Too Much Enthusiasm = Bad?
So earlier this week, a friend of mine had a superday with a well-known MM firm for their tech banking office. Apparently, of the half dozen or so kids invited to the superday, he was far and away the best performer in the interviews. After a couple rounds, the associate conducting the interview took my friend aside and said that an MD wanted to speak with him. The MD asked if he had a particular interest in tech banking - my friend said yes. Turns out the MD was friends with an MD at another firm where my friend had applied. However, at this firm, my friend applied for the generalist program instead of the tech office. So he was basically caught in a lie - he had greatly overstated his passion for the technology sector to seem like a better fit for the job. He was subsequently told that he wouldn't be continuing with the superday and asked to leave.
When he told me this story, it brought up a question I'd been wondering about as interview season starts to heat up. Obviously, every firm wants to hear that they are your #1 and that you would take their offer on the spot. But chances are, if you say this to everyone you interview with, it could come back to bite you. As people frequently say on this site, Wall Street is a small world and everybody talks to everybody.
So my question is this: how much enthusiasm is the right amount?
Obviously you want to show interest in a firm even if they aren't your top choice, but telling a middle-of-the-road boutique they're the only place for you seems wrong if you're interviewing with GS the next day. Additionally, if anyone has stories of similar instances or other interview gaffes, please share so the rest of us know what NOT to do during the next few weeks.
I don't see how enthusiasm is relevant here. Your friend backed himself in a corner by outright lying. Showing interest and changing your life story to get a job are not the same.
Every place is your top place. Your friend got unlucky and this is a situation that won't happen often. Honestly though, seems like there are many ways he could have gotten out of the situation. He didn't know he could apply to the tech office, he preferred the location of the other office, I'm sure there are others as well.
I'd be pissed if I were your friend. To be honest, if he was by far the best performer and the most qualified, why disqualify him? If he is knowledgable about the Tech sector and has done his hw then in my opinion give him a fair chance. Interviewing is just a damned if you do damned if you don't type of thing. If he wasn't enthusiastic at all about Tech then obviously he wouldn't have done as well as he did. If I went into all my interviews and when they asked " why our bank" and I said "to be honest, I just want a job anywhere in IB and couldn't give a rats ass about your bank" I doubt I would be getting too many offers.
I just read up a little about the firm if I don't know it well before an interview and talk about what I like about it. If you can't find anything you like about what it offers then why the hell are you applying there? I don't tell anyone, you're my number one choice, this is my dream job, I'll kill myself if I don't get this position, etc.
Should have said, "Well, I've never really put much thought into it, but I will do my best to succeed in any group I end up in."
How do you know your friend was "far and away the best performer in the interviews"? Because he told you so?
Most people think they are outstanding performers in almost any situation that can't be measured empirically (like a 100M dash), few are correct.
I agree with sir trades a lot. Anyone who feels they did really well in an interview particulairly early on in there career is probably 100% incorrect. I hated interviewing early on in my career so much bullshit. What to say what not to say. With some experience under my belt these days the interview is more just a conversation not an interview.
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