The Student Room Group

How do I become Patrick Bateman?

>tfw my social skills are stopping me from passing interview processes
>tfw failed over 20 of these since late 2013 for graduate internships / positions
>tfw these include front office investment banking

Is anyone else like me? I am just **** socially. I had zero friends or acquaintances in university. I'm not a woman so I have no intrinsic value in society's eyes. I'm an ethnic minority as well.Seriously, over 15 years of education and everything comes down to answering stuff like: "Talk about a time you worked on a diverse team." "Talk about a time you had to negotiate with someone." Ad nauseum.

I get it, almost all jobs require nothing more than literacy and the mathematical skills of a 14 year old. But seriously, are people like me, who don't bull**** articulately enough while improvising made up answers, really such a virus in the eyes of the system? And I mean system to be meant generally. I've been to canary wharf, to my country's central bank, to famous engineering companies, all for interviews. They were all near identical processes. Tests of normieness.

Also I have passed individual interviews, so I don't have a broken brain or anything like that.
He was into mergers and acquisitions.
Reply 2
Original post by throwawayijd
>tfw my social skills are stopping me from passing interview processes
>tfw failed over 20 of these since late 2013 for graduate internships / positions
>tfw these include front office investment banking

Is anyone else like me? I am just **** socially. I had zero friends or acquaintances in university. I'm not a woman so I have no intrinsic value in society's eyes. I'm an ethnic minority as well.Seriously, over 15 years of education and everything comes down to answering stuff like: "Talk about a time you worked on a diverse team." "Talk about a time you had to negotiate with someone." Ad nauseum.

I get it, almost all jobs require nothing more than literacy and the mathematical skills of a 14 year old. But seriously, are people like me, who don't bull**** articulately enough while improvising made up answers, really such a virus in the eyes of the system? And I mean system to be meant generally. I've been to canary wharf, to my country's central bank, to famous engineering companies, all for interviews. They were all near identical processes. Tests of normieness.

Also I have passed individual interviews, so I don't have a broken brain or anything like that.


Competency interviews are complete BS, but ironically I think its because they're such BS questions that they're actually good questions to weed people out.

Because even if you dont have any actual experiences to use for answers, if you really wanted the job enough, you would put in the time to create answers.

When I did SW interviews I had to answer a ton of competency questions. Half of my answers were completely made up, and for the other half I grossly exaggerated my significance in the situation.

So they're more just a test of how much you actually want the job....because I am a banker now, and do I use leadership, initiative, or problem-solving skills on a daily basis?.....lol no :lol:
(edited 8 years ago)
at the end of the day, it's a ppl industry. superior academic credentials isn't useful in IB.

Quick Reply