Pretty sure I'm getting fired from SA tomorrow

Less than three weeks left and I'm 99% sure I'm getting terminated tomorrow.

Our deal team has been working on what would have been a really major transaction. We have 3 MDs on this one (names changed):

1: Let's call him David, is a guy who is one of the more likable people I've met (not just in finance). David's a good dude who maintains a good relationship with all of us young and clueless monkeys.

2: John, short tempered fck head, always dissatisfied with everything. Gets sht done, but treats underlings like we are getting in his way all the time.

Anyways, nobody has really left the office since Tuesday, everyone is as stressed and miserable as you can imagine in an office setting. Despite us doing everything right, the deal has pretty much completely deteriorated just in the last 48 hours. John has completely lost whatever temper he might have had, PMSing like a motherf*cker. I've been avoiding even making eye contact with him all day.

The office mostly cleared out around 9 and John left for the day. I cracked a joke to another intern about John needing some anger management and wen't back to my outlook. Turns out he didn't leave yet. He just happened to be walking past my desk, heard all of it, and immediately broke down and went off on me.

What ensued was the most terrifying experience of my life, my asshole was torn wider than I knew was possible. The other intern gets berated for chuckling. I must have looked pale as a fcking ghost. I tried to apologize, he just cuts me off and tells me not to come in tomorrow. I get my sht together and head home as fast as I possibly could.

All I can think about is how hard I have worked, countless hours networking and prepping and busting my ass to finally get that dream SA position. What a stupid f*cking way to lose a FT offer.

Now I get home and I can't login to my company email. OH F*CK. :(

 

That is exceptionally shitty; sorry to hear it. Personally, I probably wouldn't go in tomorrow. I would try to reach out to fellow SAs/Analysts, or anyone junior with whom you have a relationship, to get a sense of what's going on.

If things look pretty bad inside the group, I would consider writing a note to "David," since he seems to be more understanding. You would own up to your joke, and reiterate how committed you have been to the opportunity. I wouldn't make it long, wouldn't spend much time explaining what "happened;" you don't want to grovel. The goal would be to put the incident in perspective, without saying as much explicitly. Just a brief bit, 5 sentences tops.

Let us know how it works out. Good luck.

"There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat."
 

I'd try and hit up the other MD, or an analyst/associate/VP that might be willing to give you some more info

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

I'd go into work and make a point to go and apologise briefly in person to him. Say that just because you had been working so hard doesn't excuse what you said etc. If you are really sneaky, make sure that the 'nice' MD sees you going into the others office so that if you get screamed at, he might com to your rescue.

Like others said, you have nothing to lose and not coming in will probably piss off more people. For what it's worth, I doubt you are getting fired, but I wouldn't count on an FT offer.

You are a giant pu$$y if you don't go in. Stop being a chick -- you are making this into a WAY bigger deal than it should be. A bunch of type-As in the office in high stress situations are going to get into it occasionally. I got into a shouting match in the office with one of my directors during my SA. It was to the point where other associates had to tell us to chill out. I just cooled off a bit (and let him do the same) and went and talked to him a few hours later. Part apologized, part explained what set me off. He did the same. He has been in my corner ever since.

I know you are trying to get this job, but remember this: your MD is not a god. He is just another guy. Chances are, he has gotten into it with other members of the team in the past. Chances are he will do it again in the future. Chances are, he knows that he can be a prick. Doesn't mean he isn't good at his job, just like one ill-advised joke doesn't mean you aren't good at yours. During the course of his career, many people have been willing to look past his proclivity to be a prick. He should be able to look past a bad joke (assuming you have otherwise been doing good work).

Just act like a man and, at the very least, the rest of the group will respect you for it.

 

Go, apologize and come back to let us know what happened. Good luck.

Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards. - Tacitus Dr. Nick Riviera: Hey, don't worry. You don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court!
 

My pass wouldn't scan so I had the security desk call up. No dice. I couldn't even get to the elevator. So fucking embarrassing to get turned away by the guy I used to say hi to every morning.

I've sent some emails from my other address, just waiting for a response. I'll keep this updated if things develop. On my way to the gym to kick some serious ass.

 
S.O.L.:
My pass wouldn't scan so I had the security desk call up. No dice. I couldn't even get to the elevator. So fucking embarrassing to get turned away by the guy I used to say hi to every morning.

I've sent some emails from my other address, just waiting for a response. I'll keep this updated if things develop. On my way to the gym to kick some serious ass.

He did post an update!

Did you guys miss it

9:19 AM

 

If you REALLY want this job, talk to John and appologize in person, bursting into tears, bending your knees as if you are going to win an Oscar; or if he's still in a manic state, let the other MD help you, same tactics applies.

