Info Sessions
Posted 09-07-2010 at 08:04 PM by EmmyNoether
Today I had a very long day due to taking an opportunity to go to information sessions from 2 visiting companies after meeting with my adviser and after meeting with a student. This was a completely new experience for me as I've never gone to a company info session - not even when I was an undergrad. I always assumed that I was going on to grad school, so it seemed pointless then. Well, the economy being what it is right now, I decided to do learn a little from first hand experience about the culture climate we're in. It was strange indeed.
First of all, I thought I was being all smooth when I donned on black pants, a white collared shirt, a maroon blazer and heals. I furthermore thought I was well prepared by bringing a resume. Well, I was not prepared for the sea of suits and arrogant testosterone that I had to swim through when I first got there. The first info session was for a company for which I knew I was overqualified, but was curious to see their presentation. I scrutinized it all the way knowing a lot about their industry and their limitations from an insiders prospective. At the end, I went up to ask questions of the most senior person there. I was intrigued by the other questions asked by the people looking to apply to the company. It was clear each and every one of them had the intention of standing out from all the other faces in the crowd but by the time they got their spotlight they blurted out the first thing they could think of to ask which was already answered in the presentation. The other thing I found amazing was the reaction to the international students who asked a question in such an incomprehensible manner that I couldn't tell whether they were asking it in their native tongue. Some how the seasoned professional managed to answer it accordingly.
When I went on to the second session, I noticed that there was some cross-over of student's watching the info sessions. Going to the second session was also interesting for me because, once again I had insider information about this company, but it was in a completely different industry than the first. Again, I enjoyed overhearing students ask questions. My favorite was tied between two individuals. The first was a very tall Aryan man who was asking about a department of the company in a way that indicated he clearly didn't do his homework and did not understand the industry or that area. He asked what they company was looking for in terms of personality and the three associates he had cornered responded with the generic "we want to see people who are driven, motivated, hard workers..." He responded forcefully "how do I show through my application that I am driven?" I really wanted to tap him on the shoulder and say "you are doing it." I moved to the other side of the room where an Indian gentleman with a thick accent was asking international questions pretending to himself that everyone around him did not know he was international. I talked to some of the more senior people and even got a business card with a request for me to contact him, so I felt like at least the second info session was a success.
I walked out of there earlier than I had originally anticipated because I had already gotten what I had hoped to. I passed the sea of black and gray suits and felt rather pleased with my choice of maroon. What was particularly strange to me was that between the two info sessions, I had seen 8 or so former students from the variety of math classes I have taught over the last several years. I recognized most of them, but it took me a while to realize how/why I knew these people. Now, I don't know if my students saw me and pretended to not see me, or if they just didn't see me. It was weird on my end to think that we could possibly apply for the same positions as unbalanced as that would be. I'll admit that part of me hoped that some of them saw me and then got nervous because they would be competing with me. This is not because I like to make people feel uncomfortable, but because it would mean a certain level of respect and/or reverence for me. Who knows... but it would have been nice if it happened.
First of all, I thought I was being all smooth when I donned on black pants, a white collared shirt, a maroon blazer and heals. I furthermore thought I was well prepared by bringing a resume. Well, I was not prepared for the sea of suits and arrogant testosterone that I had to swim through when I first got there. The first info session was for a company for which I knew I was overqualified, but was curious to see their presentation. I scrutinized it all the way knowing a lot about their industry and their limitations from an insiders prospective. At the end, I went up to ask questions of the most senior person there. I was intrigued by the other questions asked by the people looking to apply to the company. It was clear each and every one of them had the intention of standing out from all the other faces in the crowd but by the time they got their spotlight they blurted out the first thing they could think of to ask which was already answered in the presentation. The other thing I found amazing was the reaction to the international students who asked a question in such an incomprehensible manner that I couldn't tell whether they were asking it in their native tongue. Some how the seasoned professional managed to answer it accordingly.
When I went on to the second session, I noticed that there was some cross-over of student's watching the info sessions. Going to the second session was also interesting for me because, once again I had insider information about this company, but it was in a completely different industry than the first. Again, I enjoyed overhearing students ask questions. My favorite was tied between two individuals. The first was a very tall Aryan man who was asking about a department of the company in a way that indicated he clearly didn't do his homework and did not understand the industry or that area. He asked what they company was looking for in terms of personality and the three associates he had cornered responded with the generic "we want to see people who are driven, motivated, hard workers..." He responded forcefully "how do I show through my application that I am driven?" I really wanted to tap him on the shoulder and say "you are doing it." I moved to the other side of the room where an Indian gentleman with a thick accent was asking international questions pretending to himself that everyone around him did not know he was international. I talked to some of the more senior people and even got a business card with a request for me to contact him, so I felt like at least the second info session was a success.
I walked out of there earlier than I had originally anticipated because I had already gotten what I had hoped to. I passed the sea of black and gray suits and felt rather pleased with my choice of maroon. What was particularly strange to me was that between the two info sessions, I had seen 8 or so former students from the variety of math classes I have taught over the last several years. I recognized most of them, but it took me a while to realize how/why I knew these people. Now, I don't know if my students saw me and pretended to not see me, or if they just didn't see me. It was weird on my end to think that we could possibly apply for the same positions as unbalanced as that would be. I'll admit that part of me hoped that some of them saw me and then got nervous because they would be competing with me. This is not because I like to make people feel uncomfortable, but because it would mean a certain level of respect and/or reverence for me. Who knows... but it would have been nice if it happened.
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