This blog entry is a result of accidents

I almost didn’t catch my flight to Boston. Almost. Instead, I barely made it and I have a story to tell. With a flight at 1:55pm, I never worried when I called for a cab at 12:00pm going from the GSB campus in Hyde Park to O’Hare. It was a 45 minute ride max. I would be in O’Hare by 1:00pm. Perfect plan, as always. Here’s what transpired:

1200: called cab, sit comfortably in the GSB lounge, chatting with a friend
1215: nobody called back to confirm a cab… getting nervous and walked outside to call cab company…
1216: “Your call is very important to us; the next available representative will answer your call”
1217: “Your call is very important to us; the next available representative will answer your call”
1225: I spotted a cab, not from the company I called, wandering around the campus entrance. This never happens. I quickly flagged it down – it was indeed available! This is my lucky day.
1245: Hitting traffic on I-90/94. No sweat… mostly cus I’m sound asleep in the cab.
1308: Arriving at O’Hare. $58 cab ride. Thank you, Bain.
1315: Cab driver still trying to get the credit card thingy to work. Meanwhile, I’m getting nervous.
1316: still trying… life is a funny thing: if it weren’t for this cab wandering in front of the GSB, I would have never made it in time, and I would have come to terms while on the cab. Instead, here I am with a ray of hope, and THE CREDIT CARD READER DOESN’T WORK. Ahhhh.
1320: Finally. That took freaking FIVE minutes. Proceeding to check in counters.
1321: New security rules say that liquid cannot be carried onboard. There’s a ridiculous 3-1-1 rule that has absolutely no point but to boost the sales of zip-locks. Anyway, since my hair gel and tooth paste are in violation of safety regulations (too big), I obediently line up to check in my bag. Meanwhile, a man is arguing with a United agent about his delayed flight and that he’d rather drive to Milwaukee. Drive, brother, don’t hold up the line. Arg.
1325: E-ticket machine won’t take my credit card at all. Visa, AE, Chase Debit card. Nothing. Frustrated, I ask a United person why… “sir, please calm down” was all I got. Results, lady, results.
1328: Good, the next machine reads credit cards. “Are you going to Boston” Yes. “You cannot check into your flight now. Would you like to view other flight options?” WHAT? I can’t check in!? Another United person says I can’t check in because there’s a 45 minute cut off. Damn.
1330: I mindlessly book myself on the next flight at 4:00pm (A lot of waiting… and a $25 charge. I wonder if Bain pays for these mistakes. I wonder if they’d still pay if they read this.) and somehow formulated a backup plan. I would NOT check in my bags, try and get through security, sacrifice hair gel and tooth paste, and try and hop onto my original 1:55 pm flight. This could work. Maybe I can put the tooth paste in my pocket and try and get through.
1331: Okay, I will execute this plan.
1332: Long security line with a bottle neck at the ID stage! Even he who almost failed operations knows you need one more server at the check ID stage! That should never be the bottleneck! All the X-Ray guys are idle! Why do I keep using exclamation marks!? 23 minutes before take off.
1336: There are three lanes. I lined up behind a family that seemed to have fed all their belongings into the X-Ray. Always a good sign. I unload my laptop and start feeding mine in too… except that the security kept wanting the kid to take off his bracelet and the mother had a hard time convincing the kid to take it off. Alerted, I immediately pulled my half fed bag out from the X-Ray feed (believe me, it was that dramatic) and moved to the next line where there’s a man in front. Like I said before, life is a funny thing: if it weren’t for the inefficient ID-check, I wouldn’t have the chance to change lines at X-Ray since the lines would have been full.
1338: Oooo… I forgot about hiding my hair gel and toothpaste. Oh well. Everything is going into X-Ray. Wow, nobody said anything. I’ve been stopped twice before and forced to check in my bags. Not this time. This particular security line was very lax and mostly falling asleep, unlike the person in the next line who gave the kid a hard time.
1340: I’m through! With my hair gel and toothpaste. AND THE BOSTON FLIGHT IS AT THE GATE RIGHT ACROSS FROM SECURITY! Sweet Jesus, this IS my lucky day.
1341: NOT (Borat, you have revived this “joke”). There was nobody at the counter but a lady at the gate. I quickly went over and asked if I could get onto this flight. “Sir, I’m sorry, I’ve signed off from this gate.” I’m on the 4:00 pm flight and would really appreciate not having to wait… “Let me see what I can do.” Thank you so much, I’m sorry I’m so last minute. “That’s okay, sir…”
1345: She’s typing while I’m sweating. I’ve come so far to be so close. Please let me… “Sir, you’re at 21A, we have to close the gates now” THANK YOU!
1346: I just fastened my seatbelts when the flight attendant announced that they were closing the doors and all electronic devices should be turned off.

