are you smart or hardworking?
hey guys,
how did you answer this question if you had it? And did you get an offer? Having a debate with my friends here.
Thanks monkeys
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Its better to be lucky than smart, why are you arguing about this. Go out and drink
Its better to be lucky than smart. Why are you arguing about this? Go out and drink
Smart
I think you have to say both. This isn't an either/or question(they are not mutually exclusive). Why can't someone be smart and work as hard as they can to get as far as they can? I.e. Someone that can maintain a high gpa while working is likely smart and hardworking.
This exactly. To be hardworking is, by definition, smart. You could take any bum from the ghetto and turn them into an Ibanker. Just look at trading places (I kid, but seriously)
I answered "I'm fucking smart" during an B-School interview. Got in. True story.
lol I remember reading this in The Smartest Guys in the Room. Jeff Skilling was a unique character.
wasn't that madoff?
edit: nm, pretty sure it was an enron guy
(look at his user name for hint)
so it was madoff!
...
I think the smartest people are the ones who work at the right moment.
both
I'm probably the laziest fucker in IBD!
The smart or hardworking question is one of my favorite interview questions. The best answer I have heard went something like this: My grades are very high because I am smart and although I do not spend as much time studying as others, I am very hard working outside the classroom... and then went on to detail varsity sport, club leadership and starting his own business. That is a 10/10 answer.
Just make sure you don't answer "neither"
Are you smart or hardworking? (Originally Posted: 05/01/2013)
Hey there everyone,
So I got asked an interesting interview question today. After looking at my resume, the interviewer said my GPA was pretty strong. He then said, "Do you think you have this strong academic record because you are smart or hardworking?"
I answered hardworking and went into my own little spiel. I am curious to know what you guys on WSO would say and why.
the correct answer is no, you are neither
I'm not
I would just go with "yea..." and initiate a staring contest.
^ hilarious
I would take a hardworking approach to avoid sounding arrogant and explain how you were able to use your time efficiently. E.g., I attempted to make the most out of class and study time by focusing on the most important concepts, material..what I thought that I would be tested on. I simply didn't have time to read each chapter twice, spend 40 hours/wk studying, etc. with my involvement in _____ and my job bar tending at Lace.
Hardworking. Definitely, but kind of unfortunately.
Well I do enjoy being smart, but I take pride in being hardworking. Definitely hardworking.
hardwork has made you smart?
Sorry, my quoted example was pretty bad grammatically, and I also don't mean for this post to be boastful.
I just found this question interesting because the way it's worded it felt like the interviewer was saying they were mutually exclusive. It feels like you can't really have one without the other.
I fluctuate between the two. When I'm not working hard I think I'm smart and when I'm working hard, I don't think I'm not that smart.
Smart. Not in the real world yet so only have to be 6-7/10 hardworking
The best answer is always to say both, but if you had to choose hardworking.
Hardworking it is and sometimes smart
What does being smart in school even mean?
Being able to easily recall information that you've learned or memorized? Being able to apply things that you've learned to real world applications? Being able to come up with new ideas or innovations? Being able to grasp concepts and information more quickly than others?
What does hardworking mean?
Can someone be hardworking and not be smart? Can someone be smart and not be hardworking?
Can you work towards being smart?
Do those of you who think you're hardworking think you're smart as well or no? Why or why not?
What does being smart REALLY mean?
I sure as hell don't know.
I'm not smart, and I'm only moderately hard working. I assume I'm the dumbest guy in the room until given reason to think otherwise. But I'll say I work smart.
I was not the guy who killed himself studying in college. I realized I could spend 2 hrs per week per class and pull A-'s. Since there was no recruiting benefit to doing more (excl MBB), I didn't.
It's actually a frustrating part of ER: I will need to build a 1000 row model that computes EPS maybe $0.01 more accurately than a 200 row model. It just doesn't make sense from a cost/benefit standpoint. If your investment thesis rests on a penny one way or another, you really shouldn't be managing money (in my opinion).
But I will "work" every free moment if I find something interesting. I have spent entire weekends researching companies.
Similar, perhaps just less hardworking for me. I forced myself to learn to be efficient because I hate doing unnecessary work.
Definitely agreed, I have OCD.
"Don't work harder, work smarter."
I wish I had heard this a while ago. Regardless, I think the answer I would give would be hardworking. One could back that up with tangible evidence.
If you were to say smart, I feel as though you are opening yourself up to be tested by your interviewer until you flop.
Too smart to be happy where I am but not smart enough to allow me to coast to success. Hard working enough to make me semi successful but not enough to get me to where I want to be and make up for my lack of smarts. Too pessimistic to think that trying significantly harder in either aspect will be worth it.
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