I went home last night and pondered where the original intent of my post where my point was taken wrong (as it has in many of my posts). Not giving full account of the interview contributed to the issue, also the many impressions people have of me on CB was a contributing factor. I'm not going to defend myself to CB, its an internet chat board that unless you know the individual our imaginations and interpretations of posts is all we have of each other. I'm fine with that. I'm an outsider, and apparently will always be an outsider as a Non-LDS, NYC, BYU fan who is not one of the "originals" to join CB.

But back to my post yesterday, and some clarifications about the interview. Many have portrayed me as instantly judging the character of the guy solely on his shoes. Well the truth is I did, I've been trained that way. Regardless of whether many of you agree with it or not doesn't matter, the fact is, more people then you know will judge you on your shoes (especially in places like NYC/Boston/DC). I gave the kid an opportunity to change my impression and he plainly made it worse. He simply could have given me a reason to excuse the shoes (by the way, they weren't just nicked, they looked like they were 5 years old never having been polished), but he immediately argued the issue.

In all interviews I give, I allow for mistakes, I've been there just as many of you shared that you have to. I allowed the kid to continue to prove to me that he was worth getting past the start. I won't go into detail about the interview, I just want to clarify a few things:

- I never brought up $1,000 suits, this young man did. My expectation is that you dress professionally, always bringing a suit to work because you never if you have an opportunity to be in a position where it is needed. I've had many opportunities pass me by in the beginning of my career because I didn't have a suit on. So to provide my associates (and others) to always be in a position to be able to have those opportunities to meet with clients, CEO's, etc., I require a suit. As a side not, it is just commone sense in the financial world to wear a suit, and our firm requires it. That said, it's not about how much you spend on it, it is solely about how it looks. Regardless of some of the comments yesterday, you can tell the difference between a cheap suit and an expensive suit, especially those who wear expensive suits every day. Maybe those who don't wear suits can't tell the difference, but clients, CEO's, investors can.

- I don't hate Mormons. I don't know were this came from, and I have preconseived opinion about any Mormon applicant. I made comment that I've experienced the attitude from many BYU/Mormon kids about it being ridiculous to spend money on clothes, and solely focusing on their mission as why they are great fits for the position. I respect all of you who have or will serve a mission on CB. That said, trying to get a job in NYC in finance is not the best place to go for an entry level position if you have no other experience. Though the things you learn on a mission are great, and probably by far better at preparing you for success, it proves nothing as far as skill sets that you can bring to the firm. Most kids that interview for these positions have had internships and/or other jobs that provide that limited track record. You can only extend your mission experience so far in an interview. Were it helps, is showing leadership skills, personal commitment, team playing, and trust. It won't show that you can run excel and create models, analyze a companies finances, do research, and write reports/memo's. This young man tried to stretch his mission experience. It wasn't that he talked about it, it was how he used it and as almost to the point where he wouldn't stop unless I praised him for his mission. I don't portray that in words, so it is what it is.

Again, please feel free to portray me in any way you want, but many of your assumptions have been wrong. I love CB because of what it provided me over the last few months of last year (and January) at a time that I needed a place to vent. I got a little carried away, and in many instances made a fool of myself. To much free time can do that to everyone. I enjoy coming on to share my feelings I sometimes can't with those I work with, to see if I'm making a mistake in my judgement. And honestly, being anonymous is nice as it allows me to be me, even when sometimes I lead to incorrect impressions of who I am.

Thats all. And here's to BYU making the Dance!