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MAY 2003 MBA JOURNAL: INTERNSHIP INTERVIEWS Rich Morris: Navigating the Process [Page 2 of 2] True to the fast pace of an investment bank, we were getting calls that night to let us know whether or not we made it through to the second round. After a few hours of anxious waiting, I received the good news that I made the cut. Oh yeah, and that second-rounds were the following day. The second round consisted of two back-to-back interviews the following morning. There was more of the same: "Why us?" "Why you?". However, the two interviewers certainly came after me at two different angles. The first interviewer was a Managing Director and it was evident that his job was to see if I would crack under pressure. He jumped right in and started probing me on some more bond math and other technical issues, and then sat there expressionless as I gave my answer, other than to pelt me with relentless "Yeah, but whys?" -- waiting to see if I hung myself with my own words. The second interview was much more informal, although hardly less relaxed. This was the "get to know you" interview, to make sure that I would fit in at the bank. The interviewer was decidedly more vocal, much more excited, and essentially had me foaming at the mouth to start trading positions after about twenty minutes. Basically, I just tried to keep up with his obvious enthusiasm and frenetic pace. After the interviews, I was informed that final decisions would be made either that night or the following morning, and that I should expect a call either way. Yikes. The past two days had essentially been a whirlwind of nervousness, last-minute preparation, and mental replays of every second of my interviews, and now as I finally start to pull through, they tell me that I'll be finding out my fate in just a matter of hours. It all seemed way too fast. In a way, though, I was actually happy to get it all over with before I had time to think about it. All that was left was about 12 hours of anxiously waiting by the phone and relentlessly checking my e-mail for any news. I felt like I was applying to B-school all over again. When the call finally came (the next morning, not that night), I got the good news that I had been extended an offer. I don't remember the rest of the conversation. I think the recruiter who called me mentioned some details about compensation and starting dates, and I faintly remember saying thank you about a dozen times, but I was too excited to pay attention. What started off as more of a curiosity than anything else had turned into a 60-hour emotional roller coaster that ultimately paid off. Some of you might be wondering why I was so excited about the offer when this wasn't even my first choice for an internship. Well, it's exactly for that reason it's an internship, a chance to try something new. This is something that I hadn't previously considered, but the more I researched the position and the business, the more I realized that because it's so different from anything I have done to date, it's something I would really love to explore. There are two schools of thought on this. The first is the one I outlined above that an internship is the perfect opportunity to try something new. If it doesn't work out, you can always shift your focus when you begin looking for full-time positions. The second notion is that an internship is essentially a trial-run for a full-time job, both for you and for the company, and you should only take a position in a field that you are planning on pursuing permanently. Otherwise, you are just wasting your, and the company's, time, and you may actually be doing more harm than good to your full-time job prospects. As for me, I view it as a combination of the two. I think that an internship is in many ways a 10-week-long audition for a permanent job. It's a great way for you to get to know an industry and a company, and for the firm to get to know you. However, I do think that this a great opportunity to pursue a field that you've never tried before. I believe in making informed decisions, and I would hate to start my career in an industry without having seen what else is out there. That's why I took this position. This is something that I may turn out to love, and I don't want to spend the next 30 years wondering "what if". So, I'm going to attack this summer with everything I have and see if trading is the place for me. Let's hope it is. If not, there's always full-time recruiting. Or, as Adayna and I mused many a time over the past six days, we could always open up a tiny bar on a beach somewhere in Jamaica. Ah, the beauty of spring break...
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