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3 ways to help your interviewer help you
 

bankerella's picture
IB
(King Kong, 1,863
 
Points)
 on 9/24/12 at 2:30pm
pc_interview_suit1.jpg

Andy note: this was originally posted on 9/14/12

So last time we established that when I come to recruit at your school (and I promise you, today I am recruiting at a school attended by probably at least 40-50 of the people on this board), I’m really just doing it to get a much-needed break from the office, a little sleep, and a chance to do my own thing (read: booze it up and party with old friends) for a day or two. It would be pretty cool if I could accomplish this without actually doing recruiting activities, because I find them just as awkward and lame as you do. But I’m stuck with it, and so are you. So here’s how you should make the best of it.

First, don’t be scared.

Yes, I’m clearly tired, and no, talking to you is not on my top ten list of things I’d like to be doing with my time away from the office. But this isn’t your fault, and I know it. In fact, this can be a mutually beneficial arrangement for us both. Remember, though I may act like a douchebag, I don’t hate you. If you don’t make things hard for me, I may even like you.

How might you make things hard for me? Well, you could be dense, difficult to talk to, too nervous to make sense, or overly serious and intense. You could give three-word answers to my questions, forcing me to then pry answers out of you. You could also ramble at length, forcing me to work hard to follow your chain of logic (I won’t). Or you could ask four-part questions all at once, forcing me to remember all four parts and construct a long speech on the fly that will answer all of them.

How do you make things easy for me? Keep the conversation light, be entertaining without being too high-energy, don’t ask anything that’ll make me think too hard. Is it fair to ask you to do these things for me so I can relax while you have to stay on top of your game? Nope. Will I appreciate it nonetheless? Hell yes. It’ll also demonstrate that you have the skills necessary to interact with my bosses.

Second: Be surgical, especially in the daytime. The rules for an EIS or a daytime networking session are different than for a cocktail event. If there is a drink in my hand, I’m a little more off-duty and it’s time for enjoyable chitchat. If there’s a drink in my hand, by all means tell me about your cycling hobby and your summer in Mongolia... as long as I’m making encouraging noises to show I’m genuinely interested.

If there is no drink in my hand, my meter is running. You may still think you need or deserve 5-6 minutes of my time, and that this much time will make me remember you in a positive light. The sad fact is that unless you’re an Olympic gold medalist or a fighter pilot or something along those lines, taking that much of my time prior to the cocktail hour is probably going to hurt you rather than help. The reason is this: you can't get a job offer at a networking session; all you can hope to accomplish is to make a vaguely positive impression. If you pass the blink test and move on in 60 seconds, my impression is vaguely positive and you have very little chance to fuck it up. In 5-6 minutes, you will probably fuck it up. In an interview, that’s okay because everyone fucks it up. But at an EIS, you risk being that one guy who monopolized me for 5+ minutes with a boring story about some deal you worked on at a shitty MM PE fund last summer. Yawn. Your first deal may be magical, but by the time you've hit ten deals, the next one is about as thrilling as rereading six-month-old PIBs.

Third, understand my goals in each situation and help me meet them.

The EIS: My goal is to get in and out fast, leave you with a positive impression of the firm, and get an initial list of names of people I might want to invite to first rounds. The EIS is not the right venue for you to try to land the job. It’s the right venue for you to land the first round interview.

I don’t even care about anything on your resume at this point. I show up in person in order to make your career services people happy and in order to help us avoid wasting a first-round slot on someone who looks good on paper but who will never survive second round. To this end, all I’m trying to do is to take note of people who speak English clearly and who strike me as relaxed, intelligent, and non-awkward.

The cocktail networking session: My goal is to form the same initial first-round list while having a couple of (hopefully) interesting conversations about something other than work and getting lightly buzzed on something that doesn’t taste like shit. (Bonus points: If conversation stalls, coax me into talking about myself, even if I strike you as the most boring individual you have ever met.)

