Every so often the subject of Aleksey Vayner comes up on WSO. His story is probably the gold standard of cautionary tales on Wall Street hiring. For those who don't know, he added a 7-minute video to his resume when he applied to UBS in 2006. The video (entitled "Impossible Is Nothing") was leaked by UBS and took the Internet by storm. He didn't get hired, he dropped out of Yale, and he even received death threats because of it.
Here he is in an interview following his appearance at ROFLCON last month at MIT. To say he's been humbled by the experience would be an understatement. Check it out:
I guess after 5 years, you can come up with a pretty ridiculous explanation for a terrible decision. Almost feel bad for the guy hearing him talk about it...almost.
I don't. His efforts were taken out of context? Please... the guy didn't just put together a ridiculous video that also spliced in false footage (he had admitted he wasn't sure if the olympic skier in the video was really him) - he also sent UBS an 11-page resume and cover that included a write up that was very questionable (as to the source - possibly plagiarized). He also made ridiculous outright lies on his resume - that he's writing a book with topics on the Holocaust (his abstract was plagiarized) and he claimed he was a founder of a certified charity (it wasn't certified, and the association actually wrote to Yale to ask for his expulsion). His other claims (being a CEO of some investment firm - and the firm's investment philosophy was copied from elsewhere) were also ridiculous.
I've got friends from Yale who have met him, went to class with him, etc. He was a pathological liar. He's just sad cause he got his come-uppance in the form of a worldwide tongue lashing.
I would feel bad if he just did the video. But his other actions were clearly unethical. I don't think they are actions that his martial arts teacher would have approved of.
I wonder if he did anything to capitalize on his fame. If he didn't, he should have.
He ended up dropping out? I never knew that.
The original video is amazing. he benches 495 lb with 3 spotters clearly jerking the bar up for him, he claims he serves at 140 mph (but you have no way to confirm that), his 'dancing' looks like it was edited by a 5th grader to cover up the fact he can't actually dance, you have no idea if the skier is him, and the whole thing is shrouded with this blanket of Eastern European superiority.
"If people tell you that you won't succeed at something cut them out of your life."
Truer words...
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=15990359&authType=name&authToke…
and
http://www.alexvayner.com/about-alex-vayner
According to his linkedIn and website he got his Yale degree. So either he dropped out and then later finished his degree... or he's lying about one (graduating) or the other (claims to dropping out to get pity).
Now that you've called it to my attention, I wanted to double check. I think I heard him say he left Yale in another interview but, in the interest of fairness, he may have only taken a leave of absence:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2006/oct/25/vayner-faces-public-criti…
And here is the president of Charity Navigator calling for his expulsion:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070711201755/http://www.trentstampstake.or…
And, while I'm at it, here's the kid from Arrested Development dogging him:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/nAV0sxwx9rY
I'm at work, what does he say?
He just explains how the video basically ruined his life, how he got death threats, threats of deportation, etc... How he came to question his own self-worth and core beliefs, and how all of it was against his will (that's pretty easy to believe, actually, as UBS leaked the video without his consent).
I'm not sure he comes off as any more likable/credible because of this interview, but maybe a bit more human? I don't know. At least he admits that he looks like an arrogant douche in the video.
Did he say his martial arts teacher died from cervical cancer?
What a bullshit answer, the guy is a complete charlatan. "Everyone said my douchey video made me look like a douche, so I started to doubt how awesome I am!"
Exactly. He should have just said - "yeah I was naive, I made a mistake and learned a lesson a hard way". A crappy excuse like that just fuels the fire.
Yeah I heard 'cervical cancer' too - thought I was mistaken...
As of right now, his LinkedIn states he received a BA in " Eeastern European History"
Attention to detail...
But by my first post, I wanted to point out that "Eastern" is generally spelled with one 'E'.
he said his judo master died of cervical cancer...
Weird, men generally don't have cervixes.
impossible is nothing. even male cervical cancer.
Id like to think he could have figured out some way to capitalize on this thing. Like a reality tv show or something. Who wouldn’t watch Alexey Vayner in a martial arts tournament, or dancing with the stars or on celebrity apprentice, or as a cast member in the Real World? Or speaking engagements? That’s the tragedy – he couldn’t figure out how to convert. Him and LeBron both need to fire their agents.
