Jewish Investment Bankers: Sabbath Dilemma?
How does one address keeping the Sabbath when interviewing for an Investment Banking Analyst position?
How does one address keeping the Sabbath when interviewing for an Investment Banking Analyst position?
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you don't
you address it after you get the offer
also, not working for an entire day every week for 2 years (104 days) isn't going to mesh well with your duties as an investment banking analyst.
It will be incredibly hard to land the offer if during your summer analyst gig you where missing on weekends.......best advice is to find an MD thats frum (lazard/goldman have a few) and try to vie for their teams..... worst comes to worse you can always trade.......
Although, I am not Jewish, I have been in a similar situation being a Muslim and having to go to Friday prayers in the afternoon. Whatever you do, do not mention it during the interview, and only after you receive the offer, or once you begin. I told my superiors about my case on my first day only, and they were ok with it, as long as there was no impending deadline or have someone cover for you. It really depends on your group though, and luckily mine was very accepting (or maybe they were just scared to object). I only skipped prayers once, but every other Friday I was able to take out an hour to head out. And yes I know, an hour is nothing compared to a whole day, but this was a weekday, as compared to one day from the weekend.
I really can't say how it will work out in your favor, since you are in a different situation, but my advice to you would be to address it once you get the offer and play it out based on how they react.
Mind you my experience was as an intern, and not a full time analyst, and in case anyone is wondering that this is the reason why I did not return full time, there was no option since the internship was due to a connection, and I received it for experience purpose only.
Anyway, best of luck, and hopefully it works out for you!
once you start, the company will be scared shitless to say or do anything offensive -- thats an easy win of a huge lawsuit. make sure not to mention it during the interview tho...
I should convert just for the time off...
Holy crap, me too.
religion is the perfect excuse for almost anything these days lol...if you wan't something done, don't say that you deserve it or it's your right, just say your religion (make up one) mandates it!
anyone ever pull off needing sunday mornings off for church? - may need to keep that card in the pocket aha
Yes, I have but it really only buys you an hour or two.
i've been thinking about the same thing - the way i see it is that as long as you're willing to put in the same amount of time as everyone else (or more), the firm/group should be ok with accommodating you during those 25 hours.
think about it:
80 hrs/week divided by 6 workdays = ~13 hours per day - totally manageable
100 hrs/week divided by 6 workdays = ~16.5 hours per day - long days, but still manageable
120 hrs/week divided by 6 workdays = 20 hours per day - you'll want to die afterwards, but that's what shabbat is for
also, keep in mind that although people here sometimes purport otherwise, ibd analysts really do have some days off (usually) - christmas, new year's, a vacation after year 1, a day for a friend's wedding, etc - if you're willing to give up those days off in exchange for shabbat and chagim, and you're willing to come in saturday night and work a full day/night on sunday, i think it works out alright.
great place called taam tov on seamless web btw
basically, be up front about it once you get the offer, but it shouldn't be a problem, assuming you can kick ass at the job itself.
taam tov is gross lol. only there for the bukh jewelers.
Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest. That means that I don't work, I don't drive a car, I don't fucking ride in a car, I don't handle money, I don't turn on the oven, and I sure as shit don't fucking roll!
Shomer fucking shabbos!
A few things.
First, everyone is absolutely right in that you should make NO mention of it whatsoever in interviews. No one can voice a complaint that you didn't mention it up front, because in theory it shouldn't have impacted their decision.
Second, the bottom line is, you can make them deal with your religious obligations. But don't be surprised if you're bottom bucket year in and year out and if you're colleagues give you a dirty look cuz you're never there slaving away on the weekends like they are.
Another consequence is you won't get staffed on certain deals because people don't want to deal with you falling off the face of the earth observing sabbath. This combined with the fact that you're doing 6/7 the work that everyone else is, your peers will obviously quickly outpace you so far as knowledge and experience go.
The way you address all of these issues is you make sure it in no way impacts with your responsibilities or the amount of work you have on your plate. That means you'll have to work 1/(6/7) times harder than everyone else since you have do in 6 day what they do in 7. If you can observe your religious obligations and still kick ass and take names, then you belong in this industry. If not, your religious beliefs are a serious handicap to your career and you should consider another field or be happy with (at best) constantly being an under performer. I hear dradle making is a great career path for pious Jews.
The OP should work for Paul Allen. I've seen that lucky jew bastard sitting in his office, talking on the phone to CEO's, spinning a fucking menorah.
what comes next?
erm, I know DOZENS of religous Jews in banking and PE... You think Marcus Goldman, the Lehman Brothers, the Lazard Brothers, The Rothschilds, the Warburgs didn't have observant Jews in the ranks?
Is the interview for the generalist program or a specific group? If you're able to try and choose a product group and you'll be fine. There are many more people out there than you think in your situation (including many Sr bankers). Whatever you do don't bring it up in the interview. PM me for more info.
You can't be shomer shabbos on the street. Reform Judaism FTW
Bump
Ugh you just bumped a 2010 thread. Then again, maybe the OP has an answer by now.
I'm curious.
Specifically for an SA
Sounds like your priorities are already out of whack.
I'll throw in my opinion. It's 2015. Stringent organized religion is still a thing? If you're going to strictly follow something in the Torah, you should maintain a strict interpretation everywhere else. If you truly believe you'll be damned to hell for not observing one Sabbath because scripture says so, then by the same philosophy you should believe that it's chill to sell your daughter into slavery (Leviticus 21:7...I could go all day though). Otherwise you're recognizing that there IS wiggle room in interpreting scripture, and you don't need to be out of office every Sabbath all day every week.
Leviticus 21:7 has nothing to do with selling your daughter, or anyone for that matter, into slavery, "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God."
Nothing about slavery, selling your daughter, or anything like that.
Either you got the scripture wrong accidentally, simply believed something someone told you, or submitted this post with the purpose to mislead. I hope it's one of the first two. If the latter, did you really think no one would check?
By the way, enjoying the weekly Sabbath rest is not just in the Torah. It's in the Writings, the Prophets, and the Brit Hadasha (New Testament).
Regarding work, more time does not equate to better performance. Have you read the 4-hour Workweek? Someone who honors God's instruction of Sabbath rest can be more mentally equipped and refreshed than the same person who does not. This can result in much better performance, clarity of thought, vibrant communication, increased stamina, and stronger leadership acumen and charisma beneficial to direct teams.
Blessings to you, Ira
Definitely check with your group if it's okay to sell your daughter into slavery once you have the job, but not during the interviews.
Jewish Sabbath observance at financial firms? (IB, PE, AM) (Originally Posted: 08/21/2015)
Are there any other firms such as Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Lightstone Group that have Friday night and Saturday hours off policies that would be easier for a Sabbath observer to work at?
Anyone have some more info on what its like for selling your daughter into slavery at the different groups in some of the top BBs (eg. MS/GS/JPM)? Also what are the best groups to do so?
I had a Director at Citi who observed the Sabbath. Wasn't much of an issue. He just worked more Sunday's.
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