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What b-school taught me about the job hunt
 

bankerella's picture
IB
(King Kong, 1,869
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 12:30pm
iStock_000011518402XSmall.jpg

So in an earlier post I shared portions of what I'm calling my quarter-million-dollar notebook -- the eleven pages containing every note I ever took in b-school that I thought was worth carrying forward into my career. (Why is it a quarter million dollars? That's what I spent on b-school.*)

Here's what it says about jobs.

  • The more the recruiters repeat something about their firm, the less likely it is to be true. (Ex. “You will have completely free access to senior bankers. They will be involved in every step of your development. Our seniors have a very firm commitment to your career. We spend 10% of our man-hours on feedback and development. The whole company has an open-door policy.” Etc.)
  • From your point of view, it is more important that you interview them than vice-versa. You are handing them the keys to your life for the next X years. They're just managing future headcount.
  • Negotiate your job offer. If the employer pushes back or gets pissed that you're asking for more, ask them, "If you want to hire someone who won’t pursue better outcomes for themselves, how can you expect them to pursue better outcomes for the firm?"
  • On the other hand, never talk about why a job is the right one for you. Tell them why you are the right person for the job.
  • Your answer to the “greatest weakness” question should not be a character flaw.
  • The interviewer is your teammate. It’s not a matter of getting over a bar of “good enough”; you need that person to go to bat for you.
  • You are not stressed out. You are happy to meet your future co-workers and spend some time with them, and interested in the answers to the questions that they ask.

    • For what it's worth, I had five offers for a summer internship and four offers for full-time. Most of these were pretty high-quality offers and I was pleased with my palette of options.

    *Happy to continue to endlessly hash out what makes b-school actually cost $200-250k (instead of the $100-120k they like to claim) with the monkeys that haven't read it in the comments on my earlier posts. But that's not the point of this post.

See my other WSO blog posts
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Comments

RE Capital Markets's picture

I usually find your posts

RE
(Gorilla, 649
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:10pm

I usually find your posts pretty useless. This one is not.

I especially like this:

bankerella:

On the other hand, never talk about why a job is the right one for you. Tell them why you are the right person for the job.

^^Very good advice.

Man made money, money never made the man

JDimon's picture

I believe the first one. All

(Orangutan, 252
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:10pm

I believe the first one. All banks say their culture is very flat - and banks have the least flat culture of any company

There is already a book on you. That book is already being written. And if I talked to your friends, your teachers, your professionals, your family, I would know so much about you I wouldn't even have to meet you. You write the book the way you want to be

mdk6c's picture

Damnit bankerella you have

(Baboon, 166
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:19pm

Damnit bankerella you have given me no fodder for complaining

Abdel's picture

Ditto. Good post. While

O
(Neanderthal, 2,064
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:19pm

Ditto. Good post.

While everyone is trying to break into PE/IB, I think I'll try to break into higher education. Those guys are making bank off the poor MBA students.

historiclegend's picture

RE Capital Markets: I usually

(Baboon, 111
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:39pm
RE Capital Markets:

I usually find your posts pretty useless. This one is not.

Took the words out of my mouth.

Thanks bankerella

mdk6c's picture

Abdel: Ditto. Good

(Baboon, 166
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:50pm
Abdel:

Ditto. Good post.

While everyone is trying to break into PE/IB, I think I'll try to break into higher education. Those guys are making bank off the poor MBA students.

Tenure!

Disincentivy's picture

Solid post. Kudos

VC
(Gorilla, 713
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:52pm

Solid post. Kudos

I may not be on the Jedi Council, but I sure am great with the Force.

See my WSO blog posts

DonVon's picture

Good stuff, SB 4 u.

IB
(King Kong, 1,914
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 1:58pm

Good stuff, SB 4 u.

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

Check out my blog!

Abdel's picture

blastoise: she is a woman

O
(Neanderthal, 2,064
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 2:07pm
blastoise:

she is a woman though

What is happening to you Blast?

Is it because your internship is killing you or because of the new wso user guidelines?

cinnamontoastcrunch's picture

bankerella: For what it's

O
(Orangutan, 262
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 2:25pm
bankerella:

For what it's worth, I had five offers for a summer internship and four offers for full-time. Most of these were pretty high-quality offers and I was pleased with my palette of options.

humble brag

My WSO Blog

SlikRick's picture

cinnamontoastcrunch: banker

CO
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 2:28pm
cinnamontoastcrunch:
bankerella:

For what it's worth, I had five offers for a summer internship and four offers for full-time. Most of these were pretty high-quality offers and I was pleased with my palette of options.

humble brag

Welcome to WSO.

WalMartShopper's picture

cinnamontoastcrunch: banker

 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 3:22pm
cinnamontoastcrunch:
bankerella:

For what it's worth, I had five offers for a summer internship and four offers for full-time. Most of these were pretty high-quality offers and I was pleased with my palette of options.

humble brag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es9bWvI8mkM

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!

shawstruck's picture

what's a good answer to

(Chimp, 2
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 5:09pm

what's a good answer to greatest weakness? just a skill that you can learn on the job?

WalMartShopper's picture

i say in the beginning i may

 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 5:35pm

i say in the beginning i may ask a lot of questions because i want to make sure i get it correct the first time

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!

jsnoots23's picture

I always say I have a very

AM
(Chimp, 14
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 5:48pm

I always say I have a very short temper for people who do not make deadlines/complain or make excuses. Etc. Take your pick.

labanker's picture

bankerella: Negotiate your

PE
(Orangutan, 330
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 5:59pm
Ravenous's picture

labanker: bankerella: Negot

HF
(King Kong, 1,347
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 6:34pm
blastoise's picture

cool

O
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 6:38pm
bankerella's picture

labanker: bankerella: Negot

IB
(King Kong, 1,869
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 6:38pm

See my other WSO blog posts

Bondarb's picture

the point about not talking

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,285
 
Points)
 on 7/20/12 at 9:52pm
orangebull's picture

How are you supposed to

 
Points)
 on 7/21/12 at 1:22am
WalMartShopper's picture

orangebull: How are you

 
Points)
 on 7/21/12 at 7:07pm

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!

Spreadsheet_Ninja's picture

I have yet to meet a female

IB
(Chimp, 13
 
Points)
 on 7/25/12 at 1:12pm

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