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This past week, your consulting firm took you out to celebrate – you met a few of the consultants who really helped you understand some of the ins and outs of what life will be like when you start working. It was really a great gesture.
When you came home, you decided to write the recruiting partner with the logistical concerns you had with the offer letter… you chose the recruiting partner because a) that’s what he said on the phone when he initially gave you the offer and b) that’s who the offer letter said to contact. He was certainly the right person to ask.
However, you still are not that comfortable e-mailing partners (they are partners!!), as you’re not quite sure what tone to take. Do you treat them like you once treated Admirals in a former life? Not really… consulting doesn’t seem that formal, at least from your current vantage point. And this particular partner seems like a great guy – probably most of them are, but as a not-yet consultant, you haven’t had a chance to meet that many of them. But at the same time, they’re still partners…
You typed up your questions, put them aside and modified them some time later before hitting send. The e-mail was tight; strangely enough, it was even written in [your consulting firm’s] preferred e-mail format, which happens to be identical to your own theories on Bizcom (your recruiting counterpart had laughed about this during the meal). You even bolded the questions to make them easier to read, in case the partner was multitasking and didn't have available brainspace. All told, you think this e-mail might have been the most clear / concise / informative e-mail a new recruit has ever written a partner before joining the firm. No wasted words. When you hit send, you were happy and satisfied.
What came back? Words.
Actual words. With sentences. The first few sentences made you feel at home, the next little paragraph addressed your key concern and made sure you understood exactly where your firm was coming from. The entire e-mail was still concise – not more than a handful of lines, but it emphasized the fact that the firm really does care about you, they are happy that you are joining and want to make sure your needs are covered. Your e-mail was primarily about work; the response was primarily around building your relationship with the firm (while addressing the work issue).
Maybe that is the reason they are partners. You have only really talked to five consulting partners in your life, but every single one of them made you feel like you were the most important person in the world during your conversations. They get it – they certainly paid 100% attention to you while you were talking. In hindsight, it seems apparent in every interaction that they view relationships as the most important thing. Which makes sense – relationships are the most important part of this or any business. Yet somehow they also address the work issue, clearly and concisely.
Lots to learn. Forever. Maybe this will never stop…
^_^
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
offer accepted
What a difference three months makes.
That’s not your line… your friend Ryan said that a few days ago as he read your blog, which hasn’t been updated in some time. It’s perfectly all right; the craziness of recruiting / changing your mind / interviewing is something that unfortunately shouldn’t be shared with the world… as interesting or strange as it might have been, it’s not something that employers would want to see. Obviously employers know most students tend to interview at firms and their competitors… but no one really wants to see it, right? Especially since your name is out there. There are not that many Ronjons in Oz, these days.
Anyway.
Yes, you were recruiting, despite what you posted last. This happened because of the pull of reality… on the one hand, you realized you do want to at least try consulting (possibly more), and on the other hand, you realized that the way you were going to make an income in Boston would have been fairly mundane. Harvard will also defer... putting all those together, there was strong upside and limited downside; you would certainly love to do consulting regardless of the other things you'd love to do as well. You thought it was certainly worth launching the application.
And it was. Recruiting by itself was one of those lifetime experiences that you’ll remember – certainly the last five minutes of your final round were terrifying even in hindsight. Ultimately you were successful, but that’s not what you’ll remember.
What you’ll remember is that the firm takes the personal / character aspect of the job very seriously. Very, very seriously. The partner was explicit in saying that is what determined your outcome. And the way it was phrased... the firm has seen your weakness, realizes they are significant, and has decided that your upside is more important. These weaknesses, by the way, almost kept you out... at least that is what you think. You will never really know.
Anyway, good news. The firm was / is your number one choice… if you could go anywhere, you would’ve chosen to be employed by the firm whose offer you accepted. You think maybe they knew that too, and perhaps that more than anything was the key to everything.
Now, you will throw yourself into your job / career. For whatever reason, you’re passionate about it, and pretty sure the passion will continue. What will not continue is your blog... the day you start work is the day this goes offline. You will be a professional... your clients will probably take you less seriously if they knew you were a real person with real doubts / decisions... and the one thing you do not want is to be dishonest for your friends, who were originally the reason this blog came into existence. For some reason, you are not fussed, you know this is the right call (and this is your call, not your firm's, who haven't let on they even know the blog exists).
Maybe this is part of growth. At least you're ready for it.
***
The economy is still extremely weak, but this year it looks like the firms are hiring one person rather than the zero they had last year. Maybe you and Ryan had something to do with it, and maybe you didn’t. But at the very least, you don’t think you’ve hurt. Already placements have doubled from last year and firms are still recruiting.
Over the next few weeks, you will see whether this year’s MBS consulting club was a success. You are nervous and anxious and subtly excited… but now, it is out of your hands. Time to see if the preparation you helped encourage was enough.
