Lack of professionalism during interviews
haven't posted in a while: wanted to get everyone's opinion.
I have been working in finance for 7 years - Banking/PE followed by top MBA and now a HF.
Having gone through many interviews and finally landing my HF job in this job market, I wanted to ask why so many people at different firms never get back to you after you go in to meet with them a number of times.
yes - "I did not get the job at these other firms" but why do so many people lack the professionalism to simply send an email to at least thank you for your time.
A) Wall Street is a small community, we will probably run into each other at some point in the future - why leave a bad impression? The world is always changing and someone who is up today could easily be down tomorrow,
B) Nobody in this world is above anyone else. people need to be less self-absorbed.
bottom line: when i am in the position to hire people in 5-10 years, I will make sure that everyone that comes through will receive acknowledgement for his/her time, because ultimately all we have at the end is the legacy we leave behind.
I understand I'm just ranting here but I would be interested in getting the opinion of others.
Thats very odd. I dont think its ever happened to me where I've gone in for an interview and never heard back from them, be it good news or bad news. And if you go in more than once and never hear back from them, I'd say thats extremely strange/obnoxious.
At the risk of sounding like a total dick, I've just gotta point this out.
If you've been in finance for 7 years and only hope to be in a position to hire other people in another 5-10 years, you might be doing it wrong.
That said, it's still fucked up that nobody gets back to you.
as a recent MBA graduate - I dont believe I will be a managing partner at my new fund or whatever place I may end up later before 5 years. I meant to say when I'm in charge of my own venture or a very senior person at another firm.
How about getting back in contact with them? Follow up phone calls? IMO, it's the candidates responsibility to be aware of where they are in the process. At our firm, we often interview several folks and put some of them "on the back burner". It's not that it's a definite no, it's more of that they're more of a plan B option. This sounds bad, but with as many other high priority things going on, candidates can get lost in the shuffle. Part of this might be because we don't have a dedicated HR dept, and recruiting is secondary to our main responsibilities.
maybe it's my ego speaking here: but having worked in this industry for a few years, I always believe that if a firm truly wants you, the firm will let you know right away. so if you dont hear, it's a no.
maybe recruiting in this market is just frustrating given that so many PE firms and HFs cant get a good sense of what tomorrow might bring, so many of these firms just talk to you but feel uneasy about making a decision either with a yes or a no...
who knows...
I don't think this guy is frustrated because he doesn't know if they're interested or not... its pretty clear they're not moving forward with you if they don't contact you again... he's saying its rude/unprofessional.
BTW... I've interviewed at 4 different BBs for probably close to 10 different positions, I've interviewed at top boutiques, no-name boutiques, at hole in the wall HF's, megafunds and unknown MM PE shops alike... and to this day the most consistently unprofessional firm I've met? Goldman Sachs... on several occasions and having seemingly nothing to do with my candidacy. Not an arrogant "because we can" unprofessionalism, but a unkempt, unpolished lack of civility, manners and organization. I've had one person sneeze into her hand and reach to shake my hand immediately after, I've had my interviewer show up a half hour late and walk in a disheveled mess, I've had an interviewer without any explanation say "I'm not going to shake your hand" when we first met, to her credit she did mention she was sick when I was leaving.... and one particular time they didn't even know I was coming in for an interview. They sent in some douche bag that just lateralled over 6 weeks ago to interview me for 20 minutes, then he walked out and said "let me see if I can grab the VP" and comes back and says "They'res actually a staff meeting going on with all of the VP and above people involved' maybe we can bring you back in to meet some more people for the team. Never heard from them again. And when I directly called the VP I was supposed to meet with to follow-up, she didn't even know I had ever been in for an interview and sent me over to HR to schedule all over again... at which point I called HR and withdrew my application.
So I actually was in the same situation once where I never received a call back.
My point is, I don't think it has anything to do with the reputation/pedigree/size of the firm or whether or not they have a dedicated HR staff. It has more to do with the individual group's culture, manners and polish.
i've had the same experience with blackrock. went in THREE times for interviews and never heard back. most of the people in the interviews seemed disaffected and arrogant (this includes the analysts too) and were pretty poor about making eye contact, etc. it's a little funny to be honest.
had the same experience at Blackrock as well. went in 3 times, never got a a single email rejecting me. although the firm covered the travel expenses, I still wasted my time, had to spend money on dry cleaning etc... and the firm could not have the professionalism to send a "thanks for you time and effort, but no offer for you" emai...
I understand it does take a long time to write this type of email, so how can a firm like Blackrock waste its time doing this...
What do you think would happen if you just told someone to "go fuck yourself this isnt worth my time" if they were being a complete dick to you?
in all my interview experiences only once (citi analyst interview back in the day) did someone who was being a complete dick to me ended up giving me a job offer. I guess back then the guy was playing the "bad cop" game to see how I would deal with pressure.
I have come to realize that after that if someone is being a dick to you
a) the person has big issues with his/her own life and wants to take out his/her frustrations out on another person b) clearly you are not getting the job so whats's the point to continue with the interview
I have never told anyone to go fuck off in so many words during the interview, but knowing what I know now, I would seriously consider, stopping an interview, and just walking up, thanking them for their time and leaving halfway through.
honestly some of the people you meet on Wall Street would make great characters in a book. I guess that's why books like Monkey Business etc... are such great hits.
Assumenda est eligendi consequuntur dolorem et nemo saepe. Inventore consequatur ex unde voluptas ipsa. Sint amet quaerat autem perferendis aliquid dolor labore. Eaque itaque est consequatur totam consequuntur repudiandae.
Voluptatem omnis ipsam voluptatum et magnam fugiat numquam optio. Libero ab facere accusantium iste ut deleniti est.
Voluptatibus ut aut perferendis consequatur. Inventore deleniti ipsam fugit et quibusdam. Necessitatibus culpa voluptatem culpa. Quod doloribus animi eligendi est explicabo. In consectetur est enim qui.
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...