I was very excited about returning to my alma mater tonight to participate in my bank's recruitment drive. NTU has changed so much that I spent 15 minutes within the school compound looking for the good old LT1! I recall we used to come in normal school wear ( ie tshirt and jeans) when we attended recruitment talks but all the students now came dressed up like they are going for job interview! What surprised me even more is the fact that almost all the students that stayed back for the mingling session are foreign undergrads! And I have to add " aggressive and hungry foreigners!" Most of them are doing a double degree and here are some sample of the questions they asked me
- Is Nomura-Lehman's culture similar to that of Goldman?
- FX spreads should be coming lower. How does the bank deal with that problem?
- Tell me about your career path at your old bank... how fast can an analyst progress in Nomura?
and many many more!
A supposedly 30 mins mingling session dragged on for an extra hour. I was speaking mandarin most of the time as more than 50% of the students that approached me were from China.. One of them was even dolled up in Chanel accessories and carrying a Chanel bag! She looks like an "Er Nai" but definitely one with brains. She told me she had her internship with Goldman and is looking for a role to cover China accounts on the sales side. My bet is that she will end up marrying one of the investment bankers eventually and become a taitai.
I only spoke to 1-2 Singaporeans , which makes me wonder.. how can singaporeans fight with the foreigners if they are not even interested enough to stay back to ask questions??? I also started to worry for my kids. Double degree is the norm now and the competition is already so tough from these effectively bilingual foreigners. What will their university life be like in the future? I can only pray....
