L Brooks Entwistle says they filter you out and hand-pick only those who fit their expectations

What do world’s most elite companies like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey look for when they recruit MBAs? What are the skills and traits they look for? Speaking at Indian Schools of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, L Brooks Entwistle, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs India, offered some rare glimpses into the hiring process.
 
According to Entwistle, companies like Goldman Sachs make applicants go through a brutally tough process to select the very best talent. “We understand the value of good MBA. About half of our Mumbai office team in India is MBAs. I myself went to Harvard Business School in mid 90s and found the program very challenging and useful.”

Entwistle shared that such elite companies can hold up to 20 interviews before they finally select a candidate! In fact, he said that he, too, was hired from Harvard Business School byGoldman Sachs after 22 interviews! Here are his tips for top MBAs getting ready for the placement season.

1. Be a team player, not a solo star: “Goldman Sachs doesn’t hire super stars who cannot work in teams. It is just not our culture! We look for people who are very good at their job but are able to work in teams, and share credits.”

2. Deliver from Day 1: “When I joined Goldman Sachs after completing MBA at Harvard Business School, I was meeting clients on Day 1! That’s what we expect from our new recruits. To meet clients and start offering value to the organization. This requires a strong sense of business judgment.”

3. Manage complexity: “With globalization of products and services, businesses are very complex today. Can you manage the risks and complexity?”

L Brooks Entwistle is the MD and CEO of Goldman Sachs (India) Securities, and is based in Mumbai. In this role, he is responsible for all the firm’s businesses in India. His previous responsibilities at the firm included co-founding the Asia High Technology Group, serving as Chief Operating Officer for Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC, and working as Managing Director for the Financial Sponsors Group. Entwistle earned an AB in History from Dartmouth College in 1989 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1995.

He was speaking at the 21st AIMS Management Education Convention of which MBAUniverse.com was the ‘Web Partner’.