Generation Y Consultant

Turns out I'm not Corporate!

2008-09-07T22:58:00.004-04:00

It seems that my last update here over 2 months ago was somewhat of a premonition...

After just under 20 entries, I've decided to close up shop here at Gen Y Consultant and return to my original blog that's almost 4 years old now! I came to realize that the common thread on both blogs is "growing up". I was considering what to do with the blogs for a while.

The final straw came when Penelope Trunk asked me why I would start all over again (here) after I've built a good amount of social capital into my personal blog. She was right; I'm blogging for myself, not for Brazen Careerist, so I shouldn't have started a separate blog in the first place!

All that being said, here's what I'm going to do...

Growing up with Ian

For those interested in more of my personal stories, whether they're about picking up girls, being a new/young landlord, being quoted in the papers, relationship theories, travel, business, life changing decisions, etc., I invite you back to "Growing up with Ian". Where, you'll be able to read along and hopefully learn from some of my mistakes since I'm one of those people who often insists on learning things the hard way!

OfficeTricks.com

For those of you interested in more of the corporate/business stuff, I've recently launched a new website: OfficeTricks.com - The Next Generation of Office Politics with a group of similar-minded twenty-somethings. The goal of the site is to generate ideas and conversations around points of interest related to office politics. Office politics is something everyone has to deal with and as a friend of mine said: "Office politics is the one area where our generation can ruin their careers without even realizing it!". That's where OfficeTricks comes in!

Thanks a lot for reading what I've had to share here and hopefully you'll follow at least one of my other sites! Cheers!

Being Part of Corporate America / Canada

2008-07-02T19:40:00.028-04:00

"You know what the problem is with people like you?", asked the gray haired gentleman, looking at me through his thick glasses from across the small, square table. I remember the table top being a crimson red that sharply contrasted the fading yellow paint on the walls of the old living room that had been converted into a makeshift office.

With a slight smirk, obviously faking curiosity, I leaned forward and inquired: "People like...me?"

"Corporate people.", he said in a stern voice while shaking his head disapprovingly. "I bet the budget for the sofa in your lounge is more than we spend on marketing in a year!", he continued with mild disgust in his voice.

I was in the middle of a job interview in the non-profit sector and he already decided he would give me a hard time. I was working at IKEA at the time, so after a moment, I gave a response about how Swedish culture is very minimalistic and I was used to managing projects with modest resources. "Good answer!", he said cheerfully, but clearly unconvinced.

I didn't care; I already had an offer from a global pharmaceutical firm for my internship that semester. However, I had just been referred to as "Corporate" and at age 20, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. When I returned to the office, I recounted the story to my manager stressing on my confusion with the name-calling. He proudly put his hand on my shoulder and with a big smile said: "Trust me, in the next few years of your career, that's going to be a compliment!"

Over 5 years later, I am, without a doubt, "Corporate". Unfortunately, I'm still not sure how I feel about it...

Are you corporate?

What's in a Job Title / Name?

2008-05-19T19:44:00.001-04:00

Love this job title!
I learned a valuable lesson while chatting up a girl in a shoe store a few weeks ago when I was in Toronto. I could tell by her British accent that she wasn't from there, so we started talking and she told me she was there for business.

"So, what do you do?", I asked.
"I'm a health economist."
"Really? [pause] So...what do you do?"

She laughed and explained a little about public health and how she was there for an industry conference. She then asked me the same question, to which I responded: "I'm an SAP consultant". With a laugh, she said: "So...what do you do?"

This made me realize that job titles are ridiculous and how these titles are somehow expected to define us. My job title was something that frustrated me to no end especially when several senior people would say: "I've looked at your resume, why are you an analyst??".

I've come to terms that one of the downsides of large organizations is that you have to go through their technicalities/framework regardless of your actual skill set. The good news is that it pisses me off a lot less these days!

Lesson learned: Don't let your job title define who you are!

Take Any Advice with A Grain of Salt!

2008-05-12T23:41:00.000-04:00

Is there an empty window office in your vicinity? You should move in without asking permission. It has worked for me and someone else I know. Trust me.*

"Why are you asking me for advice if you don't listen anyway?!", is something I'm told fairly often. Here's the thing: ALL advice, regardless of who it's coming from, should be taken with a grain of salt. That's why I generally ask for opinions and not advice.

