33 posts tagged “work” (page 2)
Spent over an hour this morning on the phone with this London-based analyst that is relocating to Radnor. He started the interview with three analytical/math questions.... and I only got the fraction-question correct. 5 min in to the interview and I'm already looking to get off the phone.
He asked me what my interest-level is on a scale of 1 to 10 and I said 7.5, although, I think its more around 5, if I were to be completely honest.... I couldn't have been too awful, since he wants me to chat with a bunch salespeople/traders on Tuesday (less than a week away). IF I got through that round, they would fly me to London next - which should be interesting trying to navigate since I have AN EXPIRED PASSPORT......
On the fence about this whole thing. I was wondering to myself this morning why I was even bothering to talk to this guy for a position that I'm just lukewarm about. I'm slightly more interested after talking to him, but still not jump-up-and-down excited. Guess Adam and I have something to talk about on the trip up to CT this weekend.
One of the nicest things about having this blog is its ability to allow me to look back. Hard to believe that just a year ago, I was working at {Big NY Investment Bank} nervously waiting for {Little Philly Co} to make me an offer to return. Wow, that seems like ages ago! On Halloween last year, I left early to have dinner with my dad and sister, completely screwed something up at work, and got my team royally pissed off at me, right before I (out of the blue, in their eyes) quit to work at my old job.
Ah, those were the days. UM, NOT!
Adam found out last week that they would be giving him more responsibility on the trading desk!!! He will be trading bonds that have a longer maturity, which are more difficult to value and are risky. AND, they are hiring a junior trader that will be reporting to him. No salary bump or title change, but his firm only tends to do that once a year, so it isn't a big letdown. It will probably be pretty stressful from him in the beginning, and extra work doing his job and training someone, but down the road it should be easier for him to take vacation - THANK GOODNESS!
So, it looks like grad school isn't the route for him (or us) right now. He's still going to sit for the GMAT, since the score is good for 5 years. I'm a little bummed, because this means we won't be spending two years living in a new city, but I wasn't thinking Adam would opt for an MBA, so I can't say I'm too surprised.....
YEAH ADAM!!!
Funny... I can actually use this title for the next post I'm going to write as well.....
In this case, I'm talking about work. On Friday, we FINALLY published the monster report I was working on. This morning, I was stuck dealing with unnecessary beaurcratic crap related to who would pay & coordinate publishing internally (a little game of hot-potatoe), but othwise, assumed I was in the clear once the report finally made it to the printer. I actually got to study for two hours, which was a welcome relief.
All was well until my boss's plane touched down in CA..... She had corrections to make, and we had to literally "Stop the presses" to make them. Of course, this happens 10min after I try to send my admin home early, (because she had been coming in early and leaving late to help with the report -- they aren't paid overtime, so I was trying to make it up to her).... our junior was out taking a securities exam - so I was left scrambling.
Wouldn't have been so bad, but I had specifically told my boss that the report was going to the printer this morning and if she had any changes/corrections, she would have to look at the document OVER THE WEEKEND. GRRR...
She had internet problems in her hotel room, so couldn't send us all of the changes, so now we need to continue working on this thing AGAIN tomorrow. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!
Update: Actually spent most of this morning (Tuesday) on this as well.... AND, had to deal with a condescending company executive who thought we should reword what was written about his company - I could have done without the 'tude!
I have been slaving away on a comprehensive industry report. Our Associate and I have been working on this thing for the better part of the last 5 or 6 weeks. My boss, who tends to procrastinate on the really important stuff, hadn't written a lick during this time but thought we could still get this thing published under the original timetable as she planned to complete her section over the (last) weekend. So, on Saturday my Associate and I put in a lot of work (I was in the office from 9:30am-5pm) and she was supposed to finish things off, in time to get it to our editors on Monday morning. Of course, she misjudged how long it would take to write her section. She didn't get her section fully written until mid-morning Tuesday, leaving me and our junior no chance to give it a healthy edit before sending it off.... It needed more editting than normal, because she was so rushed, but delaying the report further would have meant there was no way to get this published today. Earnings season starts for the other Analysts on Monday, so we need to get this out before than zaniness gets underway.
