I had my interview with FactSet this morning. My friend John interviewed with them back in November and was called back for a second interview in December. I remember talking with him about the company, it seems like an exciting place to work! The interviewer confirmed that they have a very communal corporate culture (there is very little definition of management structure, everyone is friends with everyone else, and after work teams go out for drinks/dinner). The interview went very well, the technical questions he asked were all closely related to the work I’m doing now, so they all seemed pretty easy.
We also spent some time shooting the breeze about various topics. He told me all about his job at the company, stating that I would essentially be working on his team if hired. He discussed Greenwich, CT which sounds like a great place to live with lots of cafes, shops, cultural events, and is only 30 mins from NYC by train. We also chatted about RPI for a bit as he was a grad of the class of 2001. My interview was supposed to run from 10:45-11:15, and at around 11:15 he looked down at his cell phone, which was sitting on the table, to check the time. I asked if he had another interview that he needed to get to, and he said “yeah, but we can chat for a few more minutes”. We ran about 10 minutes over, which is can’t be a bad sign! He ended by talking about benefits (stock options, free health/life insurance, etc), and mentioned that their going starting salary for my position is about $65,000/yr.
There are a few problems, and he was upfront about them. He said that right now they are approved to hire people that will start with the company in Jan, 2005 which isn’t so good for me. I’m graduating in May of 2004 and really could use a job right away! Anyway, he continued to say that if they found someone they were really interested in, they could petition the president of the company to allocate funds to hire them in May instead of next January. So hopefully that means there would be a chance at a job there.
I’m also trying not to get any hopes up, because FactSet brought John in for a second interview in CT, and even though everything seemed smooth and a done deal for him, about two months later he got a rejection letter from them. He was applying for a different job that I interviewed for, but still it seemed like they led him on a bit too much.
So that’s the interview story. I’ll post any job-related updates here as they come in!
I thought you were going to grad school??
Did that change?
I’m really just trying to leave my options open. However, the job option would be nice to have right now because I’m having trouble getting the people who promised to write grad school recs for me to actually write them. It has been most disappointing.
But don’t worry, I’ll probably stay involved with my work at RPI for a while after I leave… you haven’t seen the last of me!!!!
allow me to say that interviewing bites the big one. so much prep work involved, so much anxiety, and gosh darnit, i just don’t like it!
in regards to starting in december, that could be cool too. i mean, you’d have a while to do things you want. you could get a “joe job” or do consulting work (you seem to have things lined up for a while), and you could even do some traveling and take your time getting settled into an apartment and stuff. you could even take a bartending class or something! it sounds like a great opportunity, so if you got it… you may just want to think of ways you could optimally use your lag time. oh how i’d love an offer. it would be splendid.
Yeah, the prep work is really time consuming, and in the past there really was no payoff. I’m hoping this time it will have been worth it! Plus my interviewer was only a few years older which somehow made everything seem more comfortable.
You’re definitely right about all the things I could do until next January. I would be largely tempted to cut out of town and travel for a while, perhaps working first to save up some money. I just have to keep in mind that my loan grace period begins as soon as I graduate, and while I don’t have a large balance in that regard, I don’t want to forget about them!
I also have the option of staying at RPI and continuing to take classes because I still have one semester of financial aid remaining. I might take those two additional psych classes and finish out a minor in that field. I might also take a few business classes! That would defer my grace period, and I still might be able to cut class for a few weeks and hit the road/jetways.
But yes, an offer would be great… I’m at least a few months away from that I’m afraid, assuming they like me! Haha sorry about the long comment!
Glad to hear it went to well! When do you start to hear back about Grad school admissions decisions?
My interview’s next week … any surprises I should expect about interviewing at the DCC?
I think the DCC Interview Center is a pretty nice place to interview. There are dozens of little rooms, all about 6′ X 6′, each with little doors, etc.
My advice is to arrive a little early, and even though they usually come out to get you I always check in at the desk just inside the door. They can let you know sometimes if the interviews are running a bit behind schedule so you aren’t sitting in the waiting area wondering if they forgot about you!
Good luck Joe! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Thanks, I will.