Advice is based and framed on personal world views, experiences and biases. Everything is about perspective, so it's important to try and see where the advice is coming from before taking it as gospel truth. Yes, this includes advice coming from parents, mentors, religious leaders, bosses, friends, blogs, etc.

What do you do when 2 people are giving conflicting advice? Here's a recent case in point when it comes to taking advice from "the new authority" (aka blogs) about job interviews:

Mark suggests that you shouldn't really be yourself in an interview even at the cost of "slight dishonesty". He later agreed that "dishonest" was a bit much and would use "embellish" instead. He said that his strategy has had a 100% success rate for all 4 of his post university jobs.

Jun, on the other hand, disagrees completely and suggests you should be yourself in the interview: "If your honest self does not get the job, then the job just wasn’t meant for you.". Although he has done many more interviews than Mark, he doesn't have a 100% success rate.

I've just presented 2 well written articles that make compelling points as well as a little about the authors' experience. Who's advice do you take? Tough call! I try to ask myself the following questions before taking anyone's advice:

What's my gut feeling? Does the advice make sense? Does this person have an agenda? It has worked for them, but will it work for me? Why has it worked for them? Are the situations more or less the same? Does my personality/experience fit the advice?

Consider all these things and never forget that ultimately it's your life and you're responsible for your decisions and subsequent actions:

"If you're smart, you'll learn from your mistakes. If you're wise, you'll learn from the mistakes of others."

*Please let me know if you try this and it works for you too!

How do You Define Authority?

2008-04-30T02:22:00.000-04:00

"Well, anyone who knows me knows I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books. I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart."
-Stephen Colbert

Like Dilbert comics, comedy often isn't far from reality: some bloggers aren't fans of dictionaries either:

"Ian, this all started with a discussion about accepting the new authority. “New” implies there is an old version of authority, which is the definition you found in the dictionary."
-Monica O'Brien of Twenty Set

It appears they're also the ones with the authority to define new words. This, my friends, is Wikiality. If enough people say it's true, it becomes reality. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned how the proliferation of blogs is diluting information and facts are no longer important; opinions, rather than facts, are king and this is what the "new authority" seems to be. Have they started accepting blogs as references in university assignments yet?

I had a lengthy debate today over at Brazen Careerist about what authority bloggers, especially GenY ones, have when it comes to workplace issues. It would appear that my understanding of authority is outdated; we should be embracing the "new authority", which is, in essence, a popularity contest rather than actual experience or expertise as the dictionary suggests.

If you had two different opinions on a career decision, would you take advice from someone with a year of experience because they have 1,000 blog subscribers? Or would you take advice from someone who's actually experienced the results of their advice?

Am I old school or crazy!? Maybe both?

10 Tips for Networking / Recruiting Events

2008-04-24T02:29:00.000-04:00

With school coming to an end, recent graduates are searching for jobs and if they've done any research, they know that the best way to find a job is by networking.

At some point or another we've all been to a career fair or a networking/recruiting event. Many people (both candidates and recruiters) find these events stressful. Here are some strategies to make this a more pleasant and fruitful experience! These strategies are from the candidate's viewpoint and later on we'll talk about the recruiters' standpoint.
1. Smile

We're all drawn to happy, positive people. When you walk in and maintain a smile, you're instantly more inviting and approachable; the recruiters will want to talk to you. A smile conveys confidence, positivity and is one of the most important things I recommend!

2. Don't Drink too Much

I'd be lying if I said I've never attended a recruiting event just for the free drinks. However, I've never been [really] hammered at a recruiting event and only once have I seen someone acting stupid at a networking event after drinking too much; obviously he wasn't getting a call back.

3. Talk to the Recruiters

This should be obvious, but I've seen many people at these events stand around talking to their buddies rather than connecting with the recruiters/company employees. Although some recruiters will approach you, it's your responsibility to approach them.

4. Be Nice to Everyone

The other extreme is only talking to the recruiters. Although this is your primary objective, it doesn't hurt to make friends with some of the other people at the event. Being nice also means giving others the opportunity to speak to the recruiters and not hijacking conversations.