Phew. That was a close call. Literally everything had to go right and go wrong for me to be on the plane typing up this blog entry. The original cab had to forget about me (who knows how long it would have taken them). The alternative cab had to wander around Hyde Park looking for business, a very rare occurrence. The credit card reader had to malfunction (to create drama for the blog). The E-ticket reader had to malfunction (more drama). The ID lady had to be slow (to create the possibility of switching from a strict security lane to a lax one). The security lane had to be lax (if they asked to see my luggage and take out the hair gel and toothpaste, I don’t think I would have made it even though I was ready to sacrifice them). The gate had to be right in front of security. The lady had to be there.

What can I say… everything thing had to be perfect for me to get on this flight! Sort of like many other things in life. Circumstances are very important. You can call it luck or whatever. I call it results-oriented good thinking plus a lot of luck.

Boston. Oishi. Here I come. (This was written on the airplane and posted a day later due to lack of internet)

Top Dings

Some from my own experience... some from others... rest be assured, the last one is the inspiration for this post.

10. Ding before interview - it's quite a bruise to the ego when a firm doesn't even want to interview you. On the bright side, you will be stressed for two less days in your life. Suggested solution: carry a chip on your shoulder, bash the firm, bash their prospective interviewees, employees, Gary Sheffield style.

9. Phone call ding - what is the most common ding method is also the most dreaded. The phone call starts innocently with a "hi, how are you doing?" Meanwhile, you are screaming inside. Wait, is this the partner calling? That's good news, right? HR person!? Not good. Just tell me the freaking answer! Don't tell me how great I was during the interview. Seriously, don't. Yes or no, that's all I need (want) to know. Suggested solution: "I'm doing well, do I have a/an second round interview/offer?"

8. Email ding - cold but direct. One firm apologized about the impersonal nature of an email ding and then dinged me. Thanks for the apology, very considerate. At least when you see the email pop up from the recruiter, you know what's up. Suggested solution: apologize for emailing to say thank you for the email ding. It's quite impersonal to thank someone in email.

7. Ding squared - a mis-communication means two different people pour salt in your wounds. Hopefully they are close enough; else you'll be in a confused state and wondering if the first one was real. (Don't worry, the second one is) Also, it's not like you can tell the second ding that you've already received your ding. You have to be gracious in (second) defeat. Suggested solution: there is none; they obviously need to get coordinated. Since you aren't hired, there's nothing you can do about it.

6. Ding after the fact - you wait and wait after your first interview... meanwhile, people are getting second rounds, second round dings, and offers. And you are still waiting, and waiting, until you finally get the #9 email ding (cus the interviewer already forgot about you, hence the HR person sending the email). Waiting for the inevitable is not cool. Suggested solution: when people are going to second rounds, call to ask if they missed your name for second rounds.

5. Ding during the interview - ever been promised 2 interviewers and after the first one, you are told that the interview is over, thanks for coming, and that you'll hear from us later this week? That's the ding during the interview... bless the poor soul who thinks he or she has blown away the first interviewer and is a lock for seconds. Suggested solution: face it, you've been defeated. Or play dumb and ask where the second interview is... just so you can taste defeat again. You have to wonder, however, what the answer could be?

4. Ding on the way to the airport - almost just as brutal as #5. Basically, a minute after your interview, they've decided you need 20 more minutes to digest how badly you did. Nothing you did gave them anything good to think about. Suggested solution: upgrade to business class... or take an extra excursion to explore the city. Save all receipts. ALL of them.

3. The silent ding - they never called back. Surely you are on the waitlist. Surely they are still considering. Surely you have a chance. Surely... they've forgotten about you. Suggested solution: give them the silent ding. Don't even tell them you are not considering them. Take THAT.