^_^
That’s not your line… your friend Ryan said that a few days ago as he read your blog, which hasn’t been updated in some time. It’s perfectly all right; the craziness of recruiting / changing your mind / interviewing is something that unfortunately shouldn’t be shared with the world… as interesting or strange as it might have been, it’s not something that employers would want to see. Obviously employers know most students tend to interview at firms and their competitors… but no one really wants to see it, right? Especially since your name is out there. There are not that many Ronjons in Oz, these days.
Anyway.
Yes, you were recruiting, despite what you posted last. This happened because of the pull of reality… on the one hand, you realized you do want to at least try consulting (possibly more), and on the other hand, you realized that the way you were going to make an income in Boston would have been fairly mundane. Harvard will also defer... putting all those together, there was strong upside and limited downside; you would certainly love to do consulting regardless of the other things you'd love to do as well. You thought it was certainly worth launching the application.
And it was. Recruiting by itself was one of those lifetime experiences that you’ll remember – certainly the last five minutes of your final round were terrifying even in hindsight. Ultimately you were successful, but that’s not what you’ll remember.
What you’ll remember is that the firm takes the personal / character aspect of the job very seriously. Very, very seriously. The partner was explicit in saying that is what determined your outcome. And the way it was phrased... the firm has seen your weakness, realizes they are significant, and has decided that your upside is more important. These weaknesses, by the way, almost kept you out... at least that is what you think. You will never really know.
Anyway, good news. The firm was / is your number one choice… if you could go anywhere, you would’ve chosen to be employed by the firm whose offer you accepted. You think maybe they knew that too, and perhaps that more than anything was the key to everything.
Now, you will throw yourself into your job / career. For whatever reason, you’re passionate about it, and pretty sure the passion will continue. What will not continue is your blog... the day you start work is the day this goes offline. You will be a professional... your clients will probably take you less seriously if they knew you were a real person with real doubts / decisions... and the one thing you do not want is to be dishonest for your friends, who were originally the reason this blog came into existence. For some reason, you are not fussed, you know this is the right call (and this is your call, not your firm's, who haven't let on they even know the blog exists).
Maybe this is part of growth. At least you're ready for it.
***
The economy is still extremely weak, but this year it looks like the firms are hiring one person rather than the zero they had last year. Maybe you and Ryan had something to do with it, and maybe you didn’t. But at the very least, you don’t think you’ve hurt. Already placements have doubled from last year and firms are still recruiting.
Over the next few weeks, you will see whether this year’s MBS consulting club was a success. You are nervous and anxious and subtly excited… but now, it is out of your hands. Time to see if the preparation you helped encourage was enough.
^_^
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Happy new year!
Happy new year!
It’s been a while since you’ve been engaged in your blog, you know this… of all the excuses, none are good. None are acceptable. Except, maybe, the truth.
The truth is, you are not nearly as individual or badass as you once imagined, decades ago. You are not a rebel, you are not a magician… and you kept from posting all the indecision you had bottled up in the past 9 months because it would’ve led to employers to question your dedication, with good reason, to be perfectly honest. Because, you are a character. At least, you used to be, decades ago. And decades from now (or maybe even weeks from now), you will be again.
Your big news is that you’ve chosen a path. It’s medical. And the medical industry, thankfully, welcomes characters of all kinds.
And with this realization, you can restart posting your diary.
You will be in Boston next fall, taking your pre-medical requirements as part of Harvard University’s Health Careers Program. The program is extremely flexible, as people take the required classes, at night, with any schedule that fits. It usually takes anywhere between 2-4 years, this pre-medical path, because you will hold down a job at the same time. After that, medical school, hopefully.
You could not be more excited to be headed back to the US, even though part of you feels like a traitor to the international lifestyle you’ve lived for the past five years, and to the two best years of your life so far, those that you spent in Seoul. Those years were amazing, you would not trade them for anything; after you left, you thought the Memory of Seoul might keep you travelling forever; if life were that good, why ever go back to the boring country you came from?
Because, as you would learn in Oz, transience can only hold for so long.
What this time in Oz has taught you was that, long term, longitudinal friendships are important. You personally need to grow with your friends. A few weeks ago, you flew to Canberra to see your friend from elementary school (pics forthcoming), you became very happy at this. Right now, a Penn friend is in town; you showed her 1806 and realized how special it truly is to be here as well, the land where all cocktail bars make up customized signature drinks and have bartenders who taste the cocktails before serving them. You have never been happier to see your friends, especially as life starts pushing you in vastly different directions. These turning points are the reasons for everything, and Australia is far, far away. From everything.
But it’s a good place. More on that in future entries.
^_^
It’s been a while since you’ve been engaged in your blog, you know this… of all the excuses, none are good. None are acceptable. Except, maybe, the truth.