The recruiting dinner: My goal is to spend 70-90 minutes eating dinner with a picked handful of high-potential candidates while enjoying myself, selling the firm, and making sure they won’t embarrass me if I bring them in. Just remember that my evening doesn’t really begin until the dinner event is over, and I want to go on someplace to meet my friends without you in tow (no offense). So when you see me begin to extricate myself, hopefully with at least a modicum of grace, let me go, even if the night’s still young. Do not invite me on to wherever you and your friends are going, no matter how friendly I seem. And don’t hang around hoping for me to invite you to continue the evening elsewhere.

The first-round interview: My goal is to get through 30 or 45 minutes with you as painlessly as possible and then to walk out at the end of the day with a list of 3-5 people I think won’t embarrass me at second-rounds. On my way back to the airport I’m going to shoot out an email with 1-3 short sentences for each candidate saying why I think they deserve to take up a slot in our second round. Generally, those sentences explain three things: how I know the candidate is smart, how I know they work hard, and how I know he’s socially a decent fit.

Since my name will be behind you if I bring you in for second rounds, I need to make sure you’re good. That said, I don’t want to work very hard at it. So, honestly, I want someone who can make it through the interview with little to no hand-holding, whose story looks good enough on paper, who can rapid-fire answers back to me that don’t sound stupid, and who doesn’t make me worried that they’re going to act weird under pressure. So don’t dazzle me with your outside-the-box thinking skills. Sorry. They’re nice to have, but that’s not what’s going to seal the deal.

All right, guys, now it's your turn. Anything you've always wanted to tell your douchebag recruiter but didn't have the balls to say to their face? Now's your chance. Go!

See my other WSO blog posts
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Comments

accbusiness's picture

Do you enjoy thank you emails

(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 1:13pm

Do you enjoy thank you emails after info sessions and interviews or are they a nuisance?

fbk4sure's picture

I guess the bottom line is

(Chimp, 2
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 1:16pm

I guess the bottom line is keep is simple and try and be yourself

Soapy.Detergent's picture

bankerella: even if I strike

IB
(Monkey, 63
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 1:28pm
bankerella:

even if I strike you as the most boring individual you have ever met

Why would someone get that impression?

WallStreetOasis.com's picture

good tips - thanks bankerella

EN
(Human, 12,074
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 1:37pm

good tips - thanks bankerella

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DonVon's picture

Quality. Thank you

IB
(King Kong, 1,914
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 1:54pm

Quality. Thank you Bankerella.

"An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Check out my blog!

adapt or die's picture

Thanks so much Bankerella!

(King Kong, 1,231
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 2:02pm

Thanks so much Bankerella!

Mr.Saxman's picture

.

IB
 
Points)
 on 9/22/12 at 7:24pm

.

BTbanker's picture

(No subject)

IB
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 2:11pm

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

Aaron Burr's picture

What's your take on

PE
(Gorilla, 558
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 2:23pm

What's your take on discussing postbanking exit opportunities with candidates? The vast majority of candidates stay away from this topic, rightfully wanting to avoid offending the recruiter, but it's clearly top of mind for a good chunk of analyst wannabes as well.

See my other WSO blog posts

ricky212's picture

Very good article. What are

ST
(Orangutan, 361
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 2:25pm

Very good article.

What are pibs?

Because when you're in a room full of smart people, smart suddenly doesn't matter—interesting is what matters.

vtech243's picture

PIB = Public Information

IB
(Baboon, 170
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 3:45pm

PIB = Public Information Book

Sucks to do and usually has to be formatted perfectly even though it is internal and will be looked at for 30 seconds.

Also ends up being 100+ pages so kills about 5 trees just so that your VP does not have to type "sec.gov" into his internet browser.

GS's picture

vtech243: PIB = Public

ST
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 3:52pm
vtech243:

PIB = Public Information Book

Sucks to do and usually has to be formatted perfectly even though it is internal and will be looked at for 30 seconds.

Also ends up being 100+ pages so kills about 5 trees just so that your VP does not have to type "sec.gov" into his internet browser.