2. Ding without applying - you just got dinged by a firm that you aren't even interested in. So many whys... but none bigger than "why didn't I apply in the first place so I get a real ding?" Either that, or "maybe I accidentally applied after TNDC?" Completely inexplicable. Suggested solution: tell them you didn't apply, but you would like to apply now; send them your unedited non-targeted resume, just so they can repeat the process. Then place odds on which ding (#10 to #3) you will receive.

1. Ding before interview after ding after interview - in order to solve this complicated situation, start from the end: after an interview, you get dinged (ding after interview); after that ding, you get another ding. Only that this isn't the ding squared (#7). This ding is saying that your resume wasn't good enough for an interview (hence ding before interview). Should you be humored or should you be angry? I haven't quite figured this one out yet. Should you let the second dinger know that you've already interviewed? Should the second dinger be introduced to either your interviewer or the first dinger? Suggested solution: write a blog entry about the various dings.

Ah, the interview...

This sounds kind of sick, but when I stepped into the xxx (heh heh) interview and got my first question, I found myself smiling a bit because I actually miss some of these interviews! Yes, I'm sick and disgusting, I know. Can we move on? Please?

The thing is... most interviews will come up with at least one question I never expected. Every time these questions come up, I learn something about myself that I didn't know before. And that makes me smile. This is my first interview of the season, and the first question quickly pushed me to the brink!

I think the interviews went okay. The fit parts really made me think about myself and my career (woohoo, first time this quarter!). Interesting cases that I eventually got to the bottom (I think) but not quite fast enough. Bottom line, I should have done much more to prepare myself for them. I blame the conference. Nah, just kidding, have to blame my lazy and tardy self. I hope they liked me enough. I certainly liked them. We'll see in a few days.

I bought a pair of Cole Haan dress shoes on the way back. They are so comfy. No, it wasn't therapy from a bad interview - I've always wanted a pair but never really walked pass the store at the right time. =)

Meanwhile, I said no to an interview for a position in the US. My mind is set. It's time to go to a place where I can't quite call home but could become one.

Oh, and the Cardinals just won the World Series. Can't wait to see the ratings on this one.

Guess the Company and Division

In a fancy restaurant in the West loop, there's a crowd of students, dressed business causual, surrounding a middle age white man in khakis and blue shirt. The 50-strong crowd is 95% male. Among the male, it is 80% Indians, 10% Asian, 10% token white guy. For my GSB colleagues,

What's the company?
What's the division?

In this certain presentation/reception, I suddenly thought of my hate for the "Backspace" button. So much raw emotions being censored by that button. Yet so many mistakes avoided. I'm torn. If I write blogs without using "Backspace" but for spelling and grammar, it would be much more entertaining.

Emotions of course triggered by not using the Backspace and making mean language. Should have used that stupid button. Oh well.

Back in Chitown...

It feels good to be back home... ops, did I say home!?

Anyway, my first night back was already greeted by Bain returnees. They're hosting a dinner for all the Chicago Bainees. And tonight? Same thing of course. Bain returnees plus potential GSB Bainees (I think - there are so many Bain events I'm forgeting which one is which... all have free food though, so they do know my weakness).

Meanwhile, I've received several emails (uh... okay, the big 3 + Booz) about various consulting companies as well as a couple of phone calls on whether I'm still interested in management consulting. Reality checks in quick!

I finished the book Guns Germs and Steel. Shmoo mentioned that it was repetitive. He was right. Still a pretty good book that I would recommend though. The premise is noble -history, on a grand level, is basically science - but a bit too aggressive. To establish a theory that would explain all of human history would surely invite criticisms in form of exceptions. As I read the book, I nodded in my mind and I kept thinking of exceptions to the author's rule. And I could find many. This of course does not dilute his theory of how the current world is shaped. What I would be most interested in finding out is whether the theory is still relevant for the future.

Started "The End of Poverty" by Jeff Sachs. The book quickly refers to Guns Germs and Steel. So far so good. Sachs thinks we can end poverty (i.e. where people cannot survive on their own income) by 2025. Good luck.

Top 10!

