:)

Thanks, Aspenxtrm for the comment. FYI--this is certainly an unusual event...the first that I have encountered at the Johnson School.

At 4:46 PM, Anonymous said...
Good Lord, I really, REALLY hope that the above commenter (with the 10 page rant) doesn't represent the reading and cognitive skills of most MBA students. Old man went out of his way to say that he did NOT mean to imply anything of the sort he is being accused of. Even specifically stated to that effect. And yet, despite that, someone STILL managed to take things out of context and goo soo far off the deepend that they aren't even still in the pool! Come on people, this is insane.When I was up at Cornell, I met some very, VERY impressive people. Peaple that seemed to be my kind of people, which are those that like to have fun, don't take themselves too seriouslly, and, is they do get annoyed about something, have good enough interpersonal skills that they will go talk to the offending person. I mean heck, 90%+ of the time it's just a simple misunderstaning...so why waste the time and effort getting upset. I wil not be attending Cornell this year, (not due to this incident of course, I had already decided another school was a bit of a better fit) but if I was, I would take care to talk with more students to ensure this kind of insane behavior is the anomalyI believe it to be.

(italics added)

let it die, man

(see the new tagline above for context)

Ok, I'm back for one more post. It appears that there is a growing group of idiots that either can't read, accept, or believe my explanations that I have given. As most of you know, I'm not really an ass, I truly have nothing against any group of people, and I certainly never accused anyone of anything. But, it is TRULY AMAZING how people (supposedly intelligent, to boot!) can misinterpret something, twist it, and spit out some ridiclous piece of garbage like this:

I am a first year Johnson who fits your description of "non-white males born outside of the US." I am posting because I understand that you took the time to write about this special group that I belong to. I am truly sorry that "we" are taking your jobs. The nerve of us to do this considering we are male and not white and not even born in the states. I am truly sorry. I realize that it is fair that, despite being a US citizen, my gender, my place of birth, and my race should still be factors on why I get certain jobs. I will be certain to communicate this to other "non-white males born outside of the US" in Johnson so they stop doing such horrible things like doing well in interviews. I agree that if you are female or white or born in the States, you should get first priority at all offers. But I don't blame you if you didn't mean to include citizens becuase you can't tell those "Internationals" apart if we don't stitch our passport or greencard to our forehand. I will make that recommendation to all ethnic student organizations so that we start wearing arm bands so you know who we are in Sage.Yes, together we can stop the woman and the "non-white males not born in the US" from taking away good jobs.

Any literate and reasonable individual who actually read the postings in question could tell you that I never said anything of the sort, nor did I imply it. Had I gone into this level of detail, I may have said something more like "this group of people is definitely doing well in terms of job placement". There is a HUGE difference between that, and what this clown is accusing me of, which is saying that a particular demographic is stealing all the the jobs and that another should be given priority--which is stupid, bizarre, and laughable.

So, to this anonymous joker, I say:
"Anonymous joker, you histrionic philistine, I don't know how many times I need to clarify. If you can't intelligently read all of my posts, and you can't understand them, or if you just don't believe me, then you can kiss my ass. I didn't mean anything of the sort. You have the right to be extremely easily offended, and if you were (pretty obviously you were), then I'm sorry--but I didn't do anything wrong. I don't appreciate morons like you freaking out over stuff like this--and going on a mission telling everyone some overly dramatic and fabricated story like you have posted above. Spare me.
I don't understand why you have to hide behind the anonymous identity, either. If you have a problem with me--man up and email me (ooh! I said "man", is that insensitive, sexist, or otherwise offending!?!). One of two things will result from your email to me: 1--you'll realize that I didn't mean anything offensive by my posts, that you overreacted, and that life goes on, or 2. You'll continue to act like an idiot, but at least you weren't seen by all as being an absolute wuss. Either way, you'll be better for it."

A brief explanation

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~Aaron Levenstein

Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth.
~Unknown


Ok, as what I intend to be my final blog entry, I wanted to address several items.

- Thanks to all of my readers. I actually had no idea that so many people read the blog regularly, and the positive feedback that I have received over the last few days really made me feel good. People seem to have really appreciated my non traditional approach to detailing the b-school experience. Thanks, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Something I want to clear up right now: CORNELL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME SHUTTING DOWN THE BLOG. Rather, I decided to shut it down for a single reason. That reason is that someone took my numerical report in a manner that wasn't intended. When I started hearing about how upset this individual was from my classmates, I knew that the game of "telephone" had begun. I was afraid that once someone had "heard" about it, which would no doubt be colored by the opinion of the storyteller, that word would spread quickly that I was some bitter, incompetent, minority-hating ass. None of which is actually true (except maybe the incompetent one, on occasion). Essentially, shutting the blog down was a stop leak...preventing the dam from bursting.

