A: I was in the business school at a non-target school where I majored in finance. I received an investment banking summer internship in the technology coverage group at a middle-market bank. I accepted the full time offer where I stayed for one-year. I then received an offer to be an associate investor at a middle-market growth / VC firm.Q: What are your overall thoughts on coaching? Have you ever taken on a coach in the past? Career coach in the past?
A: I had older mentors whom I treated like a career coach, but never formally worked with one. It wasn’t until I decided I wanted to look at career options outside of banking that I realized I wanted a coach to guide me. I wasn’t sure where to start in the recruiting process or how to use my time, so I saw a lot of benefit in bringing someone in to help me with that.Q: How did you hear about OfficeHours?A: I was reached out to on LinkedIn. At first I was a little skeptical about the program so held off. But after a few introductory calls I was all in.Q: Did you look at other coaching platforms as well? What attracted you to OfficeHours?
A: I was aware of a few others but didn’t look into them. I liked how OfficeHours not only focused on the technical / modeling aspects of recruiting but also helped with general best practices, networking, and interview prep. I also liked how they worked with qualified coaches who have been in my shoes before. They are very good about pairing you with a coach who was once in your exact position.
Q: How was your coach chosen? What criteria was important for you when choosing a coach?
A: The OfficeHours team did a great job of taking the time to get to know me and my professional goals upfront. We had two or three calls before they ever mentioned pricing or coaching packages. This signaled to me that they were sincere in wanting to understand my development needs before making a recommendation. Once it came time to pair me with a coach, they knew that I was somewhat concerned with how difficult recruiting would be from a middle-market bank. They were able to pair me with someone who got a stellar buyside role after working at a smaller investment bank. So it felt like every coaching call was specifically tailored to me.
Q: What specifically were some of your goals going into the OfficeHours sessions?
A: My ultimate goal was to receive a buyside job offer. But between my work and that main goal there were a lot of steps in between that I wanted to focus on because I wasn’t quite sure what type of role I wanted nor what firms I wanted to look at.
Q: How do you think your coach was most useful?
A: My coach was readily available to answer any of my questions. He made it comfortable for me to ask questions even if I thought they were somewhat ignorant. This allowed me to really nail down concepts I was unsure of and understand the bigger picture around the technicals.
Q: What ended up being your outcome? Did you take an offer?
A: After about 3 months of working with OfficeHours, I received a buyside offer that was essentially my dream role. It was with a company I had been following for a while that invested in companies I was very interested in.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Would you recommend taking on a coach to others?
A: Definitely – I really like how OfficeHours personalizes the coaching to each person’s needs. This allows people to focus on what they’re most worried about, resulting in a very efficient process.
Interested in learning more about OfficeHours and how a Career Coach can help you? Schedule a time to connect with a Coach here or Submit your Application directly here and we’ll be in touch!