The truth is, you are not nearly as individual or badass as you once imagined, decades ago. You are not a rebel, you are not a magician… and you kept from posting all the indecision you had bottled up in the past 9 months because it would’ve led to employers to question your dedication, with good reason, to be perfectly honest. Because, you are a character. At least, you used to be, decades ago. And decades from now (or maybe even weeks from now), you will be again.
Your big news is that you’ve chosen a path. It’s medical. And the medical industry, thankfully, welcomes characters of all kinds.
And with this realization, you can restart posting your diary.
You will be in Boston next fall, taking your pre-medical requirements as part of Harvard University’s Health Careers Program. The program is extremely flexible, as people take the required classes, at night, with any schedule that fits. It usually takes anywhere between 2-4 years, this pre-medical path, because you will hold down a job at the same time. After that, medical school, hopefully.
You could not be more excited to be headed back to the US, even though part of you feels like a traitor to the international lifestyle you’ve lived for the past five years, and to the two best years of your life so far, those that you spent in Seoul. Those years were amazing, you would not trade them for anything; after you left, you thought the Memory of Seoul might keep you travelling forever; if life were that good, why ever go back to the boring country you came from?
Because, as you would learn in Oz, transience can only hold for so long.
What this time in Oz has taught you was that, long term, longitudinal friendships are important. You personally need to grow with your friends. A few weeks ago, you flew to Canberra to see your friend from elementary school (pics forthcoming), you became very happy at this. Right now, a Penn friend is in town; you showed her 1806 and realized how special it truly is to be here as well, the land where all cocktail bars make up customized signature drinks and have bartenders who taste the cocktails before serving them. You have never been happier to see your friends, especially as life starts pushing you in vastly different directions. These turning points are the reasons for everything, and Australia is far, far away. From everything.
But it’s a good place. More on that in future entries.
^_^
Thursday, December 3, 2009
When did it all change?
Today you got an e-mail from a future MBSer; you’ve been set up by the admissions committee as a student contact for this person, and it’s your job to show the ropes of MBS. The timing’s about right; it’s your second-to-last term of finals, and you’re finishing in about six months. You’ve been here for a little over a year, and it’s almost time to move on.
More than that, though, it feels like it’s time to move on. You’ve been an MBA student for enough time that you’re itching to start that next step, whatever that next step may be. So much so that you’ve almost completely neglected meeting the relatively new September intake. They seem like they’re great guys and girls… but you feel as if you’re almost in completely different stages of life, you figuring out that next step while they’re still figuring out the one you're about to graduate from. It’s almost like you’ve returned to a high school world where everyone knows each other, while the seniors are in such different positions than the juniors, despite being roughly the same age and identical in almost every objective way. Except for circumstance.
Maybe this is why people with children hang out with other people with kids. Same phase of life.
Yes, she’s cute… but this is your sister's second one. Her first one is 6 and a half. At his age, the half years still matter, but for how much longer? You’ve missed his entire life, talked to him only once or twice… of course, you’ve been galavanting across the world, and it’s been pretty cool… but the coolness comes with the tradeoff that you have no idea about your nephew's personality.
You’ve been pensive lately. Pensive but happy, positive and thoughtful, aware and tearing at TV shows (last week’s Glee, which was the first time you've ever heard a choir of deaf kids). You’re in touch with yourself, feeling the highs and lows. It’s a good feeling.
^_^
More than that, though, it feels like it’s time to move on. You’ve been an MBA student for enough time that you’re itching to start that next step, whatever that next step may be. So much so that you’ve almost completely neglected meeting the relatively new September intake. They seem like they’re great guys and girls… but you feel as if you’re almost in completely different stages of life, you figuring out that next step while they’re still figuring out the one you're about to graduate from. It’s almost like you’ve returned to a high school world where everyone knows each other, while the seniors are in such different positions than the juniors, despite being roughly the same age and identical in almost every objective way. Except for circumstance.
Maybe this is why people with children hang out with other people with kids. Same phase of life.
Yes, she’s cute… but this is your sister's second one. Her first one is 6 and a half. At his age, the half years still matter, but for how much longer? You’ve missed his entire life, talked to him only once or twice… of course, you’ve been galavanting across the world, and it’s been pretty cool… but the coolness comes with the tradeoff that you have no idea about your nephew's personality.
You’ve been pensive lately. Pensive but happy, positive and thoughtful, aware and tearing at TV shows (last week’s Glee, which was the first time you've ever heard a choir of deaf kids). You’re in touch with yourself, feeling the highs and lows. It’s a good feeling.
^_^
Sunday, November 15, 2009
More on Bizcom
The following is a real-life example of how Bizcom makes communication more efficient.
Normalcom:
"Hi ***, I have written in my diary that we're supposed to hang out tomorrow night but unfortunately I can't make it..." This is 20 words, not including the greeting.
