Saturday, September 6, 2008
on business school interviews
Having just completed the first proper week of classes I just wanted to write a quick note on the interviews which I went through for different schools.
Firstly for the school which I ended up at, the interview process was very rigorous. Only one interview, but very through, many thoughtful questions, a presentation and an extended discussion about the school, the city and the experience.
After a poor start (I arrived late and flustered) the interview went well, and the interviewer - an alumni from the early nineties - was clearly interested in me, had read my application closely and was keen to know how both how much thought I had put into why I was doing an MBA and how broadly I thought about the world.
Anyway, it was a very detailed, well crafted and well conducted interview which lasted almost three hours.
The other major school I was interviewed for had two interviews. They had much less structure and the interviewers only had my CV as opposed to having my entire application. The focus was on why I wanted to do an MBA and why I wanted to go to this school in particular.
The first interviewer was a very high level person, head of his organization but quite humble and friendly. The interview was good, careful and thoughtful. He was interested in me and quite happy to tell me more about his MBA experience and post MBA career.
The interview went for around an hour and the experience was very positive. It ended with him saying that he would recommend me, even though he wasn’t meant to tell me his decision.
The second interview was another matter. I had to fly to another city for it as there was not enough alumni in my home city. I took a day off work, flew in and took a train to the inner city industrial estate where my interviewer’s office was. The interview itself was pretty poor. The interviewer spent his time looking at my CV - clearly he had not looked at it before. He thought I had flown in from the wrong city, and didn’t seem terribly interested in anything I said. He asked the standard "Why MBA, Why this school?"questions in a totally cursory way, without really listening to my answers. Other questions he asked were pretty irrelevant and unstructured, and were very much backdoor ways for him to tell me how great he was and how little he needed the MBA to further his career. I learnt more about him than he learnt about me.
The whole debacle lasted about half an hour, at the end of which he tore my CV into two in front of me and asked me to show myself out.
I thought I had performed very well, maintaining my politeness, being articulate and engaged in the face of his general arrogance and rudeness, but my overall feeling was that I had wasted my time and money. Moreover, if he was representative of the type of people at the school I wanted no part of it, notwithstanding the more positive experience of the first interview.
Firstly for the school which I ended up at, the interview process was very rigorous. Only one interview, but very through, many thoughtful questions, a presentation and an extended discussion about the school, the city and the experience.
After a poor start (I arrived late and flustered) the interview went well, and the interviewer - an alumni from the early nineties - was clearly interested in me, had read my application closely and was keen to know how both how much thought I had put into why I was doing an MBA and how broadly I thought about the world.
Anyway, it was a very detailed, well crafted and well conducted interview which lasted almost three hours.
The other major school I was interviewed for had two interviews. They had much less structure and the interviewers only had my CV as opposed to having my entire application. The focus was on why I wanted to do an MBA and why I wanted to go to this school in particular.
The first interviewer was a very high level person, head of his organization but quite humble and friendly. The interview was good, careful and thoughtful. He was interested in me and quite happy to tell me more about his MBA experience and post MBA career.
The interview went for around an hour and the experience was very positive. It ended with him saying that he would recommend me, even though he wasn’t meant to tell me his decision.
The second interview was another matter. I had to fly to another city for it as there was not enough alumni in my home city. I took a day off work, flew in and took a train to the inner city industrial estate where my interviewer’s office was. The interview itself was pretty poor. The interviewer spent his time looking at my CV - clearly he had not looked at it before. He thought I had flown in from the wrong city, and didn’t seem terribly interested in anything I said. He asked the standard "Why MBA, Why this school?"questions in a totally cursory way, without really listening to my answers. Other questions he asked were pretty irrelevant and unstructured, and were very much backdoor ways for him to tell me how great he was and how little he needed the MBA to further his career. I learnt more about him than he learnt about me.
The whole debacle lasted about half an hour, at the end of which he tore my CV into two in front of me and asked me to show myself out.
I thought I had performed very well, maintaining my politeness, being articulate and engaged in the face of his general arrogance and rudeness, but my overall feeling was that I had wasted my time and money. Moreover, if he was representative of the type of people at the school I wanted no part of it, notwithstanding the more positive experience of the first interview.
on weather
This truly is a big city. An open and thriving multicultural melting pot. But despite the famous reserve of its inhabitants, it also has a disturbing sense that it could lurch at any moment into complete social disorder. But of course it doesn't, it's difficult to be enthusiastic about social disorder when it's always bloody raining.
The desire for anarchy and violence quickly dissipates when your umbrella has soaked through and is dripping down the back of your neck, but that doesn't matter because your socks have been drenched through for the last half hour and it still wont stop raining...