- I have no ill feelings for Cornell. Looking back, I can see how maybe some people could take my comments as "dissatisfaction with Cornell", but really, that isn't the case. The statistics that I reported had nothing to do with the school. I feel as if a lot of prospectives think that the school you attend is what lands you the job. I don't feel that way--I think the school gets you the interview, and you get yourself the job. Cornell has not let me down in this regard.

- I've said this dozens of times before, but since I removed the originals from the site, I'll say it again...One of my readers put it nicely and said that undoubtedly some companies' company photo probably looks like it was taken in 1950...with nothing but white males. An "act of diversity" actually then means an act of nondiversity--in order to effectively diversify the workforce, they have to hire in a homogeneous manner during some recruiting seasons in order to maintain balance. Too bad I hit the wrong industry in the wrong year...

- It makes me sad that someone I considered a friend took my post the wrong way, and they now think I'm a jerkoff. We've all had that experience--you say something, someone takes it the wrong way, and suddenly you've lost a friend (usually in the 5th grade). Stupid, if you ask me. Statistics will do that to people, I guess.

- Just to address the "99% internship placement" comment on my last post...Of course they have 99% internship placement. I never intended my blog to give people the idea that Johnson sucked at placement--because they don't!!!! I'm not here to misrepresent facts. But, to be fair, the 99% isn't right either...not because it is in itself false, but because most readers don't realize what that number represents. Here is a much more accurate breakdown. I have no idea how this compares to other schools, but I suspect they are similar: On average, about 40% of students gain summer employment through "on-campus" recruiting. That means the company sends interviewers here, conducts interviews on campus, and extends offers. The remaining 59% find jobs thru an independent job search or thru other CMC-related methods. For example, last year, 650 companies posted opportunites on the CMC site, but they didn't not fly interviewers to campus.

- People seemed to sense that I was out of luck in the job search--which is far from true. While I haven't exactly been cleaning up, I have a great shot at my #2 company, and I made 2nd round w/ my #3, with another interview tomorrow. I also have several others that may pan out. If, in the event those all fall thru, I will simply keep dropping resumes until I get something. The off-campus recruiting season hasn't even started for most companies--so the game is FAR from over!! Like I said, 60% of students will still be looking for a job after the campus stuff ends.

I think that is all I've got. I won't be posting anymore on this site, but I will receive comments via email if you post them here. If you want a response from me, include your email address or email me thru the BW forums.

It's been real.

wow

Alright, the blog is being taken down--thanks to the ones that decided to turn this into a circus.

I started with an compilation of statistics--one that wasn't intended to "attack or begrudge" anyone. People took it the wrong way, twisted it into something it wasn't, and just generally freaked out. Granted, the information could be considered sensitive---but I thought that when I wrote, in clear english, that it wasn't intended as such, that people would understand. They didn't. Rather than fight an uphill battle against people who simply don't read what I write, but read into what I write, I have chosen to discontinue the blog. Hope you are happy, all.

interview practice

In response to a comment...here is a summary of interview prep.

At JGSM, in order to take advantageof on-campus recruiting, you are required to complete at least two mock interviews. The first is with your career assistant (2nd yr student, assigned to you by the CMC, and who shares a similar background and career aspriation). The 2nd is with a career consultant that comes to school for a week and interviews every single student, and of course offers feedback. They also tape these interviews so you can watch yourself stink the joint up.

Those are the required interviews, and they ensure that no one does/says anything really stupid. Most kids choose to get more practice. This year in the marketing association, we held a mock interview event, utilizing common question lists. This was a student & student type of interview.

I have also been involved with two mock interviews w/ a classmate that we just set up on our own. These are useful just to get some feedback on your stories, and to gain valuable experience. I like the fact that it just takes some of the edge off...

the final tally

Okay, so I wound up with 8 interviews--I have one company left to hear back from, but it was kind of a random company that I honestly don't expect an interview from. So we'll stick with 8.

We've received a TON of snow (over a foot) in the last 24 hours, so a few recruiters that were scheduled for monday interviews are going to be rescheduled due to flight cancellations all over the northeast. For some, this sucks. For others, it is a blessing, since they were just granted more time to prepare for their interview(s).