The Auto Show
 
<span class=keyword_link><a href=/company/goldman-sachs><abbr title=Goldman Sachs&#10;>GS</abbr></a></span>:
That_Aston:
But...let us know what happens.

I'd say it's quite clear what has happened.

He posted this at 1:00AM this morning. He could be working right now and not have time to post.

Here to learn and hopefully pass on some knowledge as well. SB if I helped.
 

How much does your ass hurt right now?

But really, what a fucking shitty spell of bad luck. Don't worry about it--seems like the end of the world but you still have IB SA on your resume which can open doors.

 

This sounds really sh*t, sorry for the fact that you got it

However, dust yourself off and move forward. It has happened and nothing you can really do will change it. I doubt the other MD will help you get back in there for the last three weeks (but he may help you in the future so try to keep in contact with him). Learn from this mistake and try to move on.

 

First off, that's an unbelievably bad break. I'm really sorry, dude.

Real talk for a second: how fucking small of a dick must the MD that flipped out and fired you have? Dude needs to get a grip on reality before he has an aneurism and dies of a stroke over the formatting of the 54th turn of an accretion-dilution model. Guy is a fucking MD at a bank, must make a ton of cash, and freaks out because his ego is that fragile. He should've scolded you, yelled at you, whatever. But, taking it that far is nuts. Dude definitely suffers from micro-penis.

I'm not condoning what you did, it wasn't a good move. But, at the same time, to fire you like that is pretty wild.

Let us know if anything changes. Best of luck.

 
TheKing:
First off, that's an unbelievably bad break. I'm really sorry, dude.

Real talk for a second: how fucking small of a dick must the MD that flipped out and fired you have? Dude needs to get a grip on reality before he has an aneurism and dies of a stroke over the formatting of the 54th turn of an accretion-dilution model. Guy is a fucking MD at a bank, must make a ton of cash, and freaks out because his ego is that fragile. He should've scolded you, yelled at you, whatever. But, taking it that far is nuts. Dude definitely suffers from micro-penis.

I'm not condoning what you did, it wasn't a good move. But, at the same time, to fire you like that is pretty wild.

Let us know if anything changes. Best of luck.

100% agreed. Well said.

 

I definitely agree with what TheKing says. This is way to fucked up for me to believe has actually happened. The thing that shocks me is the speed at which HR moved on this. If you were fired, I would reach out to the Bank's HR department ASAP and ask for a copy of the firm's termination policy. I'm not saying that the firm was either in the right or in the wrong to terminate you, but the speed at which this was done seems rather egregious. To be locked out within 4 hours seems like a fast move. If they did terminate you, you have a right to know what the firm's policy for termination is. I would also reach out to one of the analysts you work with, like the guy who was reamed out with you, and see if he has any info about whats going on. I would also ask him to transfer your call to the "Good" MD and use that as a back door to speak with the guy. It might not be the best way to get in front of the guy, but it's a good way to try to speak to a boss, apologize and try to understand what's going on.

 
SirBarney:
Somewhat suspicious as to this account being created minutes before posting this...
The account name is SOL and I would definitely post under a different name for something like this so I think that part of it makes sense.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Wow... it's stories like this that make me second guess if i ever want to work in this industry.

It's ok OP even if you DID get a FT offer, you would've been forced to work with this asshole for the next few years of your life and if your personalities didn't clash now, they would've definately done so in the future. This is probably a good thing as it gives you an opportunity to find a firm with better management and still goes on your resume as good experience.

"Well, you know, I was a human being before I became a businessman." -- George Soros
 

I have dealt with this situation, too. My approach was a little different. I want to preface this with saying I completely respect the chain of command; hazing and other antics are part of the right of passage, so to speak, that the young guys go through. That being said, I do not tolerate disrespect from anyone.

I was the most junior guy on a deal--I had been staying late, taking care of all my deliverables, and making sure everything that needed to be done in the trenches was handled. The deal fell through; for whatever reason my MD decided it needed to be taken out on me, which I'd be OK with if it didn't involve personal attacks on me. I immediately snapped back at him. I looked my MD dead in the eye in front of the whole deal team and told him he was completely out of line, exhibiting poor leadership skills, and being a moron. The room fell silent, the MD "fired" me on the spot. I immediately went to a more senior MD that I built a rapport with and they just transferred me to another team. Every time I saw the MD in the office for the rest of the summer I would make sure to make eye contact, smile, and say hi. He hated me.

