Numi, PE is slow in general right now. The fact that you have submitted LOIs indicates that you are in a lull period before a busy period…a slow day does not make for a pattern. Now if you start putting together slow weeks then might be worth your while to show some initiative. For now, be patient. Sometimes being too persistent can be annoying and you can get extra work, just at the wrong time.
Hi Gecco, thanks for the feedback. You do have a point that this may just be where we’re at in terms of the deal process, combined with what is generally to be considered slow deal flow in the private equity space. In any case, I fine with just chilling out for now and finding other ways to be productive without being a nuisance to others around me. I figure there are ways that I can improve my knowledge of our models, keep up to date with what’s going on in the buyout space, and so forth…and I have more than enough stuff I can read and do on my own so that the next time I get staffed on something, hopefully I can be that much more productive. You’re right in that it’s only been a couple of days of relative “idleness” – I’d be a lot more worried if days turned into weeks though.
Aspiring Analyst Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Christ Farley, you f*cking love yourself, don’t > you? Spare the rest of us–it is nauseating. It still amazes me a) that junior analysts feel they can mouth off behind a computer screen to people in positions of power who in real life when I say jump they say “how hi?” and b) how much junior analysts think they know compared to how little they actually know.
Summers at my work are usually pretty slow, and there have definitely been days where I didn’t do anything other than surf the web and listen to the radio. It’s just the natural ebb and flow of the business.
numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don’t mind farley013’s posts. If he worked hard > and was able to move up because of that, more > power to him. We all want to fast track it in this > industry, so hopefully what works for him will > work for me too. > > farley013, with respect to the “new ideas,” how > did you come up with them? Was there someone you > spoke with in order to ensure that they’d be > value-add and that they were on point with > whatever it is that you’re doing? I definitely > think this is a good way for me to show initiative > and leadership; however, my only reservation at > this time is that I’ve only been doing private > equity for a few months, and I don’t have that > much of a sense as to what would be worthwhile. > Last thing I would want to do would be spinning my > wheels on something that nobody cares about… Probably part experience and part common sense/figuring out what your firm or group is lacking. For example, a week after I started at this job I noticed that we didn’t have any type of firmwide market update so I created a weekly 1-page summary of market news and hedge fund news that now gets forwarded to clients. If you need to run ideas past people I would suggest talking to someone in a position of seniority that you trust but not necessarily have any authority over you, like a managing director in a different product group. I use my ex-boss as an adviser for new ideas since he knows my firm and partners well and what they would likely be receptive or not receptive to.
wouldnt you say how “high”?
farley013 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Aspiring Analyst Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Christ Farley, you f*cking love yourself, don’t > > you? Spare the rest of us–it is nauseating. > > > It still amazes me a) that junior analysts feel > they can mouth off behind a computer screen to > people in positions of power who in real life when > I say jump they say “how hi?” and b) how much > junior analysts think they know compared to how > little they actually know. Your perception of me does not change the reality of your perception of yourself–which is too “hi.”
Tried to edit my previous post, but ran out of time (what an odd thing for a forum, by the way). Anyway, to keep this on subject–sorry Numi–I wouldn’t worry about a little down time. Seems like you’re just at a low point in the ebb and flow of the work cycle. I think it’s natural for very driven, determined people like yourself who are looking to make a strong impression to get slightly anxious or uncomfortable when they do have time on their hands, but you need to let yourself enjoy it. I remember reading in another thread about how you are active, play sports, etc. I really believe that this sort of balance in life is critical. I know you, like many of us, take an almost sadistic pleasure in being balls-to-the-wall busy at work, and all the same you should learn to appreciate the moments when you can sit back and breathe. Having said that, having a little ace up your sleeve may also be a nice alternative if you find yourself being free to the point of boredom/restlessness. While I am not a fan of Farley’s egomania, his point regarding pet projects is nevertheless a good one. If you can’t think of anything in particular that you would want to research/prepare on your own, perhaps try asking one of your superiors, maybe one that you are more casual with, if there was any project that he/she has been looking to work on, or is interested in, but for whatever reason has been forced to put on the backburner, or maybe is just a bit off the beaten path. In other words, something that wouldn’t be high priority, but you could go back to when time permits. This would have the benefit of being something that your boss would have some interest in and it could lead somewhere down the road.
Why risk being an annoyance, normally when leaving the office of Mr. Boss I say “excellent, let me know if there is anything else I can help with”. Leaves the door open for when they have something without alerting them there is “an issue” with you not being busy enough. Of course I’m surfing the net right now…
Aspiring Analyst, thanks for the comments. I’ll definitely try to think more critically about coming up with potential “pet projects,” or anything else where I can really take ownership while also doing something novel for the team. I think your assessment about my anxiousness is spot on – it is definitely because I want to have more opportunities rather than fewer in order to make a good impression, and also so I can learn to get up the learning curve more quickly. I’m the kind of person who’s always looking for stuff to do, but at the same time I see how it’s important to enjoy the downtime while I have it, especially if it’s just a natural part of the business cycle. Free time will probably be gone before I know it, anyway.
dude, it’s only 1 day of not doing anything. Put a model up on your screen, print an industry report for you to pretend to read, and check out espn.com for the rest of the day.
DirtyZ - excellent advice…