Here is a little bit about the interview process that I went through.
These interviews were stressful, and I didn't think that they'd call me back after the first one. It all started out with an e-mail in September from the college of humanities. Apparently they were looking for people with diverse backgrounds. Then I ran into them at the career fair, and I gave them a hard copy of my resume (one of the 5 that I gave out). This was around the time that I was giving weekly sailing lessons, and still holding biweekly sailing club meetings. That very afternoon Goldman Sachs held an information session. I went, but because I didn't really think that I'd be qualified or that I'd find a job with the company that matched my skills (and because I had a meeting to be at right after that), I didn't give the presentation my undivided attention, but it sure caught it. I heard my dream job described to me. As I was headed out the door (a little early, so that I could get to the meeting), a lady caught my attention, and let me know about a women's networking dinner that they were holding the following week.
That next week, I brought my resume to their "resume review and interview workshop." I picked up some pamphlets and booklets from the sign-in table, along with a little black GS notebook. I still carry it in my purse (I even brought it to an interview with another financial institution). I waited about a half an hour, and I sat down at the table with the same lady who had told me about the women's dinner. She said that my resume looked good, but advised me to put my GPA on it. It was just a little below a 3.5, and I know that that can be the cut off point for what to list. She told me that by not listing it, she would have thought that it was much worse than it was. We covered interview tips, and I remember that in those tips she gave two pieces of advice that are especially important for women.
The first was that you should absolutely wear a suit. Standard interview attire is a black suit with a white button-up underneath. The goal, is to make the interviewer feel like he or she can take you directly into a meeting with the company. Ask yourself this question "Do you look like you could represent the company, or branch, or division professionally?" Don't bring a back pack, with a giant coat, and a huge purse. Look professional! The men always come dressed up in their best black suit, and the women shouldn't present themselves less-professionally. As far as company culture goes, GS may be a little more formal than others. I've had plenty of other interviews where the person conducting the interview is wearing business causal attire, but I highly doubt that this would fly with GS. But remember, you can never go wrong when you're dressed at a slightly higher level of formality (just don't try wearing something like a ball gown, that's much higher, and you could go very wrong with that).
The second piece of advice was to make sure that you look the interviewer in the face. She said that so many women are timid in their interviews, that they do not represent themselves well. Interviews are a time to show your confidence, and to explain why you are the person for the job. Also, use examples from your own life, don't share how your mother, boyfriend, brother, or grandfather dealt with a situation. They want to know about you! She also suggested common things, such as knowing the position. Go in with a knowledge of what you will be doing. Also research the company. Know what they have done recently that's in the news. And make sure that you prepare questions to ask in the interview (you are double checking to make sure that it's the position that you want too). On their website, GS recommends that you ask more general questions. This shows interest in the company and the position.
After that little session, I ran to go give a sailing lesson, and as soon as that was done, I went to the women's networking event. It was a great opportunity to be able to sit and ask questions, and to find out what the company culture is like, and what the possible future coworkers are like. It was really neat. I spoke some more with the lady who I had seen earlier that day, and I got to know a few more people both within the operations division and outside. It was a really great opportunity to help me decide if the company was one that I want to work for, and if the position is one that would fit me.
After all of that, I completed the process of applying for the job (one application through the campus job search website, and one through the GS website). And I waited. And I waited some more. And on one Friday in October, they sent me an e-mail letting me know that I should sign up for an on-campus interview. That was a little rough. It gave me three days to find a very professional looking suit. (prior to this, I had pieced together two things that didn't fit, weren't the same fabric, but could almost pass as the same color). After searching and searching, I finally found one on Monday (the day before my interview). It was from Banana Republic, and I'm still working on paying it off, but I figure it's necessary if anything ever was.
My interview was Tuesday afternoon. I was second to last and right after a break, and either that was a great position, or it was a horrible one. I ran around getting in the last of my study abroad application, and two of my past teachers told me that I looked perfect for an interview. I went in, and I was shocked. Everyone I had met with before was so warm and friendly. These people were somewhat like robots, and were so focused that there seemed little room for warmth. They were probably exhausted. The second interview that day seemed to go a little better, but I didn't leave that day feeling like I knew which way it would go. Surprisingly enough, they contacted me a few days later to schedule an on-site interview!
That day I got dressed and jumped in the car. My head was so cloudy that I could hardly remember my name. I had been researching and reading, but I was slightly worn out, and a bit nervous. I called my mom, and for almost the whole drive there, she threw the hardest interview questions in the world at me, and she'd give me advice after my answers. It did worlds to boost my confidence and prepare my brain for answers.
I pulled up in the parking lot, and made my way up to the GS floor. The building seemed somewhat out of line with with I had imagined a GS office would be, but the second that I stepped out of that elevator, I could see that it was exactly what I was expecting. I waited in the blue room, and was taken back to a conference room for the interview. I was faced with two men. They were hard to read, but they were more like what I was expecting the first interview to be like. We got done a little early, so as I waited outside of the second conference room, I took the opportunity to talk about the company. I went into the second interview that day, and I could tell that my resume had caught their attention. I spoke with one of the ladies who interviewed me, and she later told me that I had the experience with the sailing club that directly related to something that they had been recently facing. Let me just say, that I'm so thankful that I got the opportunities that I did with the sailing club.
I felt so good after those interviews that it didn't even bother me when I got rear-ended on the way home. I knew that I had given it my all. After that I did some more waiting. I waited about a week, and started applying to more jobs. It got really tough, because nothing else seemed like such a good fit or nearly as exciting to me.
One day I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. I was kind of in a funny mood, so I went to the deli to get an ice cream cone. As I was checking out my phone rang with an unidentified number. My heart rate increased a little, but for the most part I wasn't expecting too much. Well, it turns out that it was a representative from GS, and from then on my brain started spinning. I think I circled the grocery store about 3 times, and all I was there for was milk and apples!
Two days later my offer came in the mail, and after some chats with HR about my start date, I sent the signed acceptance in. I've still got to go through the background check process, but I am looking forward to starting after graduation!
1 comment:
That's such a cool story!!! Wow! Congratulations! :)
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