Just to "keep it real", I went out last night and got back around 3:30 this morning...just to make sure that I go thru this hellish week of interviewing a few hours behind on my sleep...one of my better moves.

Back to researching companies and practicing my behavioral examples...wheeeeee!

**********************************
8 interviews scheduled as of 1/20
**********************************
...with 2 companies left to report

This is panning out better than I ever expected. I also have two alternates--now the real fear I have is preparing effectively for such a wide selection of companies...and not getting mixed up!!!

Quickie

**********************************
7 interviews scheduled as of 1/17
**********************************
...with 4 companies left to report

So the headline above says it, as far as the job search is concerned. I've got 5 interviews scheduled next week, over two days. Yep, three in one day, with 2nd rounds possible--upwards of 6 interviews that day. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. I would be excited about this, except classwork is killing my spare time, and I NEED TIME to prep myself for interviews. I've been getting in only about 30 minutes/day average, the way I see it, I need more like THREE hours a day.

I've cut all but the essential reading assignment out of my day (not reading any articles, reserves, etc., even though they are required). I'm in survival mode--text book and cases only. The funny thing is that is doesn't even seem like I cut anything out, even though I eliminated several hrs worth of assignments each day....just kill me now, before I do it.

It's kind of pathetic, really. I worked hard all year to land some interviews, my guess is that I will finish with 8 (and two alternates), and now, I'm unprepared to actually participate in them. And isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

I will be slamming down the vault guide interview chapters, along w/ various interview prep items I have acquired, and reading advertising pages like crazy over the next week.

Ok, sorry for the lame update, but I've gotta get some sleep.

Conclusions on the Job Search

**********************************
5 interviews scheduled as of 1/12
**************************************

So I was looking for the answer to the question "Is shotgunning your resume more effective than spending time networking at a relatively small number of companies?". As you may recall, I chose to merge these two approaches by networking at a select few companies, then blast my resume out to the remainder.

Fortunately, classmates at JGSM aren't so competitive or secretive or whatever to the point of not discussing this stuff, so I have been able to collect some data from my classmates as well. That is, I have no actual numbers, but I have spoken with several friends and some basic patterns have emerged:

-The more networking, the better. So far, the companies that applicants have really worked for have shown love. There are exceptions, however. Too much networking or simply saying/doing something stupid has dq'd some people. The more networking you do, the more opportunity you have to put you foot in your mouth. An example of this is two people golfing with a recruiter in the JGSM golf tourney, and showing up with zero rounds under their belt. The recruiter wasn't happy about it, and was even overheard by other students bitching extensively about it!!! While this isn't grounds for dismissal, it certainly didn't help when HR asked the recruiter who he likes and doesn't like.

-Prior experience does matter. Recruiters will tell you it doesn't, but the data says otherwise. Essentially, the more closely your past experience resembles your target field, the more interviews you will get. This seems somewhat independent of networking. There are people on both ends of the spectrum...some with 0-1 interviews, and some with almost every company in their field.

-Shotgunning can be valuable. Many people picked up a few extra interviews by submitting resumes for companies that they never talked to. However, these companies are almost never in the students' top-5 list. Good backup, but a bad way to get interviews at the top companies.

So...I guess the bottom line is...network with your favorite companies like there is no tomorrow, don't do anything stupid, make sure your resume makes you look experienced in your chosen field, and make sure you submit a sufficient volume of resumes to land a few surprise interviews.

Easy enough, eh? Not really. When y'all get here and realize that the events conflict with each other, group meetings, classes, etc. and that you have to juggle like 7 or 8 favorite companies with everything else in your life, send countless emails, and possibly go to informationals two or three times per week, you'll see where I'm coming from.

As our friend bskewl would not want me to say, business school truly is like drinking champagne from a fire hydrant.

Update

Okay, I see no reason to continue the job updates w/ the level of detail I have provided thus far--I have all the data I need to draw conculsions. For the record, here is where I stand as of 1/11/2004:

1 decline where I networked heavily early on, and dropped off late.
2 declines where I did nothing (what did I expect?).
1 "interview waitlist" offer, where I showed some interest early, did nothing in the middle, and got on it moderately towards the end.
2 interview offers from companies that I HEAVILY networked with.
1 interview offer where I didn't do anything, but I have lots of interest and interesting experience with the company.
1 interview w/ a company I did some networking with, and fit in really well.

As you can see, I have 4 interviews and a waitlist, with 8 companies outstanding. At my current rate, I should finish with 6-7 interviews.

From now on, I will just keep a running tab at the top of my new blog posts w/ current numbers.

Conclusions in a moment.