Monthly Archive for September, 2008

Tailgate Ends Career

Published on September 29, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Tailgate Etiquette

Two years ago I did my first keg stand at a Darden tailgate. Professor Elliott Weiss was holding my legs up. Things got wild after that.

Now before you believe everything you read: it wasn’t a real keg stand. It was a spoof, filmed for the Darden Follies. But if I were ever to do a first keg stand, it wouldn’t be at a Darden tailgate. Yours shouldn’t be either.

This Saturday the Darden tailgate is sponsored by Deloitte. Virginia versus Maryland. It promises to be a game that you may want to come late to, so you can spend that extra time networking with the professionals from Deloitte. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, and have come up with my top 10 list of things to do, and not to do, at a sponsored tailgate.

Don’t

Do

10. Your first keg stand, or any keg stand, or drink excessively. Tailgate don’t get you an offer, but they sure can keep you from getting one.

Enjoy yourself, unwind from a Saturday of case prep.

9. Root for Maryland, or wear red. (Okay, that’s just a personal one, and not mandatory. You actually may find a Deloitte person who went to Maryland.)

Wear orange! Pretend to be a UVA football fan. School spirit is a positive quality.

8. Monopolize recruiter time (over the course of a two-hour tailgate, you’ll have time to spend 5-10 minutes with several different Deloitte employees).

Meet every (or nearly) recruiter at the event.

7. Complain about the food, or the temperature of the beer.

Thank the company for sponsoring, and thank the SY team for making it happen.

6. Ask the company: “What do you guys do — I’ve never heard of _____.”

Research on the company and the alumni attending so that you can ask intelligent questions and carry on a decent conversation.

5. Show up at game time and then expect the recruiter to miss the opening kick-off.

Come early when the crowds are low.

4. Skip the tailgate because you are not interested in the function or the firm.

Come anyway, and enjoy your friends. The tailgate is not just a networking event for companies but for you to get to know some Second Years.

3. Feign interest in the company just because you want a free beer.

See 4. Come anyway. Thank them, and have a great time.

2. Wear those preppy orange pants with blue “v” all over them.

Okay, just another personal pet peeve. I’m growing accustomed to seeing those on double Hoos.

1. Stay at home and do cases.

At least come to the tailgate. You can skip the game.

Darden is extremely fortunate to have companies sponsor our tailgates, so that we can get together and enjoy each other’s company. Use this as an opportunity to build your brand, and to build the Darden brand. I’ll see you there (I’ll be the one wearing orange, but not the orange pants with the blue “V” all over them…at least not yet.)

Elevate Others

Published on September 25, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The second of Darden’s 2008 Leadership Speakers, Rich Fairbank, spoke on September 22. He was inspirational and motivating — at least to me. While many of the things he said were particularly meaningful, the two comments that resonated most with me were: “Elevate Others.” “Be Bold and Authentic.” While these statements are significant leadership insights and ones I plan to try to do more of; this is good advice for those in career transition. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Elevate Others

Rich spoke about an employee of his, on whose team everyone wanted to work. In many respects the employee was average — his technical skills could use improvement. However, he delivered outstanding results because he attracted great people to his team. People wanted to work for him, and with him, because he made them feel significant and made them feel their contribution, no matter how seemingly insignificant, mattered. He did this, though, not in an insincere way, but he actually believed that what people did mattered. His belief in people’s contribution showed, and people responded. People felt elevated by what he did and how he treated them.

So the tricky part of this is “applying” this principle. Merely trying might come across as insincerity. If I were to say that, in an interview, an applicant should try to “elevate” the interviewer, I can imagine how badly that would come off. This dilemma is where the second statement comes in — authenticity. You can’t fake caring about the person. You can’t fake complimenting the person on what a great job they have, or what a great company they work for.

Here’s what you can do: be authentically curious. Prepare for the interview, so that you are speaking from a position of knowledge. Learn as much as you can about the interviewer, so that you are meeting on a level playing field. Then, ask questions that you are really curious about. Don’t ask the questions that are standard MBA questions. Ask them things like: why they like the company, why they like their job, what is the most exciting thing they do in a week, how they are developed as a leader, what are their leadership qualities that have led to their success, what inspires them about the company. But here’s the kicker: listen. Listen to the answers. Nothing elevates a person more than a feeling that someone really cares about their opinion and listens.

Be Bold and Authentic

When Rich spoke about being authentic, he spoke in the context of careers. And he put Bold and Authentic in the same thought. He related a very personal story of his wife’s calling him on not being authentic when he was in business school about a career decision. He was following the crowd, going after the most popular job — not the job that might be the best “fit.” (His word, not mine.) He spoke of boldness and authenticity in the context of your career pursuit, and linked it to “purity of the quest.” In other words, find something about which you are passionate and seek it. Find a company that is a good fit, and it will show in the interview. Your passion will be sincere. Your enthusiasm will be contagious.

As I write this, I am drawn to think about a First Year Darden student who wants to work on GI Joe toys. No one in his section doubts it. It’s not just a passing fad. He’ll get there, because his quest is pure.

Don’t miss the next leadership speaker, Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour on October 3 at 3:30PM. I’ll bet he’s bold and authentic.