I don't feel bad for him at all - His explanations are like the video... Full of Shit!
Quote: "I did this video to honor my Master" Reality: "I live in a complete delusion, I am a real looser unable to achieve anything, unable to take the blame and assume any responsability for being a total Donkey"
People don't change...
He should have come up with a good answer.
He should have kept his mouth sealed.
In what context could that video come off as not super obnoxious? I would have loved to be at UBS then, this would have been an epic email chain.
This video tells me that personalities don't change. Note how he delivers a preachy monologue at the end about sticking to your guns and taking what is useful and discarding what is useless, etc.)
Stopped watching after he said his kung fu master died from cervical cancer lolz.
Where can I find the Aleksey Vayner Video Resume? (Originally Posted: 01/18/2011)
I've been looking but I can't find his original Impossible is Nothing video, not even on torrents. Anybody help a brotha out?
Enjoy
haha amazing thanks Jorge!
Also check out the Michel Cera version.
the michael cera one is hilarious haha
this guy did a great job getting this off the internet! I spent some time looking for this awhile back with no luck!
Really? I just googled it a while back and it was within the first couple pages. I was about to go off about how the only response should have been "Google", too, but since you guys had trouble finding it...
"Alex" Vayner's Resume (Originally Posted: 10/31/2007)
Courtesy of dealbreaker.com
http://www.dealbreaker.com/images/NYVaynerResume.doc
See it to believe it!
That's a less then impressive CV.
Dripping with arrogance.
********"Babies don't cost money, they MAKE money." - Jerri Blank********
What a tool. God, you can tell immediately what a douche he is just by skimming his resume.
What a #@!. "Increased efficiency of firm’s operations" with a 3.17 GPA. Ha!
is he an exception or a reflection
thats the question
at yale? reflection...
why didn't he include a beginning month for his first internship listed? DING!
Veyner surfaces again? Does any know what he is up to?
apparently he's still looking for a job -- even though he graduated last May! As funny as his ordeal was, I kinda feel sorry for the guy. He went out on a limb, thought outside of the box, and got f'ed in the A for it. he probably reads these posts too...
who is this guy and how did he get such a bad rep?
Graduate from Yale '07 looking for a full time job last fall. Sent his resume along with a video (can find it on YouTube, I think) detailing all of his epic amounts of perfection. I could only get through the first 3 minutes of it before wanting to throw up and take a shower. Forget who he sent it to, but in a cool demonstration of how tight-knit Wall St is, it made it from that HR dept. to everybody on the street in a matter of days. Made it into the Journal I think. Also turned into a bit of a shit show for that HR dept, since application details and identities are confidential.
I was somehow under the impression that his resume was a lot longer than that; this one appears to be a current version (since the original article would have had an expected graduation date). As I recall the original was along the lines of a half dozen or 10 pages of orgiastic self-promotion.
Guess the poor bastard didn't get the job and is now getting his CFA and a finance cert. instead. Methinks he should abandon finance and find somewhere his name doesn't elicit laughter. Could someone enlighten me as to what "term" GPA is? If it's overall he might as well not put term; if it's his final "term" - year or semester - then he was a pretty shitty student.
Graduate from Yale '07 looking for a full time job last fall. Sent his resume along with a video (can find it on YouTube, I think) detailing all of his epic amounts of perfection. I could only get through the first 3 minutes of it before wanting to throw up and take a shower. Forget who he sent it to, but in a cool demonstration of how tight-knit Wall St is, it made it from that HR dept. to everybody on the street in a matter of days. Made it into the Journal I think. Also turned into a bit of a shit show for that HR dept, since application details and identities are confidential.
I was somehow under the impression that his resume was a lot longer than that; this one appears to be a current version (since the original article would have had an expected graduation date). As I recall the original was along the lines of a half dozen or 10 pages of orgiastic self-promotion.
Guess the poor bastard didn't get the job and is now getting his CFA and a finance cert. instead. Methinks he should abandon finance and find somewhere his name doesn't elicit laughter. Could someone enlighten me as to what "term" GPA is? If it's overall he might as well not put term; if it's his final "term" - year or semester - then he was a pretty shitty student.
does anyone know where I can find the video??