5. Find Common Ground

If you have something in common with the recruiter, make sure to take advantage of it. You'll be amazed at how quickly that person will open up. It could be that you went to the same school, were part of the same association, enjoy the same sport, anything. Having something in common will give you an edge and give the recruiter something to talk about.

6. Have Something Interesting to Say

Rattling off a laundry list of accomplishments followed by your GPA is not interesting. Choose a couple of accomplishments you're most proud of and discuss how those skills/lessons learned would be useful to the firm.

7. Don't Ramble

Some people ramble when they're nervous because they feel they have to say something at all times. This is not true. You should be clear and concise; if what you have to say is interesting enough, the recruiter will probe you for more information.

8. Ask Pertinent/Relevant Questions

The conversation is a two way street. You shouldn't be doing all the talking; you should be asking questions not only about the job you're going for, but about their experiences as well.

9. Collect Business Cards

Ask for a business card after you've spoken to someone and have hopefully built some rapport. Quick tip: If you're collecting lots of cards, take a few seconds to write some quick notes on the back of the card about the person you just met. These notes are very handy later on~~, especially if you've been drinking~~!

10. Follow-up by Email

This is something most people do, so the recruiters will receive several: "Thanks, it was nice meeting you! Keep in touch."-type emails. You need to stand out: write something more specific about the conversation you had. Your email should be brief, but memorable.

If you want some more networking tips, here are a few recent posts:
College Students Fail When They Ask For Jobs Instead of Relationships
How to Work an Event
A New Approach

I'll have a follow up post about how I applied these concepts to the last networking event I was at...as a student.

Have you got some tips/tricks to share about making it through a networking event?

The Only Right Answers to Status Report Questions

2008-04-18T01:06:00.000-04:00

Status Report pic from Anapasoft.com
As I wrote this, I noticed that Ryan had published a related post about making excuses.

While on my mandate in Pittsburgh, I was working with a project manager who has been in the consulting industry for quite some time. I always appreciated his direct honesty and sense of humour. Every once in a while, he'd come out with random nuggets of wisdom (does wisdom come in nuggets?) that I'd never forget.

We were having our weekly team meeting and someone asked: "What's the status on x?".

I've been in a few situations where the response is often some sort of excuse: "Oh, sorry, I forgot.", "I didn't realize we were working on that.", "That's not my responsibility", "I didn't get the email", etc. In this case, the response was essentially an excuse as to why no one had even looked into x.

I always do my best not to make excuses and take responsibility, but I'll always remember what the PM said next...

"Whenever a client asks about the status of something, you should only be giving one of two answers: 'It's done.' or 'I'm on it.', nothing else."

Are You Ugly? Find Out Now!

2008-04-15T02:38:00.000-04:00

Last week, Penelope Trunk suggested that plastic surgery might be the next must-have career tool. I'm afraid that people will be running to their friendly neighbourhood plastic surgeon after Penelope's advice, so as a public service, allow me to help you decide if such drastic measures are necessary.

I would hope that, unlike incompetence, people are aware if they're unattractive. However, in case you're unsure (i.e. if you'd rate yourself between 4-6), here are my top 3 methods to determine if you are, in fact, fugly.

3. You Make Babies Cry

Studies have shown that even newborn infants can identify attractive faces. It's worth mentioning that newborns can distinguish symmetry and it appears that perfect symmetry is what's considered attractive. This method is probably the least reliable for the simple fact that many babies are cry babies.

2. Other People's Comments

Have several people referred to you as hot or attractive? They're probably right. Have people compared you to monkeys or farm animals? They might be right too. This method is better than the first, but other people's comments may be biased by what they know about you. I've seen very attractive women be described as ugly because they had a disgusting personality. Note that family members and/or people who are inebriated don't count!!

1. HotOrNot.com

This is probably the most accurate/objective method because people's opinions aren't biased (positively or negatively) by your personality. It's based strictly on looks. What's the downside? People obviously mess with the results or get their friends to rate them. If you want something truly objective, don't tell your friends until you've got a few hundred votes from strangers.

