A few posts ago, I wrote about the trials and tribulations of off-Grounds recruiting. Now, I'd like to tell a more uplifting story; a story about scrappy job-hunting.
But first, some background...
Here at Darden, students earn interview slots with recruiting companies in two ways. The first (and more traditional) route is by getting on the company's closed list. The second is by bidding.
At the start of recruitment season, all first years are given a specified number of points with which they can bid on a small number of interview slots set aside by companies. The highest bidders win spots on the company's interview schedule and, with luck, the opportunity to move on to second-round interviews. People bid for a couple reasons. Some might have missed the application deadline. Others, however, simply didn't make the closed list.
So, who would bid on an interview they'd already been rejected from?
Uh ... me.
In January I didn't make the closed list for my top choice on-Grounds company. It hurt my feelings. Badly.
But it also motivated me to prove them wrong. So, I bid on the interview and got it. Then I got a second round interview. And early last week, I got an internship offer. See, a happy ending!
Also, an ending with some important takeaways:
First, some people's experiences/personalities/leadership qualities simply can't be sold on paper. They have to be talked about.
Second, don't let anyone tell you you can't do what you want.
Third, bid.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Taking the reigns
Now is the time of year when the leaders of Darden's many clubs and student organizations hand the reigns over to members of the class of 2010. For us first-years, this can be daunting as well as exciting. After all, in just a few short months, the second-years with whom we've shared the halls will be back to work and we'll be left to guide and support a new crop of Dardenites. For someone who sometimes still feels like a newbie, this is a kind of crazy notion. I mean, I know I've made huge personal strides here, but am I really capable of helping others do the same?
I hope so. I've come to realize that one of the great things about this school is people's willingness to get actively involved in making Darden better.
I hope so. I've come to realize that one of the great things about this school is people's willingness to get actively involved in making Darden better.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Darden experience
A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to be a part of Darden's Perspectives campaign, an ad campaign featuring members of the Darden community talking about their experiences here at school (http://www.darden.virginia.edu/html/standard.aspx?menu_id=182&id=16954). I readily agreed and the piece I submitted is below. Since its submission, the ad's been tweaked and edited, but I thought I'd post the original here. It explains why I came to Darden and, for those newly admitted prospective students out there, it offers a taste of the kinds of changes you can expect next year.
In my mind, there are numbers people and there are words people. I arrived at Darden firmly established as a words person. An English major by education and a writer by trade, I loved nothing better than a beautifully crafted sentence. But a beautifully crafted spreadsheet? Not really my thing.
In the halls of Darden, however, they make no such distinctions. We’re all first-years. And, whether you come from consulting, banking or -- like me -- left field, you’re expected to leverage and un-leverage betas, draw up balance sheets and model risk.
A novice in the arts of Microsoft Excel, I often found it challenging to meet this expectation. During my first semester, I spent hours upon hours highlighting cases, flipping through textbooks and running Monte Carlo simulations. At times, it was exhausting. But really, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I arrived at business school determined to stretch myself. I knew I’d be attending one of the most rigorous MBA programs in the world, but knew, too, that it was just this type of program that could transform a words person like me into the business leader I wanted to become. Within Darden’s student led discussions and case method curriculum, I’d learn not only the fundamentals of finance, but how to make, analyze and communicate complex business decisions.
As I go through my own transformation here in Charlottesville, businesses across the globe are also in flux. Faced with a down economy, they face mounting pressure to cut costs, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Perhaps now more than ever, these companies need leaders willing to take risks and innovate.
Darden is a training ground for such leaders.
Each day, I’m forced to deal with the unexpected; to run the numbers, to make the recommendations, but also to react. And, as I think to my future, and my plans to return to a media industry in tumult, I can’t imagine better preparation. Here at Darden, the days are long and the work is hard, but there is nothing like the confidence that comes with meeting high expectations.
So far it hasn’t been enough to change me into a numbers person, but I have to admit, I can craft some beautiful spreadsheets.
In my mind, there are numbers people and there are words people. I arrived at Darden firmly established as a words person. An English major by education and a writer by trade, I loved nothing better than a beautifully crafted sentence. But a beautifully crafted spreadsheet? Not really my thing.
In the halls of Darden, however, they make no such distinctions. We’re all first-years. And, whether you come from consulting, banking or -- like me -- left field, you’re expected to leverage and un-leverage betas, draw up balance sheets and model risk.
A novice in the arts of Microsoft Excel, I often found it challenging to meet this expectation. During my first semester, I spent hours upon hours highlighting cases, flipping through textbooks and running Monte Carlo simulations. At times, it was exhausting. But really, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I arrived at business school determined to stretch myself. I knew I’d be attending one of the most rigorous MBA programs in the world, but knew, too, that it was just this type of program that could transform a words person like me into the business leader I wanted to become. Within Darden’s student led discussions and case method curriculum, I’d learn not only the fundamentals of finance, but how to make, analyze and communicate complex business decisions.
As I go through my own transformation here in Charlottesville, businesses across the globe are also in flux. Faced with a down economy, they face mounting pressure to cut costs, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Perhaps now more than ever, these companies need leaders willing to take risks and innovate.
Darden is a training ground for such leaders.
Each day, I’m forced to deal with the unexpected; to run the numbers, to make the recommendations, but also to react. And, as I think to my future, and my plans to return to a media industry in tumult, I can’t imagine better preparation. Here at Darden, the days are long and the work is hard, but there is nothing like the confidence that comes with meeting high expectations.
So far it hasn’t been enough to change me into a numbers person, but I have to admit, I can craft some beautiful spreadsheets.
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