately led to multiple job offers. As awkward as it may seem to contact these people, they are all more than willing to answer a few questions and help in any way they can.”

Congratulations to Sean on his fantastic job offer, and best wishes for the last few months of senior year and beyond!