Top ten highlights (or lowlights) from recruiting:

10. "Are you ready for some good news?" Hell yes! My first offer was delivered by a partner; I was much more relieved afterwards.
9. "Are we all set?" I asked my seventh interviewer in a day (last of three companies for 2nd rounds). He responded: "What do you mean?" Awkward silence.
8. "Sorry we didn't close list you." Really? You're sorry? Should I thank you for calling?
7. "You did really well on your case interview." Uh... does that mean I have a second round? No!? But I thoguht I did really well in my case interview!?
6. Speaking broken Tagalog (Philippines language) to a recruiter, who did not understand it, leading to an awkward 10 second silence.
5. From Semi-haves to Haves - getting the call from my first choice.
4. Silent Dings - the act of not calling you after an interview. Meanwhile, second rounds are going on and you still hope that the phone rings.
3. "Helllllooooo...!" I picked up the phone with my boyfriend voice. The caller ID was "Unknown" which usually meant it's my girlfriend. Uh... it's a recruitor calling.
2. "Proceed with caution because we do not have enough data." My recommending at the end of the case interview that went nowhere.
1. "Grand Canton." I spelled "Grand Canyon" as "Grand Canton" - luckily, since I put Everest and Fuji in front of Grand Canyon, all the interviewers must have thought Grand Canton as some exotic hiking destination that they didn't know about.

You have a feel-good/horror story!? Post it here by commenting!

Hello, recruiter

To skip or not to skip; that is the question. Well, the professor is away right now during break: good chance, skip. I pack my stuff, get my coat, hurry to the aisle, walk down. The door is in sight. I just have to turn the corner. BAM! The professor walks in and I almost ran over him. Maybe he didn't see my face... smooth, Lam, very smooth. Oh well. I don't care, I just finished your midterm. Skip.

You know, I've always wanted to recount some of the horror school/interview stories in my blog (here's some irony for you: Blogger's spell check doesn't recognize 'blog'! Oh, and 'Blogger' too apparently!). Then again, since I did put my website on my resume and on my signature on every email, there were certain things I probably shouldn't be talking about. Afterall, the recruiters do control parts of my future.

Anyway, to hell with it.

Thursday: I'm really glad that I'm taking only three classes this semester. By luck, I also didn't bid enough points for a very popular Investments class; instead, I'm stuck with a Competitive Strategy class, which I am studying for a midterm on this faithful Thursday. To make the long story short, I focused on the wrong material and became a bullshit artist three-quarters into the exam. Good times. I do miss undergraduate sometimes, when bullshit worked like a charm.

Skipped class to go to a sell party hosted by a consulting firm in downtown, set at a bowling alley. Let's see, between beer, tequila shots, and bowling one of my worse games in life, I did feel pretty good. The people were definitely hard core. Don't know if they work hard, but they certainly play hard! Met a really really old acquaintence from Boston; he will be joining the consulting firm full time. Anyway, here's the highlight of the night:

It's 11:00 and time to go home. So I grab my stuff, say goodbye to the people I've met, and head to the shuttle bus. It started to snow outside, and it was very slippery. Or maybe it was very tequila. Either way, I somehow made it back onto the bus. Phew... long night, I thought, and looked down to avoid eye contact. WAIT A MINUTE: THESE ARE BOWLING SHOES. And of course going back into the party, making a fool out of myself, finding my original pair of shoes, and contemplating on whether I should take the bowling shoes with me as well. Everybody was on the floor when they saw me coming back. "Here's proof that you are one of us," says one. I think that's a good sign.

Friday: 8 to 11, you said you will be here, RCN. I'm skipping on a sell party just to wait for you. No show. I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS. I mean, I just carved out 3 hours of a very important day to sit at home and wait for someone to come. And you don't even show up!

Dinner at RIVA. Overrated. The Filet Mignon Tuna Steak was good, but far from greatness. The dessert, shall I say, was very disappointing. Assorted pastries!? What are we? Europeans?

9:45 - wow, I think I just fainted. I got an offer from another consulting job. I have options now! Good times.