I joined a couple of years ago after a colleague told me I was "OK" looking, but that my personality made me attractive. I had to prove to her that even if I was a jerk, I was certainly higher than a 5.5!!

The ratings seem pretty accurate by my standards; my rating is typically +/-.5 from the average. If you rank anywhere above 7, you're probably doing alright and plastic surgery shouldn't cross your mind. If you're below a 3, continue reading...

Do You Need Plastic Surgery?

The easy answer: Unlikely. Regardless of what people think, if you're comfortable in your skin, that's what matters. Although I admit that I'm somewhat superficial (who isn't!?), I also believe that beauty is skin deep and can disappear in an instant. Regardless of what happens to the outside, your inside (intelligence, personality) remains.

If you haven't already read the hilarious Craigslist gold digger email that went out back in October, I strongly suggest you do! There's a clear explanation of how looks don't last. Here's a highlight:

...your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset...

Ultimately, if your looks seriously affect your self-confidence, consider the points above, consider if it's your personality that needs work and as a last resort consider plastic surgery.

How to Choose a Good Blog Post Title

2008-04-10T03:29:00.000-04:00

I've noticed that a lot of bloggers don't realize the importance of post titles. This might explain why the Brazen Careerist website changes several titles of the posts they publish. Let's look at how to come up with better post titles...

Make Sure it's Google Friendly!

Back when I first started blogging a few years ago, I used to title my posts haphazardly and whenever possible, I would do my best to come up with something clever. Clever titles will certainly show how witty you are, but Google doesn't catch wit!

If you have relevant information to share and you want people to find it, the key words/ideas of your post should be in the title. Think about what someone will be searching for in order to find the information you want to share. Some useful key words are: "How To", "Top Ten", "Tips/Ideas for", etc. This blog has only been around for a few weeks now and it's already showing up in some relevant Google searches.

Controversial and/or Enticing Titles

I'm not a fan of making outlandish statements for shock value to get attention, but everyone knows this works! Controversial or nonsensical titles will likely arouse curiosity and make people want to read the entry. Some bloggers are quite good at using this technique. Provided you follow the first point, this strategy works as well.

Renaming Post Titles on Brazen Careerist

I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed that BC frequently changes the original post title. The new title is generally more relevant, controversial, enticing or all of the above.

The only downside to this, is that the new title may not convey the message the author intended. At the very worst, and I've seen this happen twice now, a commenter will misconstrue the post and the main sticking point is the title (i.e. "If that's not what you meant, why is the title xxx?"). I'll use a personal example:

Original Title: How to Get a Job in Consulting
New Title: Getting My First Job: How I Rose to the Top of a 200-Applicant Pool

You'll probably agree that the 2nd one is more enticing, however, I'm aware that people sometimes perceive me as arrogant, so there's no way I would have titled my post that way. I wondered if some chose not to read it thinking: "Wow, that guy sounds like a cocky bastard, I don't want to read his stuff."

I've told Ryan Paugh on several occasions that they're doing a great job over at BC and I'm sure they're still learning and adapting as they go along. Relevant posts are manually reviewed and selected, which is a big job in itself, but I'm sure things can get better. The BC community is a great learning environment for all of us and hopefully as we get better at titling our posts there will be less of a need to change them!

Don't Let Anyone Stop You!

2008-04-09T02:14:00.000-04:00

Continuing my job story...

It was October of 2005 and despite having received a personal invitation to the recruiting cocktail, I was told I had to register with my university's career placement center. I assumed they were somehow tracking the candidates, so I showed up a few hours before the event to register.

I was greeted by a friendly woman who confirmed that the event was, indeed, that evening. She pulled up my profile and said:

- Oh, I'm sorry, you can't attend.
- (Surprised) Why not?
- Well, they're looking to hire people immediately and you're only graduating in June, so you can't go.
- Really?
- Yes, I'm very sorry, but make sure you attend next year! (Smiles)
- (Thinking) Well, are they going to check my ID at the door?
- (Pause) I guess not?
- Great, I'll see you there!
- Yeah, but...

