2010, a partial overview (pre-Q2)

Before I begin my review of the Q2, I must amend the Q1 review with two interviews. Interviews are such fleeting moments in your life, but they can be rich source for reflections. I had two series of interviews, one with a local i-bank, the other with a local money manager. I broke into final rounds, failed the i-bank's, succeeded with the money manager. The second series of interviews with the money manager is worth noting, as it took 5 months in total for them to reach a decision. The irony of that is: after 5 months' intermittent evaluation of my hard skills and personality, they didn't fully trust me since the beginning. How could I tell? They regard my questions as attempts to challenge their authority (I can't say I didn't want to impress them with more difficult questions, but interpreting them as challenges is just one step too far). With my very limited corporate exposure, I must admit that I don't have the soft skills to perform in an environment where one's actions is met with constant scepticism and second-guessing, where one becomes uncomfortable asking questions, where others' second guessing induce one's self-doubt.