Bizcom:
"Hi ***, unfortunately can't make tomorrow even though it's in my diary..."
There it is. 10 words w/o greeting. That's 50% fewer words, also much easier to follow.
Notice the most important part, or conclusion, is the 'can't make it tomorrow' bit... the other stuff merely supports this. In bizcom, the conclusion comes FIRST, and the supporting stuff comes after.
Though you are still mastering this idea, it has helped you become a better communicator in the last few months. Or, more appropriately, this idea is helping you become a better communicator even while you are mastering it. (25% fewer words)
Pretty exciting. This Bizcom thing is quite possibly the most important idea you have stumbled upon while at MBS.
^_^
Normalcom:
"Hi ***, I have written in my diary that we're supposed to hang out tomorrow night but unfortunately I can't make it..." This is 20 words, not including the greeting.
Bizcom:
"Hi ***, unfortunately can't make tomorrow even though it's in my diary..."
There it is. 10 words w/o greeting. That's 50% fewer words, also much easier to follow.
Notice the most important part, or conclusion, is the 'can't make it tomorrow' bit... the other stuff merely supports this. In bizcom, the conclusion comes FIRST, and the supporting stuff comes after.
Though you are still mastering this idea, it has helped you become a better communicator in the last few months. Or, more appropriately, this idea is helping you become a better communicator even while you are mastering it. (25% fewer words)
Pretty exciting. This Bizcom thing is quite possibly the most important idea you have stumbled upon while at MBS.
^_^
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
On Communication
So today was a good day for many reasons. But one was that you had a chance to talk to a top-tier Singapore consultant guy.
Seemed like a good idea, information never hurt anyone and would be important for your job as Consulting Club President. Turns out, he is a partner in his top tier firm. This was not really what you expected, it could have been bad or good… high risk is high reward, and you have never been one to turn away from any of this. But you had to call him; common courtesy says if you set up a phone chat, you should follow through with it, partner or no partner.
Anyway, you wrote some questions down… but unlike earlier in the year when you were meeting consultants and never had enough time for your questions, here you got answers to all of your questions in under 20 minutes. Here, your information was good, there, your information was good…
But here, you literally shaved off one hour of a partner’s time. How much billable money did you save the firm? Thousands? A strange world we live in where time is so expensive.
Anyway, you were able to do this because you learned something recently. About Business Communication (Bizcom). Bizcom is not Blogcom, or even Toastmasterscom. Bizcom is so different that you have not been able to write a blog for more than a month… BlogCom now seems inefficient and rambly. By improving your Bizcom, you’ve been able to become better at class discussions, more efficient and effective. But your blog now strikes you as odd. Too many words, not enough said. Entertainment, perhaps, but wordy entertainment.
So what is Bizcom? A fair question, certainly.
Bizcom is… starting with the conclusion, then backing it up with data. This is the reverse of how most people, including you, tend to think.
In other words,“story story story CONCLUSION”
Should be written as
“CONCLUSION story story story”
In your e-mails, writing in this form literally cuts down your volume by 50%. In your thoughts, it helps communicate points more succinctly.
Quite unlike Blogcom. But if BlogCom were Bizcom, it would be much more efficient and much less wordy. Just like you are becoming.
^_^
Seemed like a good idea, information never hurt anyone and would be important for your job as Consulting Club President. Turns out, he is a partner in his top tier firm. This was not really what you expected, it could have been bad or good… high risk is high reward, and you have never been one to turn away from any of this. But you had to call him; common courtesy says if you set up a phone chat, you should follow through with it, partner or no partner.
Anyway, you wrote some questions down… but unlike earlier in the year when you were meeting consultants and never had enough time for your questions, here you got answers to all of your questions in under 20 minutes. Here, your information was good, there, your information was good…
But here, you literally shaved off one hour of a partner’s time. How much billable money did you save the firm? Thousands? A strange world we live in where time is so expensive.
Anyway, you were able to do this because you learned something recently. About Business Communication (Bizcom). Bizcom is not Blogcom, or even Toastmasterscom. Bizcom is so different that you have not been able to write a blog for more than a month… BlogCom now seems inefficient and rambly. By improving your Bizcom, you’ve been able to become better at class discussions, more efficient and effective. But your blog now strikes you as odd. Too many words, not enough said. Entertainment, perhaps, but wordy entertainment.
So what is Bizcom? A fair question, certainly.
Bizcom is… starting with the conclusion, then backing it up with data. This is the reverse of how most people, including you, tend to think.
In other words,“story story story CONCLUSION”
Should be written as
“CONCLUSION story story story”
In your e-mails, writing in this form literally cuts down your volume by 50%. In your thoughts, it helps communicate points more succinctly.
Quite unlike Blogcom. But if BlogCom were Bizcom, it would be much more efficient and much less wordy. Just like you are becoming.
^_^
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