At Work Questions: Am I Wrong?

Need your views on the following please.

1. The analyst recently hired has a very different attitude to me in terms of approaching projects. He's more into 'just get it done regardless of quality' and 'just fudge it a bit and senior management will buy it' kind of guy. I would rather spend some time trying out solutions and finding a better one or at least being honest about the results obtained. Am I wrong to be doing this? Should I bite my tongue and just do as he says (after all he's FT and I'm on contract so I would be on the firing line first)?

2. My contract is 9-5 but I stay till 8-9 daily (usually because the work comes in later so I'm genuinely working vs doing it for face time). I then eat/gym/go home and work an hour or so more thinking about the projects given before sleeping (because I want to vs 'have' to). The other analyst stays till 9 and is 'always busy with things' (most of which is delegated to me in addition to my normal projects). I work for 5-6 hours on weekends too (Saturday). I was unable to break into banking so am trying to make this experience as close to banking as possible (well maybe not in terms of brutal hours haha). Am I overworking myself for no reason?

3. Most of the people here come from VERY qualified backgrounds - many MBAs from top places, many very experienced people, etc - yet 'basic' logic defeats them and there is often silence in meetings when I try to explain any form of logic (probably can't give specific examples publicly but I tell my friends and they are dumbfounded). Everything seems to be pointing a finger in thin air and just making stuff up (models, presentations, anything). This is quite demotivating as I had put these types of people on a pedestal while at university. Should I again bite my tounge and just go with anything they come out with?

Appreciate it.

ps not saying I'm better in anyway then anyone in anyway but I'm feeling like this is becoming a 'I teach them' vs 'I get taught' which is a bit exhausting at times.

 
Best Response

Based on your history of posts, you are probably wrong. You are overconfident and arrogant which is why it took you so long to get a job in the first place. Shut the fuck up, do your job, and try not to think you are better than the people who have secured full time jobs there instead of contract work like you.

 
TwoThrones:
DickFuld:

Based on your history of posts, you are probably wrong. You are overconfident and arrogant which is why it took you so long to get a job in the first place. Shut the fuck up, do your job, and try not to think you are better than the people who have secured full time jobs there instead of contract work like you.

Haha, harsh, but made me laugh.

Not sure whats funny exactly. He completely misinterpreted my post and helped lead the thread into the wrong direction.

 

Start working in line with your contract (9-5) and use those extra hours to apply for jobs and network. Your effort will be much better spent at another firm where you can actually learn from people.

 

@SSits - I'm in a F500 company (a well rated one too) where this more of a 'mix' of people in terms of backgrounds. @DickFuld - I definitely don't think my ideas are correct/I'm better then anyone here. I'm here to learn and put my thoughts forward for discussion/as a contribution - not to be told I'm right (even if they take my idea its great but doesn't mean I'm better then them imo). I don't think the whole company has an attitude like the analyst (e.g. my manager is a 'lets take a bit more time but do it right' type of person too) - perhaps I just got unlucky with him? Just to add something - part of my role is to think about the projects in a different way and come up with new ideas where I can - or was this corporate speak for 'we are entrepreneurial on the door but don't actually do anything out of the box ? Its a genuine question. @sosadnooffer - where? This is supposed to be an 'entrepreneurial' company. Also given my 'non-typical' history its becoming increasingly difficult to land anything because of the rigid way graduate recruitment is structured in the UK. I have gone down the networking route and been referred but just do not land any interviews in jobs I actually want.
@username777 - that's what I did for a year and it got me nowhere. This is the only job I could find after hundreds of applications, calls and months of pushing. Therefore I thought I would do my best with what I had but its just spiraling downwards on a weekly basis. I'm also sick to death of struggling - many of my friends are fending for PE positions or associate promotions while I'm still scrounging for a first proper break. It's getting annoying now :(

 
cujo.cabbie:
Just to add something - part of my role is to think about the projects in a different way and come up with new ideas where I can - or was this corporate speak for 'we are entrepreneurial on the door but don't actually do anything out of the box

You aren't far off on your last sentence. I'm not saying you can't look at projects and come up with new ideas but it seems like you are lacking the tact to bring it up to your analyst. Logically, being right should be all that matters and they should want to hear your ideas but people have feelings (irrational or not) and have been doing this for longer than you and don't want to get shown up by the new guy. Figure out a way to present your ideas but also to be respectful to the people who you work for, it'll go a long way.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

I just finished my summer internship at F50 Corp Finance, and had the exact same feeling. I basicly kicked the door in, worked my ass off and delivered - then yada yada yada had the very senior people pull for me - i was also stunned by how few smart people was actually in the teams i worked with.

