Student Perspectives: It’s All About Attitude: How Positivity Can Lead to Career Opportunities

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MS Finance ‘25 alum, Raphael Loloey, shares with the GCMC how a positive work attitude made an internship experience at Effy Jewelry worthwhile.

During my internship at Effy Jewelry, the most important thing I’ve learned is how important finance departments of retailers are, especially for companies that operate nation-wide. In the finance department, we keep track of the performance of different products and business lines and give strategic insights into how to drive revenue. We operate different stores, and we collect feedback from every store manager. While salespeople with boots on the ground give invaluable guidance about business strategies for their own stores, a good finance and analytics department collects different feedback and ideas and translates them into a company-wide strategy, supported by financial data. 

In every company, different teams work together, and one cannot live without the other. Therefore, networking with other departments is key to understanding your own role fully. I networked with people from all kinds of divisions, and it was not until then that I understood the business better. 

The biggest contribution I could offer to my team has been my willingness to learn and my enthusiasm. Graduates often make the mistake of thinking their biggest asset is their set of skills. While having skills is fundamental, it is merely a minimum requirement. The difference between an okay and an excellent analyst is the time they put into work, passion, and their ability to learn. After two months, every analyst will have the same set of skills, no matter which college they have attended. In the long run, it’s about attitude. 

I will continue working for Effy after I graduate, and I want to keep working in the same department and learn from my managers. I want to gain knowledge vertically and become an expert in this field, which has many transferable skills that I could leverage at any point in my future career. 

To my fellow Baruch colleagues looking for work experience, I will give you the most frustrating piece of advice that I’ve been given countless times but is as true as it is popular: do your job and trust the process. However, I will reiterate the message that applying to jobs on LinkedIn alone is a waste of time as there are myriads of people doing that, and among those there will probably be someone with a better resume than yours. But remember, in the long run, it’s about attitude, and to get a job you need to stand out by networking and showing enthusiasm for the role.

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