I didn't stick around to hear to the rest. I've never been a fan of red tape. In hindsight, it's a very good thing I didn't listen; that could have been the end of this story. I went to grab a quick supper and headed over to the event...

Consulting Resume Tips for Recent Graduates

2008-04-07T03:14:00.000-04:00

I've helped (and still help) several of my friends review their cover letters and resumes. The one thing I always remind them of is this: any resume advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Some people like bullets, others like paragraphs that tell a story; some like the single page, others feel you should list everything; some like fancy colors and/or paper while others like to keep it simple.

You can find resume tips all over the internet, but the following are my personal top 10 that have worked for me. I'll be using my resume as the template if you'd like to follow along.

Ian Selvarajah Resume (February 2008)

UPDATE: After receiving some great feedback from Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers, I've made a few key modifications. Here's the updated one:

Ian Selvarajah Resume (April 2008)

1) Examples, examples, examples. If you take one point away from this article, please make sure it's this one: Whether it's on your cover letter or resume, examples are critical. You don't need a "Core Skills" section that lists things like leadership, team playing, people skills, communication skills. You should be describing your work experience in such a way that these skills are obviously reflected.

2) List accomplishments, not tasks. Employers are looking for people who go over and above what's required. Simply listing tasks is not value added because most of us know what tasks a typical job requires. Regardless of the job or job description, you want to describe your experience in a way that sets you apart from your peers.

3) Quantify examples whenever possible. People's eyes tend to be drawn to numbers on resumes. Saying: "Sales increased from $500K to over $3M" is much more effective than "Sales increased substantially" or "Consistently served 20% more clients than average" is better than "Served lots of clients"

4) Put your best foot forward: In terms of the order of the resume, if you've done a lot academically, have your education section up front. If you feel your work experience is a better reflection (as in my case), put that up front.

5) Unless your previous experience is very relevant to the role, try for not more than 2 pages especially when applying for entry level roles. The office newb has a great idea about keeping a "Master Resume" (point 3) with all the descriptions and then cutting out points that are irrelevant to the job you're applying for.

6) If your GPA isn't great (i.e. at least > 3.5), don't bother including it unless the target company requires you to do so.

7) Dates - Putting dates ages you, so it's not necessary to put the dates you attended college/university. If you have a lot of relevant experience, you don't want to be cut because they can tell your age by when you went to college. Employment dates on the other hand, are very important as recruiters are concerned with gaps in your history.

8) Objective - I've never been a fan of the objective section. If you can have a brief paragraph introducing your core skills instead, that would be preferable. I didn't have that initial paragraph when I applied, but it was added so clients could read a quick summary before I'm sold on an engagement. I liked what was written, so I kept it.

9) Unless you're applying for a job in the same industry and you know the recruiter/HR person will definitely understand, do your best to avoid acronyms or industry-specific jargon. Note that I've left some of the jargon (UAT, FICO, BW, SD, CATT, etc.) on my resume because people in SAP would understand what all of that means.

10) The items in blue text are hyperlinks. One advantage to sending softcopies of resumes today, is that you can use hyperlinks in case someone would like to explore something beyond your resume.

Workplace Discrimination - The Easy Way Out

2008-04-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

With the amount of progress our generation has made with discrimination in the workplace, I'm quite disappointed (and somewhat disgusted, to be honest) when I read articles from seemingly progressive individuals about "casual" discrimination. I'm not blind. I know discrimination still exists and it's a sensitive topic, but let's dig deeper into this "casual discrimination" business...

I'm assuming the initial thought of "casual sexism" was triggered by Monica's post, which, in her defense, sounded like a more balanced version of Rebecca's post. Monica also seems to understand that both men and women can use gender as an edge. Funny how when gender works to our advantage it's fine, but if not, it turns into a problem. I guess it takes controversy to stir people's emotions because Rebecca's post got lots of comments, including our back and forth.

I threw in my 2 cents because I was quite perturbed by the "Rah rah rah!" tone of the post and the "you go girl!" comments. It also seemed that the central point of the casual sexism argument, a comment someone had made, was deemed not to be sexist after all. Milena finally mentioned that this isn't just an issue of sexism, but rather, discrimination in general.