Let me understand this. This is an internal document , that is painstakingly formatted, that contains public information , available with a mouse-click , which IB analysts spend upwards of 100 man hours making.

Wow

raz's picture

at my bank over the summer I

(Monkey, 52
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 4:02pm

at my bank over the summer I had to put together PIBs. They are boring and simple, and the purpose is wasteful. Not once did I spend more than 3 hours on a PIB, and that included printing. Maybe it was just my bank, but the formatting was dependent upon who was going to be looking at it.

Soapy.Detergent's picture

GS: vtech243: PIB = Public

IB
(Monkey, 63
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 5:35pm
GS:
vtech243:

PIB = Public Information Book

Sucks to do and usually has to be formatted perfectly even though it is internal and will be looked at for 30 seconds.

Also ends up being 100+ pages so kills about 5 trees just so that your VP does not have to type "sec.gov" into his internet browser.

Let me understand this. This is an internal document , that is painstakingly formatted, that contains public information , available with a mouse-click , which IB analysts spend upwards of 100 man hours making.

Wow

Don't patronize Bankerella. This is her bread and butter. Your snide remarks are demeaning.

arguewithatree's picture

Glad to know we're not the

IB
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 7:11pm

Glad to know we're not the only ones who hate these things. But in terms of the follow up email, my strategy is usually to send a short 2-3 line email the next day thanking the recruiter and maybe asking one question. I don't usually expect a response, but getting one is nice. How is this perceived from your perspective? The only other time I follow up is if I do get an interview with the firm, I'll email people I've met there beforehand with a few questions or to ask to talk on the phone for a few minutes (assuming they're not my actual interviewer). Is this all acceptable/okay from your perspective?

bankerella's picture

arguewithatree: Glad to know

IB
(King Kong, 1,863
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 7:42pm

See my other WSO blog posts

bankerella's picture

Soapy.Detergent: GS: vtec

IB
(King Kong, 1,863
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 7:47pm

See my other WSO blog posts

Soapy.Detergent's picture

bankerella: the good honest

IB
(Monkey, 63
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 8:05pm
rufiolove's picture

GS: vtech243: PIB = Public

IB
(Neanderthal, 3,382
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 8:15pm

1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...

rufiolove's picture

Soapy.Detergent: bankerella

IB
(Neanderthal, 3,382
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 8:17pm

1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...

Soapy.Detergent's picture

rufiolove: Soapy.Detergent:

IB
(Monkey, 63
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 8:53pm
Senvik's picture

Thank you for the post.

 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 8:56pm

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." - IlliniProgrammer

Gangnam Banker's picture

3 ways recruiters can improve

(Baboon, 124
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 9:04pm

There's no time to be bored. I'm so busy doing the horse dance...

bankerella's picture

Model Student: 3 ways

IB
(King Kong, 1,863
 
Points)
 on 9/12/12 at 11:58pm

See my other WSO blog posts

GS's picture

bankerella: Soapy.Detergent

ST
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 1:22am
GS's picture

rufiolove: GS: vtech243:

ST
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 1:16am
wolverine19x89's picture

Articles like these are why I

O
(King Kong, 1,845
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 1:22am

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough.

"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.

rufiolove's picture

GS: rufiolove: GS: vtec

IB
(Neanderthal, 3,382
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 2:29am

1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...

GS's picture

rufiolove: GS: rufiolove:

ST
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 5:38am
rufiolove's picture

GS: rufiolove: GS: rufi

IB
(Neanderthal, 3,382
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 12:19pm

1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...

illiniPride's picture

bankerella: Generally, those

IB
(King Kong, 1,099
 
Points)
 on 9/13/12 at 6:50pm

Leadership can be defined in two words: "Follow Me"

Interest.ed's picture

Bankerella, you are not even

 
Points)
 on 9/25/12 at 12:23am
wolverine19x89's picture

I hope you don't mean that

O
(King Kong, 1,845
 
Points)
 on 9/25/12 at 12:27am

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough.

"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.

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