Chicago Business

Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Humor

Companies representing two of the most popular post-MBA career tracks are initiating a fresh third round of interviews this fall. The revised process is an attempt to address the mounting concern that the current process, while good at testing intellectual prowess and limited presentation skills, does not accurately gauge likely job performance. After conducting months of research, several investment banks and consulting firms took an inventory of the skills that were paramount to success in the respective fields. The result will be seen in a few short months on campus: a brand spanking new, third round of interviews.
This fall, investment banks will introduce the "Sleep test" and consulting firms, the "Travel test" as a required round of interviews during the recruiting process. As a career advisor for the 2006-2007 academic year, I had a chance to sit with some of the top firms in each industry in an attempt to understand the specifics of these tests. For the benefit of those who will be interviewing this fall, I detail the revised process below. [Note: the firms assured me that interns who are extended full-time offers will not have to go through the additional test].
As one of three required interviews for the investment banking role, the "Sleep test" will, quite simply, measure a candidate's ability to stay awake. Candidates will be tested in groups of eight for a period of three days under confinement in a large conference room equipped with sufficient food and drinks. Each candidate will be required to say the words "I'm awake" and the time once every 5 minutes into an attached microphone that feeds into their respective audio tapes. For example, at 1:15am, the candidate would say "I'm awake. 1:15am". At the end of the testing period, the tapes will be evaluated, and candidates assigned a score from 0 to 259,200, to indicate the number of seconds that the candidate was deemed awake. Commenting on the scoring system, the banks said "Every second matters in this business!" In this case, every second will matter to the candidates as well - because only the three highest scores will pass the round. The banks further added that, given the vitality of the skill, the "Sleep test" will now be the first round of interviews for banking - only those who are successful in this round will move to subsequent rounds.
Similarly, consulting firms introduced the "Travel test" to test a vital on-the-job skill. In this test, candidates will be called at random and given a 90-minute notice to pack their bags and show up at the airport. To pass the test, a candidate must not only show up at the airport at the allotted time, but also be packed for 4 days of stay, dressed professionally, be cordial and maintain a smile at all times. Each candidate will get valuable bonus points for measures as packing all liquid toiletries in 3 oz (or smaller) containers displayed in visible zip bags. The obvious ultimate goal is having only carry-on luggage. Unlike the "Sleep test" however, the "Travel test" will be added as a third interview round - this distinction will ensure that exceptional candidates who lack only a stellar "Travel test" score can still be considered for offices that mostly have local projects.
Since the inception of these new interview rounds, and noting the importance of these career tracks to the GSB community, the LEAD team is considering adding two new modules to the curriculum to teach these essential survival skills. Unlike the rest of LEAD, these modules will remain optional, since they only pertain to students with an active interest in banking or consulting. But most LEAD facilitators fear that these extra modules will be fully subscribed, given that everyone "and their uncle" wants to be a banker or consultant in the first year.
While the additional interviews may seem like torture, students will be wise to combine the two and practice both interviews together by flying to their favorite destination for 4 days and partying hard with as little sleep as possible. And for those of you who will not be going through these interviews (current second years and interns who come back with offers), don't worry, you'll face the real thing in a few months …

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools