I went to Lafayette College in Easton, PA and was a double major History and Art. Upon graduation I had no clue what to do with my life. So, I moved to Vail, Colorado and taught skiing for two years. Then, on to NYC where I worked for a year and a half at a television advertising sales firm. Following that, I worked as a strategist for a small consulting firm in Connecticut. All of a sudden like a blinding flash, I decided to go to business school. OK, I know what you’re thinking … this guy is all over the map, what an idiot. I agree. The thing is, I wasn’t lucky enough to know exactly what path I wanted to follow, and probably still don’t.

After attending several of the company events, Career Day, speaking with Career Management, etc. I decided that investment banking was my calling … or was it more strategic marketing … or was it working for an Internet firm. The point is that no matter what position you’re going for the method is the same, just different jargon, dress codes, and maybe you use Excel instead of Word.

The critical success factors in landing the right position are the 4Ps of job hunting (not to be confused with the 4Ps of marketing, nor to be confused with the 4Ps of Connecticut Avenue – a great Irish bar next to the Uptown Theatre). No, these Ps can make it all come together Preparation, Practice, Polish, and Persistence:

Preparation – DO YOUR HOMEWORK – know the “why’s”

Why banking / consulting / corpfin / etc?

• Why XYZ firm?
• Why Georgetown?
• Why should they pick you?

Practice – have your friends grill you on every possible question – take this seriously because your classmates are going through the same interviews you are and can hit you up with the worst of the worst. For some reason, I seem to draw out the ‘weird’ in interviewers, some examples:

(Strategic Marketing): If you were a cereal what cereal would you be and why? My response: Crunchy granola suite (from the Neil Diamond tune), you know kind fun, full of uhhh fiber, and good for you.

(Strategic Marketing – same interview part II): What makes you tick?
My response: You mean besides the electromagnetic pulses causing the contraction and expansion of the muscles of my heart?

(Investment Banking): We chitchat for a while and then the interviewer slides a handwritten piece of paper across the table to me, I’m not kidding it looked like this, and asks me what does this mean?

My response: Uhhhhhhhh bond math? Now that I’m seasoned Excel veteran, I know what these mean (you’ll have to take my word for it), but at the time I was not a happy camper.

(yet more Strategic Marketing different company): They sent me an email (in German, which I speak but don’t really read very well) of the base parameters of the project they wanted me to do for the summer. I had to do a strategic analysis of the situation and a 5-page write-up (in English). I never spoke to anyone at all – just email, definitely the strangest interview process I went through.

(M&A): True story: the interviewer has just gotten back from a bachelor party in Vegas, his plane was delayed, he has not slept in 36 hours. He asks me the basic investment banking questions and while listening to my answers his pupils dilate, his eyelids drop, and he actually nodded off once.
My response: I took to talking in a manner where I would really INFLECT LOUDLY as soon as I saw him start to drift.

The point is no matter what type of an interview you are anticipating, you are absolutely guaranteed to get something completely different. So the lesson is to practice for unexpected, and have people grill you with off the wall questions. You’ll still get the oddball questions, when you wonder what this guy was smoking, but at least you’ll not feel like a one-legged duck swimming circles in a pond.

Polish – it is crucial to be able to look, talk and act the part. This means being really up to date on the markets, news, and lingo. A lot of people say reading the WSJ is enough, I disagree (I mean how can you believe a paper that has no sports section and those funny looking drawings). Instead watch CNBC – religiously. This is your best source for the most current information, you hear the way Wall Street speaks, and you see the look that bankers are going for. Once you can act as Joe Kernan or Maria Bartiromo’s stunt double, understand at least 75% of what they’re saying, and know at least 10% of the ticker symbols you’re on your way!

Persistence – one of the biggest challenges when dealing with busy people who may or may not want to deal with you is being a real go-getter with out becoming annoying. The only way to get through to some of these people is after 20-30 calls, 5 emails, and 2 letters. The key is to keep them interested and get at them from different angles. Some ideas:

• Make friends with the person taking your messages – often this is the most important person not to annoy – this is the gatekeeper.
• Attack from multiple angles – use MBACM, HR, alums, classmates, friends of the family, etc. you’re trying to create a buzz about yourself.
• Keep plugging away – eventually something will work out (I didn’t get my internship until May 1st). Others receive great late offers from places like Salomon Smith Barney, Winstar, and the Washington Redskins.
• When in doubt apply for everything – I have a wall of shame that boggles the mind, but now I have that many more companies that know my name when I apply for a full-time position.

I eventually got four offers, two in strategic marketing, and two in finance, which translates to a throughput rate (just wait for POM) of about 4.2%. I took a position working for the CFO of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey. Not bad for a confused ski bum with a penchant for abstract expressionism.

The bottom line is that hunting for a summer internship is not a whole heck of lot of fun. Unfortunately, it is a necessary evil. The process can be significantly less painful than it was for me if you adhere the mantra of the 4Ps: preparation, practice, persistence, and polish. And if it works out for you maybe you can buy me a pint at the other 4Ps.

Good luck…