I don't come from a wealthy background and had to pay for college with student loans. I've racked up a pretty large six-figure balance, which is hard for my family to pay off, since they're dealing with some financial problems and I'm still on the job market. I'm trying to break into IB, and I know that a large part of my comp will go towards paying back my loans and helping my family. Is this something I should bring up in an interview, like if I'm asked what motivates me to work hard or if there is something they can't tell from my resume? I've had some people tell me it's a plus and shows I'm willing to overcome adversity, and others say this is a pity attempt and would make a bad impression.
Trending Content - Job Search Advice Forum
Career Resources
You should never bring up personal problems in a professional setting ever. Strangers don't care about your sob story and you come off as potentially emotionally unstable.
No one is going to think an applicant is mentally unstable if they bring up the fact that their childhood was economically disadvantageous which led to being ambitious.
It may not go so well if worded incorrectly, but mental instability is another thing.
Okay, well I disagree. I would ask myself why this individual is opening up to a complete stranger, in an inappropriate setting, about his/her personal life when it's entirely unrelated to the job opening. This would open up questions about emotional stability, sense of entitlement, lack of self-awareness, etc.
Maybe I'm just an asshole, but why are you so confident that there aren't too many assholes out there like me? I would recommend that the OP focus on his/her own experiences, how they're relevant to the job opening and to stress their positive technical/behavioral attributes.
this.
this.
this.
edit: you could've replaced "professional setting" with the following: facebook, linkedin, thanksgiving, christmas, public, vacation, essentially anywhere that's not therapy or with someone in your inner circle in a one-on-one environment.
there's a time and place for these things and the world doesn't owe you shit so be grateful you got a dingleberry