"Casual" Discrimination and The Gender/Race/Age Card

I'm defining casual discrimination as any situation or statement you can choose to interpret as discriminatory. Of course, as soon as there's the potential of discrimination, we pull one of our handy cards. Clearly, if you're a young, dark skinned, homosexual female, you have several cards to choose from!

It is very easy and almost instinctive to pull one of these cards, because it essentially absolves one of responsibility. Most people are quick to pass blame, rather than looking inwardly or trying to see if there may be an actual problem; they decide to blame it on circumstance and that the problem is someone else being biased.

Why am I always the one taking notes on the whiteboards during meetings? Because... I'm a woman? No. I'm the youngest? Perhaps. I'm brown? Unlikely. I might have the clearest writing of the bunch? Probably.

Why was I asked to pick up lunch for management visitors several years ago? Because... I was a woman? No. I was 20? Maybe. I'm brown? Maybe. My work was always done and I had spare time to go? Probably.

Hundreds of situations can be deemed as "casual discrimination" if you look hard enough. However, if you have the option to perceive something in a positive way, I would encourage and challenge you to do so. I promise it will be more beneficial to you in the long run!

Discrimination = No Personal Responsibility

I always try to think: "Will this thought/statement/idea add value to the present situation?". If the answer is no, I try to find an alternative or let it go. If you're quick to assume discrimination, you'll never better yourself because it's always someone else's fault. There is no value added when you assume discrimination.

I don't even want to think of where I'd be today in terms of my career and self-esteem if I assumed things happened (or didn't happen) to me because of the color of my skin, my gender or any other factor that is beyond my control. Is it possible that I was passed up for a job or promotion because of my skin color or race? Sure it is, but you'll never hear me say: "It's because I'm brown." I'm confident and intrinsically motivated, so I don't attribute successes or failures to external forces. I hope to keep it that way.

"Casual Discrimination" is an easy cop out. If it's not obvious or blatant, I would be very careful when playing any of the discrimination cards. In my experience, perception is, quite often, not reality.

Overusing Business Buzzwords

2008-03-31T10:44:00.001-04:00

Consultants love buzzwords. I hate them. Thankfully, in IT consulting, rather than management consulting, I don't have to deal with this too frequently. However, when I sit in the airport, I cringe whenever I hear a suit say things like:

"We need to target seamless functionality while harnessing customized, holistic models in order to innovate revolutionary user-centric platforms!"

Right! That's exactly what we need to do! Wait...what?

Get to the point and get to it quickly. If I can get the same value/information out of 10 pages, I don't need a 30 page report. Those who believe that time is correlated to value, would say that a 30 page report would take longer to write, so that makes it better! I disagree. Here's why I avoid buzzwords:

1) The wrong word in a given context will make you look like a complete idiot.

2) Too many big words in a sentence can come off as trying to sound smart.

3) The words might make sense, but in fact sound like BS due to terms like "holistic*".

4) Simple words that get your point across in a clear and concise manner are always appreciated.

Unfortunately, as a workforce rookie, you may be asked to "add verbiage/meat to" or "fluff up" a document using all the fancy words you learned in your MBA program. Should this be the case, no problem, I've got your back! Here's a very handy tool that I've used in the past: The Corporate Bullshit Generator. Make sure your sound is on to hear the cash register! Have fun!

*Truth be told: I really like the word "holistic"; that and "leverage"!

The "Movie Review" Cover Letter

2008-03-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

Most people I know, myself included, dread creating cover letters! The cover letter can be tricky because it has to be tailored specifically to the company and the role you're applying for. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that most cover letters, unfortunately, tend to be boring. Remember that it's unnecessary to go into full detail on a cover letter; be creative and succinct: it should be a "sneak peek" to encourage someone to review your resume.

I was applying to a consulting firm and I knew the typical skills they (and most companies) look for are things like: leadership, critical thinking, analytical, communication and teamwork. How does one convey all these skills in a succinct cover letter?

I call my format "The Movie Review" cover letter. I came up with the initial concept and I was fortunate enough to have some good people providing quotes and friends in marketing to help with the formatting. The final product looked more like a movie review than a cover letter!

Click here to see my cover letter (individual names have been removed for privacy).