Guess what - my final evaluation mentioned an arrogant approach and lack of respect for the expertise and opinions of my coworkers - which is both true and very bad.

I am mentioning this cause i could imagine we're quite alike - and due to reasons above that is not solely positive.

Do what you have to do - under promise / over deliver - have respect for your coworkers and their abilities, and realise that you're not going to ever achieve anything alone.

 
Samsur:

I just finished my summer internship at F50 Corp Finance, and had the exact same feeling.
I basicly kicked the door in, worked my ass off and delivered - then yada yada yada had the very senior people pull for me - i was also stunned by how few smart people was actually in the teams i worked with.

Guess what - my final evaluation mentioned an arrogant approach and lack of respect for the expertise and opinions of my coworkers - which is both true and very bad.

I am mentioning this cause i could imagine we're quite alike - and due to reasons above that is not solely positive.

Do what you have to do - under promise / over deliver - have respect for your coworkers and their abilities, and realise that you're not going to ever achieve anything alone.

The way I play it in the office is say 'here is an alternative which may work for XYZ reasons but I can implement the existing method too which again is good because of XYZ reasons.' That way the choice is on their plate and the decision is theirs. Is this the way to go?

I had a meeting with managers yesterday, for example, and they actually liked my insights into the data. Had I stuck to the analyst's approach (copy/paste what we did before without thinking about the problem further) I don't think I would have made any impact which would also have been a bad thing. The problem is the insights/botheration to think about the problem seems to come from my side only (vs other analysts - managers are smart here).

 

@Cruncharoo - the weird thing is when I present my idea to managers they like it/listen/thank me for thinking about it and often are open to new suggestions (a few of which I've been encouraged to develop further). As a result, I'm starting to become more involved in other projects, especially where they want a fresh perspective vs someone who executes without thinking.

The thing really killing this experience is the analyst. I've had slides being stolen (thankfully a manager asked me to send me the slides I prepared 'off the books' to him); the analyst claiming some of my ideas/way to approach the work was his (he does it in a way you cannot even argue otherwise you sound like a prick); he keeps using 'we' did this and that when actually he delegates the project to me, does something else, and then claims 'we worked together'; and cleverly does an 'unofficial sync' just before meetings to ensure I tell him everything so he sounds clever during the meeting. The other issue is that when I'm assigned a 'boring' project but manage to make it interesting then he wants a slice. Not sure how to tackle this.

I've found often that theres not a 'right or wrong' way of doing things (esp where I work where some projects have never been tackled) - therefore I come up with new ways of approaching the problem to just provide some discussion and insight. In the end even if management decide against all my ideas I don't mind and am happy doing any way agreed upon, I just like contributing, not sitting in the outskirts and copy/pasting something we tried so far. Maybe I'm just wasting my time?

 

Nostrum sint omnis omnis veniam modi. Vel ipsum tempora voluptatum dignissimos incidunt corporis. Vel quae saepe dolores ex iusto quia ea. Quod voluptates omnis explicabo in.

Non autem ducimus quo illo. Quia maiores deserunt est amet aliquam commodi. Est dolorum dolores harum et quis illo. Ducimus id nostrum sed reprehenderit distinctio quibusdam.

Eligendi velit necessitatibus facilis. Commodi repellendus quo ab vel est. Qui ab architecto iure totam hic.

Reiciendis consequatur et ullam praesentium modi eum. Optio ducimus iure pariatur consequatur quia suscipit qui aut. Ut quia sed incidunt qui delectus natus. Aperiam natus voluptatibus laborum culpa blanditiis aut ut. Et dolores ab non facilis aperiam nemo blanditiis. Voluptatem exercitationem iste magni nemo aliquid. Sint nesciunt et quia vel.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”