BUSINE$$ MINDS Season 3 WEEK 3 - Don't WASTE Your SENIOR YEAR

Slate Fluker – Truist

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“Finance is a great place to start – if you understand how a business works, then you are truly valuable and can make an impact”, Slate shared. Slate shared how financial skills allow a young professional to understand the holistic landscape of an organization and create a dialog for recommendations from it. Slate attended Georgia College & State University where he majored in information systems and minored in finance. The summer after COVID, Slate’s junior summer, he was able to network as he wanted to land a role in banking. Through his connections, Slate was able to garner an internship with Truist as a Dealer Services Intern. During this role, Slate serviced the commercial community bank where he built out graphic models for relationship managers as well as pitch decks.

????????????????? “That one connection at Truist that I made placed me in that internship program – it just goes to show that you don’t need to network to the masses, you just need to develop a tightly knit community”, Slate reflected. Due to Slate’s insight and demonstrated ability, he was able to return to Truist as a Metrolinia Regional Banking intern the following summer. “When it was time to find a full-time job, the market was scarce, so instead of shopping around I took the opportunity that was in front of me”. The opportunity that Slate now sits in is Truist’s middle market as an analyst in Washington DC. In this role, Slate services the greater Washington DC area for companies with a revenue of $25-$250 million. His team specifically works with government contractors to bid on an assortment of contracts for military equipment. In the analyst role, Slate writes up opportunity memorandums to “give the credits team and underwriting team a better understanding of the business, financials, and credit risk”, as Truist extends loans to these organizations. These reports are created for the credit and underwriting teams to understand the impact of debt on their financials as well as their ability to service their debts.

Looking back on his short yet exciting career, Slate shares, “A lot of college students don’t understand that you have to get ready for the real world. I feel as though many college students underestimate their senior year”. Slate advises garnering as much professional experience as possible as this not only allows the young professional to decide which direction to pursue but also to show their diverse set of knowledge. Further, Slate took the time to consult guidance on resume crafting, and interview preparation for his internships and early career opportunities. However, during the interview preparation, Slate did take his own advice as he reviewed all the materials that the recruiter had access to including a resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, among others. Not only do young professionals need to know themselves, but also the technical skills that are required.

Overall, Slate believes in pursuing a career that is exciting and “gets you out of bed in the morning not makes you get out of bed in the morning”. Slate went on to share that corporate America is an intimidating landscape and there is no one who will actively motivate self growth. “don’t stay complacent with where you are at, but stay with yourself and your values”.