Not sure is this will work. If it doesnt just Google Video, "Impossible is Nothing"...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7862957413851030911&q=impossibl…
damnnn...
Guy wasn't creative -- he outright lied about a number of very substantial claims. UBS took a lot of shit for inappropriately releasing the video (I'm not sure if UBS actually got hit by a lawsuit or just threats of one). In the end, AV fell off the map and now appears to be resurfacing with what I would call a pretty weak resume.
Remember, if you're applying for a job in IB, be as boring and conventional as possible. You can be funny and smartass during the interview. As evidenced by this guy's misfortunes.......
On the other hand, I heard Donald Trump's looking for someone to fire for the next season of The Apprentice. Maybe if he gets lucky, Trump will give him an offer.
I would bet money that AV has submitted an application to be on the Apprentice. That is such a perfect fit for his aspirations and personality. I would also bet that he submitted applications more than once.
In fact, I think I would actually watch the show if he were in it. I predict he would last 4 rounds before being axed. They always nix the boring ones first and they would need to keep him in for a couple episodes to get the ratings....well....existent.
successful is a mental transformation?? What a D***! Its sickening. It seems his arrogance and nerdiness overflows into everything but his GPA
The video is pretty amazing based on the weightlifting, tennis, ballroom dancing, etc...
I'm suprised he didn't get a call for the interview....he's got more to offer than most sh@ith@#ds out there....
I hate.... how he... pauses... afteeer, every other word....
I mean come on. The guy probably had it written on cue-cards behind the camera, and yet he tries to make it seem like he is really thinking thoroughly before he answers.
Also, why the hell does the dance music get so loud, and crappy?
Oh, and we cant forget the sweet bookshelf he strategically placed behind him... Sweet, he has 4 hardcover books. I hope he returned them to the library after he was done. Someone might actually want to read them...
Here is the original resume, http://www.ivygateblog.com/images/vayner.pdf
Going Balls to the Wall: To Vayner or Not To Vayner (Originally Posted: 07/08/2012)
In an environment where banking jobs are scarce, competition is fierce and every young aspiring banking monkey wants nothing more than to be the new BSD Analyst at GS or MS – the cold email has become the networking tool-of-the-trade. It’s just so easy to build a template, change the name of the recipient and firm and send out about 50 of those bad boys. But on the flip side, it’s just as easy for the recipient to read the “Seeking Advice” subject line and hit the dreaded DELETE key. So the question is, is there any way to stand out and really make your email memorable (or at least have the email get a full read-through)? After all, why should a busy, high-powered MD (or just plain busy analyst) give you precedence over every other 3.5 GPA, non-target but hard-working hopeful out there?
I’m sure everyone on this site remembers the infamous Aleksey Vayner video application (along with an 11 even page resume) to UBS . The 23 year old became the laughing stock of Wall Street and rest assured didn’t get an interview at UBS (or anywhere else I imagine). But he did stand out – and how! Maybe Vayner had the right idea, albeit in too extreme a sense. Have any of you monkeys ever sent out a cold email that deviates from the norm? It could be anything, from something as benign as
...to this little gem from The Leveraged Sellout.Wouldn’t a grand gesture like these show someone receiving your email that you really, really want it? I personally, have never tried sending an email which doesn’t conform to the standard mould – but I’ve given it serious thought sometimes (especially on days when I send out 30/40 emails and get maybe 1 response). For those monkeys who currently work in banking and receive cold emails, what would you think if you received such an email? Would you immediately write the guy off or appreciate the drive and guts? Is there a fine line between differentiating oneself and just being plain ridiculous? If so, what is it?
I’m really curious to know what you’ve all tried before and the degree of success you’ve met with. In an industry where the competition is so fierce and the barriers to entry so high, is it really best to just stick to the standard networking model (and hope the numbers game works for you) or is standing out a little (or a lot) and going against the grain just what you need to get ahead and break in?
If you send them an email like that, they will reply... By forwarding it to every banker from LA to Tokyo.
True - Mr. Vayner learned that the hard way. Legally though, is there any precedent that bars them from doing so? I remember reading UBS saying that appropriate action would be taken if any personal information had been mishandled. Also, I wonder what became of the guy after the whole debacle.
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