Yes or No?

Hey guys,

I had an interview this last week with a local AM shop about an internship for next summer, and they told me to come back and meet with the CEO. Does this mean I have a pretty good chance of getting an internship? Sorry if this seems like a dumb question, I am kinda new at this and don't really know how the process works.

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I mean I was pretty sure it was a good sign, but you guys have been in it for way longer than I have, so you would have a better idea about it than I would. I appreciate the advice!

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Usually it means that, in that particular firm, the CEO has set a rule that no one, even an intern, gets hired without meeting him.

I was told that Mike Bloomberg had that rule, as of 1995 when his firm already had thousands of employees. Seems hard to believe, but this came from a recent college grad who applied for an internship at Bloomberg and was taken to see the great man. (Believe it or not, she turned down Bloomberg to come work for us at the WSJ.)

The most famous "nobody gets hired without seeing the boss" policy was that of Admiral Hyman Rickover, longtime head of the nuclear Navy. In that case, the interviews were meant as a stress test.

https://www.businessinsider.com/hyman-rickover-interview-techniques-201…

My advice to you is to project energy and confidence when meeting with the CEO, but don't talk too much. You're already "recommended for hire" or else you wouldn't be seeing him.

 

The team basically confirmed that you've passed the fit/skills, and are satisfactory to them. So yes, final stage. In my experience the CEOs, while curious to meet a pre-qualified team member, are more about making themselves available for strategic questions only they can answer (co outlook, strategy, product/service pipeline, etc). It's a gesture to give you a firm understanding of the company and its future, as well as a last step in determining if both parties' interests are aligned. Definitely take advantage of the opportunity to pick the CEOs brains.

 

It depends on the type of questions you're asking. My advice is to focus on your top priorities, and structure 1-3 questions for each. For example, while it's super important for me to work in a rapidly-growing co (I'll spend ~2 questions on this), my top priority are the firm's values. As a result, I place a ton of emphasis on this (“How do you motivate your employees? What is the nature of your co? aka Are you driven by profit maximization for the shareholder, or creation of social value for all stakeholders? etc.) It's a good way for you to get a feel for the co as well as engage the CEO in a more meaningful/interesting conversation of values rather than numbers.

 

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