 

I gotta ask one question: Do you really want to get a full-time offer at a place that allows MDs to fire you on the spot for exposing their own insecurities? And if you do want to work in that environment, what does it say about the way you are being let go? No phone call, no email, no contact whatsoever? I do not interpret "don't come into work tomorrow" as "don't come into work ever again". If this guy had time to ensure you got fired, he's probably not working too hard on that deal.

I understand there is a wide range of personalities in the professional environment, and it is inevitable that you will run into screamers. Just remember that for every Ivan Boesky or Jim Cramer, there are a thousand fuckups who are angry because they are sitting atop a mountain of personal debt, their wives are cheating on them, or they just feel intellectually inferior to their superiors so they resort to outbursts in order to gain recognition.

 
Hooked on LEAPS:
Hmm... this is pretty interesting. Keep us updated. Worst case scenario, at least you got the SA on your resume.
"So why didn't you get a full time offer?" I'm curious how you guys would spin this when it inevitably comes up. Being honest makes him sound like a whiner and complainer (though I do sympathize)

Also, his resume date will stop at July instead of going through August like a full SA stint would, so there's an even more immediate (i.e. at the resume-receiving stage) red flag...just saying.

 
Ron Paul:
Hooked on LEAPS:
Hmm... this is pretty interesting. Keep us updated. Worst case scenario, at least you got the SA on your resume.
"So why didn't you get a full time offer?" I'm curious how you guys would spin this when it inevitably comes up. Being honest makes him sound like a whiner and complainer (though I do sympathize)

Also, his resume date will stop at July instead of going through August like a full SA stint would, so there's an even more immediate (i.e. at the resume-receiving stage) red flag...just saying.

Considering it's the 31st he could probably stretch to saying he was employed there until August.

 

Any thoughts on what HR would do if he went to them pissed off and in a somewhat threatening manner? Technically you can't get harassed like that on the job, no? I can only imagine what the MD said in his rant before sending him on his way.

Is it a pussy move? Yeah totally but it could also get him some leverage in the way of a guarantee to give him a glowing recommendation and maybe pay him out the rest of the 3 weeks to keep him from pressing further for wrongful termination.

Or does he just crawl back on his knees?

Thoughts?

 

Yeah. Have to look past the asshole MD.

Forget the conversation ever happened. Come into work tomorrow.

Lehman did eight week summer internships; a lot of boutiques do them too. If this is a big firm like BAML, OP is in trouble (it is also a lot tougher for him to get fired), but if it's a boutique, it's just a weird short-term internship that's all.

Don't scare the poor kid.

Show up to work tomorrow. Again, the worst that happens is you get escorted out.

-Stay calm, but be firm. And SMILE. -The MD's demeanor is probably what killed the deal in the first place. -If he wants you fired, your goal is to stay calm and be nice, but you also need to subtly try and set him off- in front of as many high ranking people as possible. You want him to explode at you in front of everyone else. And then you need to stay calm and just smile.

-Don't apologize unless you're being offered something for it. You're not really sorry, are you? I wouldn't be.

I don't think you've lost the job yet. Go back in.

 

Unless this is a very small boutique there is no way this story is plausible - you can't just shut off someone's email without HR calling the IT department, for the ID not to work building/firm security needs to be involved and they are not into pranks. HR would not get involved because they can't appear to condone the MD's behavior (ripping you a new a hole)

Sorry, this sounds totally and completely fake. Sounds like you interned in creative writing and not banking.

 

I think he would have found out if he got the boot before now. They would have done it in the morning right?

(never got fired, but have seen people let go early in the morning)

Fear is the greatest motivator. Motivation is what it takes to find profit.
 

IP - We're not trying to scare the kid at all. I'm just being realistic.

GBS, not all of us overlooked that fact either.

As I said, a 4 hour turnaround is a scant amount of time between the joke happening and being cut off from everything in the office. 12 Hours between the joke (and I'd figure he needed to swipe to get out none the less) and the morning return still has me mildly concerned. Again, reach out to HR and/or an associate/analyst your close with on your floor and find out some details/rumors surrounding this. Nip it in the bud sooner rather than later.

 

I can't imagine you could ever be fired without some kind of notification from HR. This story doesn't really check out. The MD would have to go through at least a day's worth of HR bureaucracy even if he does have the power to fire people on the spot like that. HR would be the only people who could cut his email, access card, and they'd have to stop things like paychecks too. Once HR gets involved he would have to get some kind of phone call/email saying he's fired.

 
Raptor.45:
I can't imagine you could ever be fired without some kind of notification from HR. This story doesn't really check out. The MD would have to go through at least a day's worth of HR bureaucracy even if he does have the power to fire people on the spot like that. HR would be the only people who could cut his email, access card, and they'd have to stop things like paychecks too. Once HR gets involved he would have to get some kind of phone call/email saying he's fired.