The desire for anarchy and violence quickly dissipates when your umbrella has soaked through and is dripping down the back of your neck, but that doesn't matter because your socks have been drenched through for the last half hour and it still wont stop raining...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
on orientation
I’ve just finished the orientation week at business school and my brain is now full of new names, faces, national origins, past careers and future aspirations.
I’ve perfected the spiel about myself, and have only had to ask most people their names two or three times, not that I can remember them of course. When we take the name tags off next week things will get difficult…
So far it’s been very impressive, the caliber of the students and the faculty has been outstanding; head and shoulders above that at my previous schools. It’s like a collection of the top performers at my previous schools and workplaces. Mind you, it’s very expensive, you have to back yourself to make it a productive investment. So really its self selecting for people who have figured stuff out, have had life and work experience and are driven. Some are more driven than others of course and some students are taking things very seriously. On occasion it’s easy to feel quite aggressively networked at
The school certainly puts a very strong emphasis on its reputation, which is understandable; it’s a cut-throat world at the top of the business school rankings with lots of money and power at stake for each rung on the ladder. Having rejected the corporate “we are the best at everything really” trope at one stage many years ago as a load of so much hot aired toss, with no connection to reality, it’s different to be in an organization where their assertions of excellence are in sync with the experience.
Orientation also seemed to be focused on the end goal; the jobs which we are all here working to achieve. Which seemed a bit crass at the time, to frame the entire experience as an exercise in getting a highly paid job in a prestigious company. But I guess, deep down, that really is why we are all here. Anyway, classes start tomorrow so the adventure begins properly.
I’ve perfected the spiel about myself, and have only had to ask most people their names two or three times, not that I can remember them of course. When we take the name tags off next week things will get difficult…
So far it’s been very impressive, the caliber of the students and the faculty has been outstanding; head and shoulders above that at my previous schools. It’s like a collection of the top performers at my previous schools and workplaces. Mind you, it’s very expensive, you have to back yourself to make it a productive investment. So really its self selecting for people who have figured stuff out, have had life and work experience and are driven. Some are more driven than others of course and some students are taking things very seriously. On occasion it’s easy to feel quite aggressively networked at
The school certainly puts a very strong emphasis on its reputation, which is understandable; it’s a cut-throat world at the top of the business school rankings with lots of money and power at stake for each rung on the ladder. Having rejected the corporate “we are the best at everything really” trope at one stage many years ago as a load of so much hot aired toss, with no connection to reality, it’s different to be in an organization where their assertions of excellence are in sync with the experience.
Orientation also seemed to be focused on the end goal; the jobs which we are all here working to achieve. Which seemed a bit crass at the time, to frame the entire experience as an exercise in getting a highly paid job in a prestigious company. But I guess, deep down, that really is why we are all here. Anyway, classes start tomorrow so the adventure begins properly.
Monday, August 25, 2008
simpsons quote of the day
Homer: I don't need your pity or your money
Ron Howard: Usually when people say that, they give the money back.
Homer: I'm gonna do what now?
Ron Howard: Usually when people say that, they give the money back.
Homer: I'm gonna do what now?
Monday, August 18, 2008
simpsons quote of the day
Marge : Homer, there's a man here who thinks he can help you.
Homer : Is it Batman?
Marge : No, he's a scientist.
Homer : Batman's a scientist!
Marge : It's not Batman!
Marge vs the Monorail
Homer : Is it Batman?
Marge : No, he's a scientist.
Homer : Batman's a scientist!
Marge : It's not Batman!
Marge vs the Monorail
Sunday, August 17, 2008
olympic advertising
Melinda Houston writing in the age today notes that the ads we've been subjected to during the Olympics have been pretty poor. Moreover, not many of them have really tried to make any link between the products being sold and the Olympics, perhaps to ensure the ads have a shelf life beyond the fortnight, but also perhaps because it seemed in the lead up that there may have been some difficult moments for the game's public image.
but the ad that is the exception to this is channel seven's own. and perhaps this is really why sponsors are shying away from tying their products to the sports.
Is it a parody? it is very funny. the soring emotional music trying to link scenes from the games to scenes from channel seven shows is just hilarious. equating an athletic triumph to something about mateship in a clip from Border Security showing someone sitting down in shock is an excellent example. but the highlight of the ad is the slow motion Andrew O'Keefe reaction shot from Deal or No Deal - gold medal. gold medal people. awesome...
but the ad that is the exception to this is channel seven's own. and perhaps this is really why sponsors are shying away from tying their products to the sports.
Is it a parody? it is very funny. the soring emotional music trying to link scenes from the games to scenes from channel seven shows is just hilarious. equating an athletic triumph to something about mateship in a clip from Border Security showing someone sitting down in shock is an excellent example. but the highlight of the ad is the slow motion Andrew O'Keefe reaction shot from Deal or No Deal - gold medal. gold medal people. awesome...
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