Hey man, good luck

Yesterday (Friday) I went through three second round interviews. Truth be told, I've come to expect anything in the second rounds. There were some very serious interviews, then some very goofy ones. Anyway, on the way back home after a grueling day, I smiled at some of my funny thoughts on the recruiting gang (god - whomever that may be for you - bless you all):

Surface: "How's recruiting treating you?"
Reality 1: I had the same first round yesterday... no call for me, I hope the same for you
Reality 2: Same as 1, but... no call for me, this guy/gal probably has one, damn it
Reality 3: Same as 1, but... I got a call for a second round, who's my competition?
Reality 4: I know you have tons of offer, and you're still interviewing for my job!

Surface: "Who are you here for?" (while at career service)
Reality: Okay, I need to remember that I am a team player, like small firm culture, etc etc...

Surface: "How was your interview?"
Reality: Please tell me everything I need to know before I go in

Surface: "How did it go?"
Reality: I don't care. Pleaes leave. It was a courtesy question. Leave. now.

Surface: "That was horrible, absolutely horrible"
Reality: I have a chance

Surface: "It went okay"
Reality: It was BAD

Surface: "I don't know, man, I don't know"
Reality: No way I'm telling you about the interview.

Surface: "I had a good time with the interviewer"
Reality: I have no idea what they think of me

Surface: "I think it went well"
Reality: I failed to impress

Surface: "Yeah, I think I did well, but you never know about these things"
Reality: I nailed it

Surface: "I nailed it"
Reality: I nailed it; if I don't get a call back, I will burn them down

Surface: "Hey, I got an interview to run to, see you!"
Reality: Damn right, do you have interviews?

Surface: "good luck, man"
Reality: good luck to you, better luck to me

The State of Recruiting

Well well well... week 3 of on-campus recruiting is almost over. Two big consulting firms are interviewing today and I have no part of it. Didn't bid enough points for them. No matter. Anyway, here are some of my classmates:

Have nots: my kind. keep the faith.
Semi-Haves: they deserve it. keep the faith.
Haves: they deserve it. time to dodge class and have fun!
Have and want mores: assholes.

Invariably, you will find these assholes at any school. They've scored their first choice and keep looking for more offers. Though I'm not sure what they are trying to prove, but "look at me, I have so many offers... still have to interview though, since number of offers will validate me!" sounds about right.

Anyway... don't want to leave the bad impression: I know a lot who have cancelled interviews with their fifth choice or with their second choice industry. Thank you, guys. If you get to choose between 1, 2, and 3, good for you. Look closely and examine them; make the best choice for you and your family; take your time until you can make an educated choice; and try and do more at class while we have nots keep concentrating on recruiting!

As for the ones with ten offers and still interviewing for consulting and corporate and marketing... well, since we clearly have different principles, I won't even try to convince you.

Recruit at as many firms as possible

Yeah yeah, the nay-sayers think it's stupid because you're spread too thin and can't do well at everything. Well, I'd like to offer another way to view the recruiting process:

I was treated to a very nice dinner by a consulting firm who shall remain unnamed. Great restaurant. Here's what transpired:
7:00 Arriving in style. Our hosts just sat down.
7:02 I hate sticky name tags.
7:03 Whooped out the magnetic name tag, followed by "wow" from the recruiter.
7:05 My name is Eric... blah blah blah... if you don't mind, let me take a look at the menu
7:30 Excellent, everybody is here. Can we order food yet?
7:30 - 7:45 This is difficult... Octopus or Scallop? Or soup? Char or Salmon? Or Tuna? Steak or Veal? Wine? Are our hosts choosing a bottle? Oh shit, I forgot her name... what's her name? Is she going to interview me? I wonder what's on the dessert menu?
8:00 Octopus arrives. The dish looks delightful. Probably a whole baby squid, bbqed and smelling really good. It did not disappoint.
8:20 Arctic Char arrives. After much debate, I decided to ask our server for her opinion. She went with the Arctic Char, and matched it with a white wine (whatever that means). Excellent choice by me (for asking for her opinion). Excellent choice by her too. It's similar to salmon but with a lighter taste. Very impressed with the treatment of the skin - seared and crunchy - and the meat - medium.
8:30 Tried some veal from my friend's dish... not that impressed. Where's the tenderness!?
8:31 Are we ordering dessert?
8:35 Are we?
8:50 I cleaned my plate. My host ask if I have had enough food. Not good times.
8:51 I poured some fries for myself. I think someone is staring.
9:00 Dessert menu! Yes!
9:02 uh-oh... banana dessert? cake and shake? port wine?
9:20 Cake and Shake. I'll let the restaurant do the desccription: layers of chocolate buttermilk cake milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate mousse chocolate meringue buttercream and a vanilla malted milk shake. Oh yes.
9:30 OH YES!