I either requested or remembered things people had said about me and asked them if they wouldn't mind me including their quote in a cover letter. After I finalized the best ones, I wrote up a small blurb explaining some of the quotes that may not have been clear.

I've never liked writing cover letters, but at the start of one's career they're a necessary evil. However, I like to believe that as time passes and your career progresses, your contacts should be your "cover letter".

It's one thing for you to say you're good, but getting others to say it is even better!

How to Get a Job in Consulting

2008-03-19T17:21:00.000-04:00

Everyone rips on Consultants...
The story of how I got into my current job is quite interesting and there are a few lessons I learned along the way. I'll put the short[er] version up and write each section in further detail later. I'll share my story and then refer back to it once we get into the "Lessons Learned". Here we go...

The Cover Letter and Resume

I prepared my cover letter and resume for another firm in September of 2005 although I was graduating in June 2006. I hadn't realized that consulting firms starting recruiting this early, but a friend who worked for one, suggested I apply. Turns out, I was filtered out of the first round due to my grades at my friend's place, but the same application package got me into my new role!

The Networking/Recruiting Cocktail

The day started off with someone at the career center telling me I wasn't allowed to attend the cocktail because I was graduating in June and they were looking to hire people immediately. Needless to say, I went anyway.

I listened to all the presentations and eventually met Angie (an SAP recruiter) who I immediately connected with; turns out we knew a lot of the same people and though neither of us knew it at the time, she would eventually become a friend and yet another one of my career mentors.

The very next day, I sent a follow up email to Angie containing my application package. She suggested that despite my grades that I also send my application through the conventional application process.

The First 3 Interviews

I was told 200+ people had applied for the job and that they had selected an initial 12 to go through their interview process. Once again, odds are I would have been screened, but thanks to Angie, I was put in the first 12 to be interviewed.

The first interview was a "Case Study" type round where candidates were put into mixed functional groups and had to solve a case. Thankfully, I was exempted from this round because I was in an actual case competition at the time (International Business Challenge in Austin, TX).

The second interview went very smoothly; it ended up primarily being a friendly chat with her and I discussing my trip to Sri Lanka and the most recent business case competition I was in.

The third went just as well, however, this was when the damning issue of my not so stellar grades came up. He eventually said: "Don't worry about it. You've got MORE than enough practical experience to make up for your grades!".

The Final Interview

I was informed that of all the applicants, I was one of the 2 finalists selected to meet the partner of the practice. I wasn't that nervous, but very excited that I had made the final cut! This turned out to be the most challenging interview of my life and I know interviewing is my strong point! When I left the office, I was almost certain I wouldn't get the job, but I hoped for the best.

The Offer / Negotiation

About a week later, I was very pleasantly surprised when I got a phone call saying that I was the one they selected! They made an offer, I countered, they accepted and we signed the papers. Done and done. I was in and didn't have to stress out about looking for a job when I graduated the following June!

A New Beginning...

2008-03-18T01:43:00.000-04:00

"You haven't created a blog post yet!"
The Past

I've been considering rebranding my existing blog for quite some time now. After blogging for more than 3 1/2 years about the random happenings in my life, I think it's finally time for me to have a blog that has a little more focus.

Since [re]entering the corporate world, my life has taken quite a different turn relative to what I used to blog about. I expected my new career to be very exciting and challenging, but quickly realized that although I was in a prestigious firm, being in an entry level role after having been a manager was just too boring. I'm in the consulting industry and have yet to do a 70 hour work week (not that I'm asking for it!! :) ). I'm consistently referred to as a "top performer" despite not actually working very hard at all.

The Future

Now is the time to start over. It's time for a new beginning.

My decision to finally take the step and start a more professionally focused blog was triggered when I was asked to be a contributor at BrazenCareerist.com.

As to my career, I've decided I'm going to give my organization another chance. I'm going to forget about how bored I've been for the last year and a half and focus on things getting better. I'm starting a new project where I'm being trusted with a lot of responsibility and will be spending the majority of time on my own with little to no supervision and a new experience at hand. As my coach said: "Now you'll have the chance to show us what we need to see!"

Here's to new beginnings!