So yesterday, my boss and I are both in NYC on seperate business trips. We learn from our Associate that there was some heavy editting that needed to be done in the middle sections of the report, so the head editor wasn't able to get the report back to us when planned. The publishing date wasn't likewise moving back a day and our Associate and I were bracing for today to be a mad-sprint to the finishline.
This morning, as I am walking to work, I read on my blackberry a message from my boss pleading with our editors to push the publication date back by a day. I'm frustrated that things aren't going smoothly, but relieved that I will have an extra day to dot my I's and cross my T's. I see an email back from the editor incinuating that there is SO MUCH work that still needs to be done, he thinks it shouldn't go out until Monday. AND, he references the section that I slaved over as specificially needing some rework... UGH, crappy way to start the day. This report has taken over my life and I NEED TO STUDY FOR THIS EXAM. I really don't want this report hanging over my head anymore.
Won't get the report with edits back for another hour.... sitting on my hands in the meantime, bracing for the worst.
As I'm waiting, I decide to clean out my inbox and catch up on the news. Stumbled on an interesting article in the NYTimes about how people seem to mis-interpret emails. (quote below). Maybe, these edits won't be as bad as I fear.....
One reason for this is that we tend to misinterpret positive e-mail messages as more neutral, and neutral ones as more negative, than the sender intended.
Stay Tuned.....
Off to a rocky start: I arrive in to the hotel on Sunday around 5pm, a few hours later than planned because of travel-related nonsense - so much for lounging at the pool. What was I thinking? The Welcome Reception, which is an ideal time for exec-schmoozing starts at 5:30pm, so I don't have much time to settle in or relax. I'm in my room for less than 5min before Guest Services call. The nice woman informs me that housekeeping had made a note that there "might" be a problem with my toilet and she asks if I would please flush the toilet and tell her what happens - after some hesitation on my part, I flush - low and hold, the toilet floods all over the place. She informs me that she'll send up Engineering. Less than a minute later there is a knock on my door. I tell the guy that the toilet is overflowing and he responds, "Didn't Guest Services call you to warn you NOT to flush the toilet?". Um no, the exact opposite. So, by the time he does his thing and housekeeping comes back, its already 5:30pm. Didn't end up being a big deal, since those receptions don't get rolling right away. Funny little antidoke to share during conversation lulls.
Infrastructure Icebreaker: The next day, my boss is on a panel about what Wall Street views on the topic of Utilities investing in our Infrastructure. She shares WITH EVERYONE how my toilet overflowed as an example of infrasturture maintenance has really hit home. Rolled with the punches on that and was able to jokingly tell new people I met that I was the person who's toilet overflowed.....
A Surprise Visitor: At 4:20am on Monday morning there is loud knocking coming from the hallway. At first I think it is coming from a different door, but realize after continued banging, that it is indeed my door. I open it a crack (had that bolt thing on) and there is a dishelved, disoriented fella in his mid twenties standing outside. I ask him what on earth he wants and he replies "I just came back because I left my watch". I am thoroughly puzzled and thinking he doesn't pose a great risk, undue to bolt and open the door 6 inches (probably not the smartest move). He repeats what he says again. I give him a "you must be kidding look" and tell him he must have the wrong room. He's still convinced that I have his watch! I finally had to say "Dude, you weren't with me" and he finally leaves... looks like this guy had himself a one-night stand and left his watch behind. Pretty funny that even after I opened the door and he got a better look at me (for lack of a better expression) he didn't know that I wasn't his lady-friend.
