Alumni events How A Crescent Alumni Event Changed My Life
Cyrus Zahedi ’00 and Dave Williams ’82
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t was September 2010 – my 10-year Crescent reunion. I was looking forward to this event, given that I had missed my five year reunion because of a conflicting work visa renewal process in New York. I was in the midst of MBA recruiting season, hoping to land a job so I could breathe easily until graduation. I came to see some old friends, and had no idea that my visit to Crescent would ultimately affect my career path.
I ordered a drink at the bar at the same time as another Crescent alumnus. I let him go ahead of me and he introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Michael Williams,” he said. I introduced myself, and he then asked me what I did for a living. “I’m actually doing a one-year MBA, ideally looking to do institutional sales at a bulge bracket investment bank after I graduate in April,” I said. “Funny you mention that,” he said. “I just became the COO of Capital Markets at HSBC in Toronto. We should talk.” A few months later, we met for a cup of coffee, and he asked me some behavioural questions – mainly to see if I would be a good fit for the culture at HSBC. I could tell he was keen to help out a fellow Crescent grad, but I also knew he wasn’t going to just hand me a job. Several months after I passed the “fit” test, Michael arranged six informational interviews for me with various HSBC sales desk heads and the Co-Heads of Capital Markets. Despite having positive conversations, there were no jobs at HSBC for MBAs at the time . . . yet I couldn’t help but think how hard it would’ve been to score three hours of face time with senior management at any other bank on Bay Street.
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I kept in touch with Michael throughout the school year, and he was always prompt to respond and provide me with helpful feedback. Literally three days before I was set to graduate, an opportunity at HSBC was posted on my school’s online job board. The job involved a combination of institutional sales (a strong fit with my post-MBA goals), and credit analysis (a strong fit with my skill set and prior work experience). “Perfect,” I thought. Before I applied online, I sent Michael an e-mail. “Do you know who is hiring for this position?” I asked. He not only gave
me the contact information of the person responsible for hiring, he also encouraged me to mention my positive meetings with him and other senior executives. I sensed that he was rooting for me, which was exactly what I needed as I was nearing the post-MBA unemployment line. After three rounds of interviews, I received a job offer. I am now over a month into the job, and love it. Ironically, I work indirectly with Michael, and see him on a daily basis. Sometimes I can’t help but ask myself, “What if I hadn’t gone to my reunion?” The moral of the story: go to as many Crescent alumni events as you can! The Crescent family bond is strong, and you never know where it will take you.
Welcome to Grad BBQ – June 13, 2011
CYRUs ZaheDi ’00