Wharton Journal

Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Perspectives

He Said:

Heading into FIP, it looked like smooth sailing.  Q1 was winding down, classes were cancelled for a week, and I even managed to get myself a couple of interviews.  I was ready to party hard and enjoy some much needed time off.

Now FIP is over, and I’m absolutely exhausted.  Where did my week go?  People grilling me with all sorts of meaningless questions, shuttling back and forth to New York – with Amtrak less reliable than Windows Vista – all of a sudden its Thursday morning and I have a pounding headache with absolutely no idea where my life is headed.
I did manage to drag a few life lessons out of this last week of hell, though.  One is that I should never in my life take advice from Julia.  Maybe “go off and do your own thing” plays well in those vagina-fest consulting interviews, but on my side of the street, a man’s got to get paid.  This is just about the worst job market ever, and you’ve got to do absolutely everything you can to get a job.

Some ideas that worked: Tell your interviewer that you’re willing to work anywhere.  Make up fake ties to obscure cities.  All your work experience may be in the New York, but those Cornhuskers will fawn all over you when you tell them about your aunt and cousins living in Omaha.

Some that didn’t: Flirting with an interviewer is absolutely ok.  Be charming, be witty – be James Bond.  I would not recommend offering to pay them for sex.  Sometimes you’re in a Hail Mary situation and you think “why not?”  Liberal interpretations of the meaning of “sexual assault” – that’s why not.

FIP may be done, but Wharton recruiting marches on.  Keep your head up, march on, and marry rich.

She Said:

Two things occurred to me over FIP week: 1) I hate being in a suit, and 2) I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life.

Granted, FIP week was probably the most demoralizing experience I’ve had in my entire life (other than the time Oliver Reed called me a fatty in front of the entire 4th grade class). We shuffle in en masse, portfolio in hand, ready to fire away about ourselves in a 2-3 minute elevator speech about the precise steps and decisions that led us here, all wrapped neatly in a bow. What is perhaps the most frustrating are the ‘fit’ questions that are meant to get a sense for your personality, but what really do instead is test your imagination and memorization skills. Besides, what are they really saying anyway?

“Tell me about yourself” = Dear God, please don’t bore or frighten me
“Tell me about a time when you failed” = Tell me about a time when you succeeded but make it sound like a failure
“What is leadership?” = You are absolutely not going to get this job

But it got me thinking. What the hell am I here for in the first place? Whatever happened to trying new things? Taking risks? Self-discovery? I realized that these apply to extracurriculars (which is why you have 90-pound Indian girls trying out for ice hockey), but not for jobs. Why can’t we get over the stigma of prestige? There are plenty of options out there that don’t have a posting on CareerPath. The hard part isn’t finding them—it’s choosing to.
So first years: As you enter into the abyss that is EIS mania, keep in mind that you don’t have to fall for sexy pick-up lines from big name companies. Sure, they’ll take you out to dinner and throw promises your way, but chances are they’re doing the same thing to every young prospect. And remember that you don’t have to get in bed if you’re not sure. (That’s just generally good advice).

And second years: Keep on fighting the good fight. We’ll all find the right match eventually and be happier for it. In the meantime, we should make the most out of our time here, so let’s kick it up a notch.

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