Well, if you are lucky, then you apply to many firms and get many dinner invites. Good times all around. Oh, and don't forget to ask about the firm and stuff. Would help your interview. But hey... can't forget the food!

Plan B

Plan B is sort of the antithesis to MBA students. "Plan B!? What are you talking about? I'm an MBA and I have Plan A." Yet here I am, sitting in the library, finally coming to my senses: it's time to draft a Plan B. Yes, my peers a year older have warned me (us, really) about getting a plan B ready. Yes, I (we) knew they were right. No, I did not listen.

I've heard the usual "don't put all your eggs in one basket" advice. Personally, I think most people do put all their eggs in one basket. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't during an MBA? Especially since spreading oneself between several career tracks is quite detrimental! If I had to look at banking and consulting, I might as well cut the toilet time (I prefer sleeping, so bathroom time has got to go first).

But you and I all know that when we go all-out for something, there's a darker figure lurking behind. Every now and then you feel the figure, take a quick look back, and keep moving on. But it's right there behind you. It's not bad, it's just that you don't want to face it and loose sight of what is in your path. But hey, now that the road is closed, I just have to turn back a little and start a Plan B.

There. I said it. I have a Plan B. Well. I will have a Plan B.

Ding!

This is an interesting day.

Despite having no class on Monday, I had 8am meeting with the consultant to our consulting team (say what!?). Waking up Monday 6am isn't exactly my way to start a week. Oh well, at least Sports Center was showing highlights from the Patriot's game. The meeting went very well.

Right after lunch, I got my first Ding... well, partial Ding. I capitalize it because I think being Dinged is more than a simple verb. It warrants a formal name. It describes a fact, then a feeling: disbelief, anger, rejection, acceptance, and many more physical and emotional reactions. For non-MBAs, Ding is a rejection. Specifically, it's used for interviews. One who is Dinged is rejected after the interview. I haven't been interviewed yet. But I'm extending "Dinged" to the interview invitation section now. I can still bid for an open interview spot (don't ask, I don't know why things have to be so complicated), so I'm technically still in. Maybe this is Mini-Ding.

Next up, group study. No sweat. Done. At 3pm, I received an email from the Management Consulting Group (MCG). Apparently, at 4pm, there will be limited sign up for case interview practice. Well, thanks for telling me at 3pm. 4pm, I look over to where you can sign up, and THERE'S A LINE! My god, what has happened to we consultant-wannabes? We've become bankers and follow the herd to line up! So... I lined up. And you know what? I got the forth last spot on the list. And there were about 20 people behind me. Truth be told, I feel bad for them, but not as bad as those who are at home today (very little classes in GSB on Monday this quarter) and received the email and thought they could come tomorrow and sign up for such a useful event.

Next up: ITP... for Interview Training Program (I think). I got absolutely skewered. Sweet Jesus. A long way before being prepared, I suppose, and I thought I was prepared. Anyway, since this isn't real (thankfully, I think it's pretty close to the real thing), it's only helped me. Now I will go practice how to speak with my brain and not my mouth.

Oh, funny thing is... the evaluation sheet asked me whether my day prior to the interview went well. I thought about it for a second, and circled 3 out of 5. At that split second, I said 3 because I had to wake at 6am!!! Not because of the MD (Mini-Ding!)... but because of when I woke up!

Oh, some observations in life. People who are late will always be late. Airheads will always hang with airheads. Smart people don't like to mingle with dumb(er) people. Dumb(er) people hate to mingle with smart people.

B-school

Man, this is getting ridiculous. I've got so much work lined up! Five classes, one project. Too bad can't really turn back time, so it's suck it up and grind it out. Recruiting season started and everybody is getting nervous. Perhaps I should be too!