Finding the Silver Lining: The panel my boss was on also had a young Analyst on it that used to work at our firm as an Associate on another Industry team, who left the firm about a year ago to become an Analyst following our sector. It annoys me to no end that this guy (and a similar {my company} Associate turned Analyst that also follows our sector now) talk as if they konw what they are talking about when they haven't been followed these stocks for more than a 1.5years and distract our clients and company management teams with the garbage they consider research (wow, am I caddy, or what???) So, in response to a question, this Analyst says something that is completely off-base and not on-point at all given this audience, and if taken to heart, vocalization of this opinion could actually hurt the companies we follow (long boring investment thing I'm trying not to go in to but isn't easy to gloss over). I wanted to scream out how off base he was, and I saw my boss, up on stage, trying to rebuke his comments, but not getting a chance to speak. At first, I was pissed that he was negatively impacting our companies. There was much hub-bub at the conference with management teams we spoke with afterwards about how off-base this yo-yo was.... So, silver-lining, this young dude completely shot himself in the foot and has helped reinforce that my boss and I really are the most knowledgeable Analysts covering this sector.
Added Benefit: This report I have been slaving away on is an Industry Primer. Its completely coincidental that it is being published a week after this conference. We have injected comments into our report rebuking this num-nuts thoughts --- we're looking pretty good.
Sinkhole in La Jolla: The morning I left La Jolla, it was reported on the news that a huge sinkhole happened in the area and some houses were evacuated - turns out this was only a few miles from where I was saying.
CA, um no: Can't say I am a big fan of South CA. So much dessert. And smog. I was driving from the conference to a company's headquarters in the outskirts of LA. I went around a bend in the highway and the air went from crisp and clear to fog filled. I couldn't believe it. To be fair, I was also in San Jose, and that part of the state I found to be lovely....
Freakishly Tired. My schedule while I was away was absolutely nutty. I was getting up at 7:30am EST (4:45 PST) in time to read the news on my stocks ahead of our company's morning meeting and to get some work in before my hectic day started. The days were filled with management breakfasts, meetings, and lunches, and when I could, attending the conferece -- conference is secondary for us, we are there to schmooze the managements attending the conference. Then, I usually had about an hour before dinner to touch base with my Associate and make sure I was handling work-stuff that I had ignored during the day. Evenings were spent at company dinners and then a drink or two at the bar. Didn't want to do that last part, but you learn a whole lot more during the informal times -- especially from drunk execs (WOW!). So, I was rolling in to bed between 10:30-11pm each night..... three days in a row! The fourth day, I was on a 7:30am plane to San Jose, so I was up early again as well..... EXHAUSTED. Didn't have time to watch 15min of TV, or even read the news, let alone squeeze in 2 hours/day of exam studying.
Although I thought it would be a nice quiet morning, so I could catch-up on my "exam" studying, this morning is proving to be pretty busy. One of our little companies is based in the Grand Cayman - not a great place to be on a day like today.... My boss was actually supposed to be down there today visiting with the management team (I'm jealous - this is the third analyst that I've worked with following this stock - when is it my turn to visit??? Now, this is what I call due diligence!!!) as part of her mini-vacation with her family, but they were rerouted to Turks & Caicos instead.
I'm actually enjoying that she is MIA during this "developement" as it gives me a chance to be the point-"wo"man on this news flow when ordinarily our salesforce/clients would be asking her opinion/directly, whether or not I was educated on the topic or not... While in many cases, I don't mind when they defer to her without even attempting to ask me, in this case, they should be asking me FIRST, since I was following the stock when Hurrican Ivan struck in September 2004, so I actually have the knowledge/experience about how the company handles this more so than she does. This is a nice chance for me to flex some Analyst-Muscle.
I don't typically use this blog as a forum to get in to work/finance topics... partly to keep my firm name quiet (and my job intact), but also because I like to use this as an escape from Finance-land not a place to regularly discuss it....
But, today, I couldn't go without commenting on this MORON that was on TV trying to analyze the Analysts. This video shown on CNBC shows how stupid commentary people can be... His fundamental analysis is flawed using only two categories "Outperform" and "Underperform" what about "Market Perform" - so right there his logic doesn't make sense...
