William Blair is an investment banking company, still one of the few that is privately held in Chicago. Many persons who end up working here have experience from financial institutions throughout Chicago, and the surrounding region. One day, in January 2011 three recruiters decided to come to the Northwestern University Career Expo (aka job fair) for students and alumni. They set up a booth alongside other employers and waited for Northwestern students and alumni to approach them.
I happen to be a very proud alumni of Northwestern University, a nationally ranked school #11 according to U.S. News and World Report in 2011. As a graduate of the school with a master's degree and several years of work experience under my belt, I had hoped to land a job with a financial company. Hence William Blair seemed appealing due to its small workforce and intimate knowledge of financial processes. The company seems very appealing - but not so much the recruiters who work for them. I approached the booth at the fair, introduced myself and briefly talked with this older man about my qualifications and work experience. Almost instantly, without spending any time listening to what I had said, he mentioned that I would need to have an M.B.A. to work as an "associate' in their firm. If I didn't have an M.B.A. then I could apply for to work as an "analyst" in their firm. But he said that I was simply overqualified and was not a match.
Here are some questions that I raised to him and also will mention here: 1) what kind of job can I apply for given how I already have a master's (a graduate level) degree from a top-ranked school such as Northwestern University 2) you say that I am overqualified, but you're hiring people with no experience into the firm which makes no sense since they are underqualified 3) people I have previously worked with in other financial institutions are in your company, and they do not possesss M.B.A.'s, C.F.A.'s, C.F.P.'s, C.P.A.'s, etc. etc. titles and degrees, and they are working as analysts and associates. Even members of their own executive board, their top leadership team as stated on their company website do not all possess these degrees. What makes them so special?

I am utterly disgusted by the comments made by the recruiter. He did not seem to know how to interview students and alumni. My question to him and William Blair is this: if you don't like qualified candidates applying, then why did you come to Northwestern University, to a job fair of all places? Do you even know how to talk to people? Show some tact and professionalism! Learn how to be good not only with what you do professionally, but also on a social/interactive level. And GET DOWN from your high horse.

I would never apply nor would I work for this company. I don't recommend that anyone apply or work for them either. Don't come back to Northwestern University. Cause you're doing a lot of students and alumni a disservice by misleading and insulting us. I would not want to waste my time waiting in line to talk with one of your recruiters and have such comments spewed at me. I could have used the time to talk to another company, or better yet, take a bathroom break than talk with William Blair.

What a shame.