We can do better.

Full ranking

You put on your best face and think of clever openers (resume and cover letter) and you approach the girl (job). If this girl is someone your buddy knows (alum), you might have asked him for some insider intel that you can break the ice or wow her with. You ask for a get-to-know-you coffee date (first round interview) but she tells you that although she is super excited that you asked (auto-generated thank you email for applying), she needs to check her schedule because a thousand other dudes just asked her out too.

You wait, and you wait, and you wait some more. And then you forget. Eventually she gets back to you about that date. If she accepts your date (You have been invited to participate in an interview. Congratulations!), she’ll give you some times and dates that she is available. If she denies your date, she’ll try to let you down gently (Thank you for applying. We are really impressed with your experience but at this point in time, we will not be moving forward with you candidacy.)

Most of the time, the answer is the latter. You’ll ponder about your self worth. You’ll wonder about your approach (resume and cover letter) and you’ll consult with your buddies (CMC/peer coach/friends) about how to best retool your game.

Eventually someone will accept your date. The first date is nerve wracking. You round up all your best jokes (behavior stories) and you sharpen your wit (case prep). You put on your best suit. It’s usually a short date and you barely remember what you and her talked about. The only thing you might remember are the jokes that fell flat (you forgot to follow the STAR format or you forgot about a decimal point). If you remembered, you tell her that you want a second date and why she should say yes. She’ll think about it.

From here, things either move really fast (second round) or blow up (auto-generated rejection email). When things go well, depending on the girl, she might invite you out to her place to meet the parents (on site interview) or she’ll want to talk again over the phone. Eventually you’ll win one over (offer). Maybe even two or three if you’re a hot stud. That is when you have control. That is when you start leveraging your buyer power (salary negotiations).

If things bomb, well, it’s back to the drawing board and a six back of Yuengling. You do a lot of soul searching. You ask yourself, “Am I going after the right girl? (Do I really want to do consulting/ib/marketing/etc?)”, “Do I really want to date a girl who lives across the country? (What’s Maine like in the summer?)”, or “Am I even compatible with an emo-girl??? (Do I really want to market soup???)”. If things are really bad, you start considering getting away for a while to do your own thing (unpaid internship/launch your own start-up that makes mobile apps).

Luckily, 99% of you will find someone even if she is not your top choice (that’s what the CMC says). Just remember, she is only a summer fling. Enjoy the other things in your life (kegs/friday&saturday nights/friends/traveling/etc).

Wow that was exhausting.

As to where I am in the internship search, the story above isn’t too far off from reality. I have nothing official yet but things are starting to materialize and I’m a lot more encouraged than I was at the beginning of this mod. I have a long queue of apps that are awaiting me and one interview coming up next week. Plug and chug. Fun.

I’m taking the following classes this mod:

Strategy: A core class for MBA students, strategy is supposed to teach us how Porter’s Five Forces, SWOT analysis, VRIN, PEST, and a bunch of other strategic frameworks are supposed to help us create and sustain value for the customer.

Managerial Accounting: I never understood what the hell indirect/direct, overhead, and all that magical accounting hocus pocus was when I was filling out my time card @ NOC. I don’t understand it any better now, but at least I know now that there was an MBA behind all that nonsense. At least Professor Willis is fabulous and makes the class interesting.

Survey Design and Analysis: A required class for marketers, survey design is a pretty straight forward, mind numbing, and supposedly useful class. Professor Dotson is a quant geek and I’m looking forward to the lecture on Bayesian networks and ANOVA. Seriously.

New Product Design and Development: I’ve been looking forward to taking this class even before coming to Owen because of my previous experience in R&D. This year, we are developing an accessory for the iPad. So far, the class has been more design oriented so hopefully we get into the business numbers side of things. Professor Owen, who used to work for IDEO, is pretty awesome. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to take more classes with him.

Marketing Capstone: This is a project course that is usually offered to second years but I knew some people who knew some people who needed help. I suspect they didn’t want me for my knowledge in the product (Playtex bras) but more for my locality (everyone on the team is doing a mod abroad in Chile). Despite the extra work on top of the normal four courses, I’m getting a chance to get my hands dirty in some “real” marketing work. Thumbs up!

On the job front, everyday is roller coaster ride. Some days I feel pumped about the job search. On other days, I feel like I’ve been kicked in the nuts. I have one interview lined up so far, which I’m really looking forward to, but there’s nothing on deck or in the hole. It’s hard being patient and persistent.

You are my sunshine

I wish I could find the one where Uncle Phil shows up on Family Matters.

Moral of the story: ETF > Mutual Funds.

This was vexing. “I am pleased to hear that Secretary Napolitano finally allowed the SBInet contract to expire,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. “A complete and thorough investigation should be conducted related to this waste.” Investigate waste with more waste. Good idea.

Read more: Jump!