AND, the firms at the top of this list are so small that they barely put out research. If you are only following 50 stocks, as a firm, you better pick good stocks to follow - you wouldn't follow stocks that aren't doing well, so logically, your Market Outperforms would be more selective. If you work in a research department of any size, you follow a multitude of sectors (which are constantly in and out of favor). 65% isn't very meaningful when you realize that they only had 24 stock "calls".... Just this week my team alone made 4 "calls" (rating changes). That was our one team in one week... how big is the "best" company, if in ONE YEAR they had 24 calls. Give me a break!
After a little finagaling here in the office, I was able to access my blog like normal - YEAH! A ray of sunshine on another crappy day. Hopefully, this means I will be OK going forward, and not just a fluke.
I'm an unpleasant person to be around today.... Poor Steve, my office-spouse.
The director of my department, who I could write multiple comments on (two words: Sexual Harrassment) made some inappropriate/lame joke this morning about giving my bonus it to our new Junior. He follow by saying "he's just joking" which is his cover for {I know I'm being inappropriate}. My response was a blank face (because he is constantly making inappropriate jokes about firing us, analysts being overpaid, etc...) he continued to joke about it and I finally got snippy and said I wasn't laughing because I didn't think it was funny or appropriate to joke about giving away someone's bonus. He replied that he "didn't know I would be so sensitive about it", to which I replied, "I'm not being sensitive, I just don't think its an appropriate comment". This is a CONSTANT INTERACTION with him and all of us - joking that he could have you fired. How is that funny? I've become increasingly un-amused as it goes on. Last week, two days after our new junior started he told me that since the "newbie" was so good, he didn't need me or my analyst around and he could fire us. To which I replied "fine with me, since you'll have to pay out my guarantee". To which he commented that it was a joke, blah, blah, blah... and I just ignored him and stared at my computer (the only way to get him to leave and find a new target in the office).
This story would make a little more sense if I had been commenting more frequently on my run-ins with this jackass. I haven't had it in me to bring this up... its a yucky topic and its bad enough I need to deal with it on a regular basis - never really feel up to regurgitating in print.... Sounds like he's getting the AX soon, so hopefully, this won't be a problem much longer....
THEN, shortly after that, I learn that my boss is going away for the weekend, which she hadn't told us previously, and was leaving the the airport, NOW. Um, thanks for keeping us in the loop - its freakin' earnings season, the market is all over the place, and we are busy as hell!!! She doesn't normally pull this crap. Not only did she bail early today, but she's going to be MIA visiting a potential client MOnday morning while we have one of our biggest companies reporting. Thanks a lot!
GRRRR..... so, I got lots of work to do and I've already fallen behind studying for the "exam".
Tonight, I got home from a busy day of work at 6pm; caught up with email, played on the computer (uploaded photos - finally!), and futzted around the house until dinner. After about an hour of TV with Adam, we "hit the books" for about an hour (should have been longer)..... and then I spent the next HOUR getting ready for the next couple of days....
I made myself two lunches (tmrw & Wed), bfast & dinner for tomorrow, and fruit snacks to last me the week.... then, I got outfits ready for the next few days, packed up my toiletries, and got my workout clothes laid out ..... what a lot of planning!!!!
Tomorrow, I plan on attending a SPIN (stationary bike) class at the gym before work - it starts at 6:45am, so I'll be a zombie leaving the apartment in the morning and want to be able to "grab & go" without much thinking.... I'll go straight to the office from there, and then straight from work to my "exam" class, which won't let out until 9:30pm, if I'm lucky. I prepped some for Wed so I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow night....
I'm a big Sunday night prepper... I like getting clothes ironed for the week and some food-prep done to make things go smoother when we get home and are in a rush to cook. I can only imagine how much more prep will come with kids. Yikes! It looks like some form of tonight's routine is going to become a weekly staple as I try to juggle a busy work schedule and regular exercise around this study regime. Ugh. Is it December yet?
