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‘Unapologetically Honest’ Wall Street Internship Cover Letter from ‘Nothing Special’ Undergrad Lands Him Every Job Offer Available
The phrase “honesty is the best policy” probably wasn’t coined by someone trying to land a job on Wall Street.
But one finance major from an “average university” decided to give frankness a shot in his cover letter to a “boutique investment bank” where he was hoping to land a summer internship.It probably bodes well for his future in the industry that his risk paid dividends.
Within minutes, the letter was blasted to entire listservs of Wall Street bigshots, garnering the would-be intern rave reviews for his bravery.
“This might be the best cover letter I’ve ever received,” exclaimed one recipient. “THIS IS AWESOME,” capslocked another.
Others weren’t interested in wasting time on platitudes while someone else was snapping him up.
“No joke, I think we should consider this guy,” said one investment banker who was two forwards deep. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy gets at least a call from every bank out there.” (via Gawker)
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A day in the life of a modern-day butler
An age-old profession is getting a new lease of life as the super-rich demand their very own Jeeves.
Shifty suspects and secret drunks aside, the art of the modern butler is altruism at its best. Butlers live a life of anticipation. Whether the silver-haired administrator butler at a large estate or a housekeeper butler at a dual-income middle-class home, he or she is marked by a remarkable devotion to service. Ever nimble-toed, the efficient manservant can scurry like a dormouse through a lounge full of broken crockery, scooping, clearing and dusting even as the guest rests undisturbed, couched in a chesterfield with the latest edition of the Esquire at his elbow and a tawny port by his side. (via New Statesman)
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Refusing to have a political conversation about climate change now is akin to the insistence that the aftermath of a mass shooting is somehow an improper moment to talk about America’s gun laws.
— Amy Davidson on the political response to Hurricane Sandy: http://nyr.kr/Sk1WOM (via newyorker)
(Source: newyorker.com, via newyorker)
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Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent quits job over soft journalism – video
In the latest issue of the Superman comic book, which goes on sale on Wednesday, the caped hero’s alter ego, Clark Kent, quits his job as a journalist at the Daily Planet. A staff member at a comic book store in New York City’s Times Square says the superhero left the tabloid after voicing his disdain for the direction the newspaper is headed, lacking real journalism and real reporting (via | Culture | guardian.co.uk)
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Why Conrad Black is blustering
Convicted fraudsters who want to stay in business obey a single rule for their future prosperity – they always protest their innocence and seek pity as the victims of vengeful prosecutors, governments or “dark forces”. The fraudster knows that the slightest admission of guilt would permanently destroy his ambition to restore his social reputation and get back into making money. His mission of reassertion is always accompanied by cursing and trivialising an unfortunate interruption in his blessed way of life – like a damning government report, bankruptcy, or a period in jail.
(via The Guardian)
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Graduates to be offered £20,000 to train as computer science teachers
Graduates are to be offered £20,000 scholarships to train as computer science teachers in an initiative launched by the government and backed by companies including Microsoft and Facebook.
The move is part of a package of reforms aimed at overhauling computer science education, giving children the skills to write programs rather than simply focusing on word processing skills.
The education secretary, Michael Gove, announced on Friday that current information and communications technology teacher training courses will be axed from next year. Instead, ministers will offer scholarships worth £20,000 to attract high-achieving graduates to train as computer science teachers.
Teachers and industry leaders are concerned that the way ICT is currently taught in schools leaves children bored and learning little beyond the most basic digital skills.
Under the new measures, industry experts have set out the subject knowledge required of all new computer science teachers. This includes being able to demonstrate an understanding of key concepts such as algorithms and logic.
The new teacher training courses will begin next September, when around 50 scholarships will be available to applicants with a 1st or a 2.1 degree. (via guardian.co.uk)
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Abercrombie & Fitch boss’s jet rules: wear flip-flops and play Phil Collins
The boss of Abercrombie & Fitch requires male models who work as stewards aboard his private jet to wear boxer briefs, flip-flops and a “spritz” of the retailer’s own brand aftershave, it has been claimed in a US court case.
According to an “aircraft standards” manual, male flight crew are told to present themselves clean shaven in a uniform of Abercrombie polo shirts, boxer briefs, jeans, flip-flops and gloves (black for when handling silverware and white for laying the table) while working on Abercrombie chief executive Michael Jeffries’ executive jet.
The extraordinarily detailed manual, which also requires crew to play Phil Collins’ Take Me Home over the jet’s intercom as the jet takes off on homeward bound flights, was disclosed in an age discrimination lawsuit brought by a former pilot. (via The Guardian)
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Female executives failing to get foothold in top firms, survey shows
The UK’s largest companies are failing to promote female executives to senior management roles, potentially creating a shortage of women qualified to fill future boardroom roles and undermining initiatives to appoint more female directors.
Analysis by the Guardian of 50 of the UK’s most valuable companies shows that women account for only 14% of staff serving on executive committees – the management level just one rung below the boardroom and which are viewed as the pipeline of talent to fill future board vacancies.
The figures imply that women occupying jobs at executive committee level are even more scarce than on FTSE 100 boards, with the latest numbers from the Professional Boards Forum showing just 17.3% of blue chip directors are women. (via The Guardian)
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A minority report from the British armed services
What is it like to be one of the approximately 12,000 recruits from ethnic minorities currently serving in the British military? That was the question photographer Kit Oates wanted to address when, earlier this year, he embarked on a project to take portraits of members of the British army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force from minority backgrounds. “I was interested in recruits who might not have been born here, or whose parents weren’t, but who have decided to serve in the armed forces in this country. I thought it was an interesting area in a year when so much has been happening in Great Britain; I wanted to highlight another facet of our multicultural society.”
The Ministry of Defence was initially slow to provide access, but Oates believes his request was strengthened by recent reports that ethnic minorities are poorly represented in the British military – making up about 7% of the armed forces, with particularly low numbers in the navy and the RAF. “The British army needs to reflect British society,” defence secretary, Philip Hammond, said in June. “This is clearly a challenge now; to recruit from the ethnic minorities within British society in proportions that reflect that society.” (via The Observer)
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Pupils at Eton - the ultra-posh boarding school attended by David Cameron, among many others - have attempted their own take on Gangnam Style.
Even as “comedy” virals go it’s rather cringe-inducing. Yet an indepth analysis of the new lyrics – for it deserves nothing less – reveals that these over-privileged little herberts are just as needy, insecure and rubbish with the ladies as the rest of us plebs.
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Daily chart: booze, bonks and bodies. The various Bonds are more different than you think. Pierce Brosnan was the most bloodthirsty, bumping off around 19 baddies per film. George Lazenby was the Bond for the babes, whereas Daniel Craig is notably less successful with the ladies. Maybe that’s because he drinks the most martinis.
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Fighting snark with snark: Bodyform viral video destroys commenter
When Bodyform, the feminine hygene company, received a snarky comment on its Facebook page which went viral, it only had one option: up the snark. (via New Statesman)
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We are tired of being an unwilling party to what appears to be a deliberate attempt to deceive voters and swindle investors.
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The Economist on why they are removing Argentina’s official inflation figures from our economic indicators page. Find out why.
(via theeconomist)
(via theeconomist)
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Tokyo, Japan
Japanese college students watch a cheerleader at a rally wishing for success in their job search (via Reuters.com)
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So, how do you translate Diesel Fuel and No Smoking in Arabic?
It would seem that someone took the instructions for this tanker a little too literally (via The Guardian)
And they can’t even get “in Arabic” right!