Something here doesn't add up. Something's really odd about this affair.

 
<span class=keyword_link><a href=/company/goldman-sachs><abbr title=Goldman Sachs&#10;>GS</abbr></a></span>:
Raptor.45:
I can't imagine you could ever be fired without some kind of notification from HR. This story doesn't really check out. The MD would have to go through at least a day's worth of HR bureaucracy even if he does have the power to fire people on the spot like that. HR would be the only people who could cut his email, access card, and they'd have to stop things like paychecks too. Once HR gets involved he would have to get some kind of phone call/email saying he's fired.

Something here doesn't add up. Something's really odd about this affair.

I KNEW IT!

 
Best Response

Nobody's been responding to my emails all day. Not even the interns. Not even a text. Is this standard policy? Seriously f***ed up IMO.

Then I got an official termination email from 'David' which I thought was pretty weird (why not HR?). Whatever. Stated I would be terminated effective immediately (7/31 @ 2:00PM, I guess 'Summer 2012' is going on the resume) and that I needed to come by the office this afternoon to pick up my belongings and sign some paperwork.

Went to the office pretty depressed and 'John' was waiting for me with a security guard in the lobby. He had a twisted looking smile on his face. Fucking great.

I was going to walk right past him until he sticks out his hand for me to shake, and says "Congratulations." I stare back at him with the biggest "WTF" look I can muster on my face. I was extended a FT offer on the spot. He lets me know that I've just been the victim of a horribly sadistic prank ('David's idea).

John and David had been planning it for about a week or so and John just seized the opportunity to do it when he heard me talking smack.

I'm still in shock, this is about the best feeling I've ever felt. My thanks go out to all of the guys on here who gave advice through this shit storm. This forum is really one-of-a-kind.

 
S.O.L.:
Nobody's been responding to my emails all day. Not even the interns. Not even a text. Is this standard policy? Seriously f***ed up IMO.

Then I got an official termination email from 'David' which I thought was pretty weird (why not HR?). Whatever. Stated I would be terminated effective immediately (7/31 @ 2:00PM, I guess 'Summer 2012' is going on the resume) and that I needed to come by the office this afternoon to pick up my belongings and sign some paperwork.

Went to the office pretty depressed and 'John' was waiting for me with a security guard in the lobby. He had a twisted looking smile on his face. Fucking great.

I was going to walk right past him until he sticks out his hand for me to shake, and says "Congratulations." I stare back at him with the biggest "WTF" look I can muster on my face. I was extended a FT offer on the spot. He lets me know that I've just been the victim of a horribly sadistic prank ('David's idea).

John and David had been planning it for about a week or so and John just seized the opportunity to do it when he heard me talking smack.

I'm still in shock, this is about the best feeling I've ever felt. My thanks go out to all of the guys on here who gave advice through this shit storm. This forum is really one-of-a-kind.

YOU

ARE

SHITTING

ME

 
S.O.L.:
Nobody's been responding to my emails all day. Not even the interns. Not even a text. Is this standard policy? Seriously f***ed up IMO.

Then I got an official termination email from 'David' which I thought was pretty weird (why not HR?). Whatever. Stated I would be terminated effective immediately (7/31 @ 2:00PM, I guess 'Summer 2012' is going on the resume) and that I needed to come by the office this afternoon to pick up my belongings and sign some paperwork.

Went to the office pretty depressed and 'John' was waiting for me with a security guard in the lobby. He had a twisted looking smile on his face. Fucking great.

I was going to walk right past him until he sticks out his hand for me to shake, and says "Congratulations." I stare back at him with the biggest "WTF" look I can muster on my face. I was extended a FT offer on the spot. He lets me know that I've just been the victim of a horribly sadistic prank ('David's idea).

John and David had been planning it for about a week or so and John just seized the opportunity to do it when he heard me talking smack.

I'm still in shock, this is about the best feeling I've ever felt. My thanks go out to all of the guys on here who gave advice through this shit storm. This forum is really one-of-a-kind.

PLOT TWIST

I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
 

lmfao, is this actually true? XD, if so gj.

Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards. - Tacitus Dr. Nick Riviera: Hey, don't worry. You don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court!
 

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"Every man should lose a battle in his youth, so he does not lose a war when he is old"
 

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Quo amet quam itaque. Natus aliquam debitis ipsum ipsa.

Eveniet soluta quaerat sit. Corporis non omnis nihil voluptas quos vero quas.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

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