Trending Content
| +89 | GF doesn’t care about her looks | 57 | 10h | |
| +58 | Affair with my Associate… In Desperate Need for Advice | 23 | 1d | |
| +51 | How to sound more eloquent? | 19 | 4h | |
| +40 | 400k/year in HVAC sales? | 26 | 2d | |
| +37 | WSO Ranking On Resume??? | 9 | 4h | |
| +34 | Are you “less ambitious” for having long term goals outside of NYC | 13 | 10h | |
| +33 | Would you rather live alone in an outer borough or with roommates in Manhattan? | 23 | 2d | |
| +28 | Why do people listen to Jim Cramer Investing Advice? | 11 | 7h | |
| +27 | Carnivore Diet | 12 | 9h | |
| +26 | Is my boss gaslighting me? | 3 | 1d |
Career Resources
I usually hear "bandwidth" instead of "capacity" but yeah, same idea.
And remember: the answer is always yes.
We are cogs in the great machine. All hail our robotic overlords.
That is perhaps the most terrifying question an analyst can receive after an all-nighter or two. I used to get that at least once a week. I agree with Aloki, the answer always has to be some form of yes.
Now that I no longer work in banking, the worst I ever have to hear is "Do you have any major plans for this weekend?" The assumption being that if I don't, I might have to come in for a few hours. Pretty sweet deal.
Agreed. It's by far the worst on a Friday afternoon. Nothing is more dreadful than a call from the Staffer saying something along the lines of "Hey, do you mind stopping by my office for a minute? We've got a pitch on Monday..." Absolutely world crushing.
Haha, I thought that was only my staffer that used that term.
People will likely disagree with me, but I had a good way of dealing with that question. When I was a summer analyst if I REALLY was overworked I would respond by saying, "Let's see ... I'm working on [list off my current projects]. I need to finish up Project [name a project with an early deadline] right away, but as soon as I finish that I can start working on [project that staffer is bringing to you]." The key to pulling this off is your tone of voice. Do not sound like you're complaining about your work, rather sound like you're just thinking aloud.
This puts the ball in the staffer's court. They often don't know how unevenly people are staffed. This lets them know how much you have on your plate. Either the staffer will decide that he rather not overwork you or he'll decide that everyone is in fact overworked so you do in fact have as much capacity as the next guy. Either way, you're not rejecting the project (in fact, you are accepting it) and giving yourself a chance of deflecting it.
I worked on three live deals over my summer, was invited on a couple of business trips, got modeling experience, and received an offer. The point is: this strategy did not hurt my reputation in the group in any way. I still got to work on lots of interesting things, but sometimes avoided staffing when I was truly overextended.
haha i get it all the time
My staffer minimizes the BS, by just syaing "Are you busy?"
sei99 is right in dealing with it. If you say you have to get a pitch out the door in two hours and another one in 8 hours, the staffer will just pick someone who doesn't have immediate deadlines.
I'm in private equity now and I still get asked that question. However, even though we really don't have "face time" per se and work-life balance is generally better, I still wonder what the right way to answer the question of "capacity" is. What do you guys think is the most optimal way to respond?
Personally, I usually don't respond with an outright "yes." Call me a slacker, but I'm just not that enthusiastic about the thought of sabotaging my weekend plans because normally I'm pretty busy, and I know people around here are aware of that. Instead, what I'll do is let them know about the stuff that's currently on my plate -- and usually it's a fairly substantial list -- and then mention that if there's something they need me to work on, I can help them out. OK, I guess it is some form of "yes," but I also make them aware that I have other stuff going on in the hopes that they'll pick up on the hint and that I won't have to completely blow away all my social plans. Work on the weekends is fine if the circumstances require it, but I choose not to spend my weekends in the office unless it's critical.
What responses have worked for you guys, in order to show that you're still eager to help without being a total pushover? I'm not an analyst anymore so I don't believe in the unconditional "yes." When someone screams "jump!" I don't automatically say, "How high?" I'm too old for that stuff.
BTW, I just read sei99's post. Looks like he deals with it in a similar fashion as I do. I'd be curious to hear what everyone else's strategies are, though.
Laudantium sit corrupti enim ipsa vel doloribus voluptatibus. Non dignissimos aut qui placeat nam. Sit asperiores animi perferendis aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...