What are you doing here???

By Choice 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

So if you remember from my last post the staffer did not staff us this weekend. We had Saturday and Sunday off. However, I want to explain to you my story. Then I will tell you what I did.

I just moved out here to CA. I don't know anyone expect the people I am living with and the other intern from my school. I have no other agenda except getting a full time offer. I don't know my way around and I don't know where all the fun things to do are located. I am not getting paid on an hourly basis, so there is a little sense of responsibility to be in the office.

Mind you--if I had a wife, you bet I would be with her and these little weekends off would be spent with her. Or even friends, I would go do something. But because of the situation, if I am not at work I would lock myself in my room and do nothing.

So I decided to go into the office. Dressed in a button up shirt--no tie--and slacks.

My mentor sees me and he is dressed in shorts, a t-shirt and sandals. He looks me up and down and says, "Never again on a Saturday." I chuckled and said, "Is tomorrow our swimsuit?" He laughed.

At 10:00 I had a phone conference with other interns from my school as well as full time analyst alumni. One of the professors from my school was hosting it. It was good to share ideas and hear ideas on how to make the most of our internship. We will be having weekly calls to help ensure full time offers.

The office was operating at about 10% capacity. Surprising, in the sense that it was not just interns that got the weekend off, but some other bankers as well. I decided to go into the office and just play around with things and figure things out. The last thing I want to do is be caught in a time sensitive moment and not know how to do something operational. For example, it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to print something. Can you imagine if someone said, "Hey I need you to print the PowerPoint off and make copies for our client meeting in 5 minutes." I would have been dead!

I was the only intern in the office and I went in with the mentality, "DO NOT BUG ANYONE." So I kept to myself. However, from time to time probably about 10 bankers (mostly analysts, a couple associates) stopped in and chit-chatted with me. All of them were like, "What are you doing here?! Go home!" And then I explained my story like I explained previously and they were pretty surprised. More than just figuring things out, I got to know some bankers more personally. I mean seriously, I kept to myself but the same bankers would stop in my office 2 or 3 times just to talk about random things. Sometimes they would show me how to look up stuff, but I didn't ask, they would just volunteer.

The associate that sits next to me didn't come in which was nice to have that whole office to myself. I want to share something of a strategy that I am developing. It is my goal to NEVER ask a banking or related question to the associate in my room. Here is why: I have learned that there are so many resources to get answers from why ask him first? It could be tempting for some to quickly turn around and ask the closest banker. For example, the other intern that shares the office asked the associate how to set up a signature for his email. You could tell the associate was bugged. All this intern had to do was stop and think for a second, "How would you do it?" If he couldn't figure it out, he could have asked one of the secretaries.

So if I don't ask questions what is the advantage of this associate sitting in the same office? I intend to just build a relationship. I don't bug him at all. From time to time we crack jokes ad I give him some candy, but I am not breathing down his neck wondering what he is doing, or if I can help him. If he needs my help he will ask. I don't need to say every hour on the hour, "Do you need me to do anything?" Hopefully if he reviews me he will say, "He gets his work done, keeps to himself, really easy to work with when I need him, easy to talk to, etc."

I ended up leaving the office around 5:30. Despite the fact that I didn't have to be in, I thought it was effective. Despite the fact that the bankers were continually telling me to go home, I think they would want to be on projects with me because I am dedicated. Hopefully this makes for good reviews.

I went to a singles activity in the area. And then we all went and watch a movie at one of their houses. Today it is Sunday, and I WILL NOT go into the office. I am excited to get staffed on a deal Monday.