The Big Interview

Monday starts out a bit unfortunately. After my morning study session at the library I receive an e-mail telling me that Staples has decided not to interview me for their Global Product Management position. While I’m a bit disappointed I try not to get too greedy and remember I still have Hasbro to look forward to this Friday. In addition, it's a blast hearing about all of my classmate's interview offers for the Career Fair.  It’s all getting so exciting!

Monday evening I send out job descriptions to my reference list in case they are contacted by Hasbro after my interview. I’ve learned this helpful tip from Career Management and think it is a great step to take.  What would be worse than having a prospective employer contact a reference only to have them say “ huh? Who are you? What job is this?”. Yeah, that would be bad.

Tuesday sees me at the library for my early morning study session. After some solid work I head to Supply Chain Management where the director of Supply Chain Operations for Scholastic was supposed to stop by. He was in charge of handling the release of the last installment of the Harry Potter book series and I can’t wait to hear him speak. Alas, the snowy conditions prevented him from making it, but we are promised a reschedule.

After class I join a couple of classmates to work on our Finance case about Tiffany & Co.  After several hours in the library I head home. There I find an e-mail from Hasbro with my official interview schedule. I begin at 7:40 am and will be there until 1:15 pm. I’m so excited and quickly reply to the event and get started on renting a Zipcar for the drive. Remember, I am bound by foot travel here in Boston.

I also e-mail a second-year student who had a Hasbro residency last year to see if I can schedule a time to chat with him about his experience there. He graciously agrees and we set a time for tomorrow evening.

Wednesday I wake to another inclement weather e-mail from Northeastern informing me that class will not start until after 10:00 am. Feeling lazy I reset my alarm for two hours later and fall asleep.

My walk to school is not what I expected. There is no longer snow coming down but rain, which makes for a lovely slush mix on every corner and intersection. Thank heaven for rain boots.

I brave these streets and arrive at Finance for our discussion of Tiffany & Co. and their initial public offering (IPO). After class I visit our Operations professor to check if he approves of my latest company idea for our project: The Boston Globe. He seems very excited and I’m pleased to have an appointment set up with the Superintendent. The journalism major in me squeals in delight.

I next meet with the executive board of the Marketing Club to hash out this next (and our last) semester in the club.  We have approval for a tour of Hasbro’s facilities and are looking into one of Dunkin' Brands' corporate offices.  We also start talk of a logo competition for the Marketing Club.  With our substantial leftover funds we figured we could have a prize for the best Marketing Club logo which would then be printed on some sort of branded accessory, say a mug, for the entire club. I’m really excited by this, especially the prospect of having something to pass on to the next generation of Northeastern MBAs.

Afterward I head to work for a couple of hours before dropping into my Statistics professor’s office. I’m in dire need of some direction on the homework that’s due tomorrow.  He patiently spends the next 45 minutes with me going through the entire assignment and I leave feeling much better.

Museum of Fine Arts

Thursday after our discussion of the expansion goals of Ducati motorcycles in Strategy, I join a friend for some lunch and a long-overdue visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, which is free to Northeastern students. I love museums and am thrilled about my maiden trip to this institution that's just down the street from campus.  On top of that, my friend's roommate works as a furniture restorer at the MFA and gives us a behind-the-scenes tour. After such a pleasant afternoon of culture my classmate and I vow to visit the Institute of Contemporary Art next Thursday.

After getting home I begin my prep for tomorrows big interview! I do a complementary and interactive practice case interview online through The Boston Consulting Group (a great website if you get a chance to visit it), talk to the second year former co-op, bone up on some current events related to Hasbro and practice my behavioral and experience interview answers. I force myself to bed by 10:00 pm since I’ll be hearing the ringing of my alarm at 4:30 am tomorrow.

I get up super early on Friday, put on my suit, grab my folio and head out the door for a  large Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and my Zipcar. Alas, my GPS took me a roundabout way to Pawtucket, Rhode Island and the supposed 45-minute drive takes an hour and 20 minutes. Luckily, I planned for this and still manage to make it on time. I walk into the lobby to the smiling faces of my two Northeastern classmates along with three students from Babson and a girl from Harvard (talk about competition!). 

We begin with a lovely breakfast and get to know each other and our interviewers. Next, I am taken into an interview room where I meet with seven people during a four hour period. I feel pretty good about my performance but only time will tell.  After interviews we are given a tour of the impressive facilities and finish up with lunch. I am informed that there are 10 positions for 28 applicants. These odds are better than I initially imagined and I leave anxious to hear their decision next week.

When I get home I immediately begin my nine thank you cards before passing out for a two hour nap.  At 6:00 pm I rally to meet a few friends at Kings Bowling. I never even knew this place existed but it's located a short ½ mile from my house. Decorated in a modern-retro vibe Kings is super fun and offers a great drink and food menu. After our fill of strikes (or, in my case, strike-outs) we travel down the street to TC’s Lounge. Unfortunately, I don’t last long and excuse myself at 11:00 pm to the warm embrace of my bed.

Plantain-encrusted Mahi Mahi at Orinoco

Saturday is an utterly unproductive day. I sleep in, print out some Statistics notes, finish up thank you cards and wait until my 7:00 pm dinner date with a friend at Orinoco, a South American restaurant in the South End.  My order of plantain-encrusted Mahi Mahi on a bed of shredded beef and tomatoes (yes, you can have fish and beef together) is divine as is the South American white wine I order. After dinner we maneuver the icy streets to DeLux Cafe, a quaint bar in the South End, were we end the night with dessert and drinks.

Sunday is far more productive and I finish up Monday and Wednesday's Finance assignments, do some research on Career Fair employers and work on another cover letter/resume combo for a recently posted job. 

Next week is going to be a big one for my fellow classmates and I as we tackle the much-anticipated Career Fair so make sure to check in next week for all the details.

* The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, its staff or affiliates.