Spring Break
Inside Hell Week
One Student's Search for a Summer Internship
As told to Elana Green (NI), Associate Editor
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: News
If hell week doesn't get you, the Boston winter will.
There's a reason "hell week" is so named, but unfortunately, the hell of the job search isn't confined to one week in February. A glimpse into the life of a first-year student searching for an internship reveals the grueling process of landing a summer job.
November 12, 9:00 PM: My cheeks hurt from talking and smiling at the five networking events I've been to this week….and it's only Wednesday. I'm balancing a glass of wine and some kind of fried egg roll thing in one hand while trying to come up with a brilliant question for the Bank X representative who is being swarmed by seven RCs like me. I have to wait until I have an opportunity to ask for his business card or the whole past twenty minutes will have been a waste. It would be great if I got to start my cases before 11:00 PM tonight…
November 13, 7:20 PM: Tonight I'm learning all about Consulting Firm Y (read: showing up at Firm Y's event to make sure they know I'm genuinely interested). My career coach said it's next to impossible to do recruiting for consulting and banking at the same time, but I'm pretty sure I can prove her wrong. Only 20 more networking events to go in the next 10 days…
December 19, 9:15 AM: There is a bitter wind assaulting my face and huge snowflakes are swirling around my ankles. No, I'm not hitting the ski slopes. I'm running around Wall Street with 50 other HBS-ers, all trying to convince investment bankers to give us jobs this summer. These shoes were not made for this weather!
January 16, 12:00 PM: I have twelve interview invitations! Yay! I guess all that networking last semester paid off. Wait a minute - twelve interviews in one week!? How the hell am I going to pull that off?
January 25, 1:00 PM: I'm meeting up with a friend to practice for consulting case interviews. I managed to network for consulting and banking at the same time, but interviewing could be a different story. After giving me an M&A case, my friend's feedback was "Umm…interesting approach, but you kind of sounded like a banker."
There's a reason "hell week" is so named, but unfortunately, the hell of the job search isn't confined to one week in February. A glimpse into the life of a first-year student searching for an internship reveals the grueling process of landing a summer job.
November 12, 9:00 PM: My cheeks hurt from talking and smiling at the five networking events I've been to this week….and it's only Wednesday. I'm balancing a glass of wine and some kind of fried egg roll thing in one hand while trying to come up with a brilliant question for the Bank X representative who is being swarmed by seven RCs like me. I have to wait until I have an opportunity to ask for his business card or the whole past twenty minutes will have been a waste. It would be great if I got to start my cases before 11:00 PM tonight…
November 13, 7:20 PM: Tonight I'm learning all about Consulting Firm Y (read: showing up at Firm Y's event to make sure they know I'm genuinely interested). My career coach said it's next to impossible to do recruiting for consulting and banking at the same time, but I'm pretty sure I can prove her wrong. Only 20 more networking events to go in the next 10 days…
December 19, 9:15 AM: There is a bitter wind assaulting my face and huge snowflakes are swirling around my ankles. No, I'm not hitting the ski slopes. I'm running around Wall Street with 50 other HBS-ers, all trying to convince investment bankers to give us jobs this summer. These shoes were not made for this weather!
January 16, 12:00 PM: I have twelve interview invitations! Yay! I guess all that networking last semester paid off. Wait a minute - twelve interviews in one week!? How the hell am I going to pull that off?
January 25, 1:00 PM: I'm meeting up with a friend to practice for consulting case interviews. I managed to network for consulting and banking at the same time, but interviewing could be a different story. After giving me an M&A case, my friend's feedback was "Umm…interesting approach, but you kind of sounded like a banker."
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