A job interview at Goldman Sachs

I’m sure lots of people have had strange experiences while searching for and interviewing for jobs. People who do the recruiting and interviewing of job candidates often have funny stories to tell. Sometimes I wonder though, if other people looking for a job have had anything similar to mine.

Once I went on an interview for a job as a college recruiter, with Goldman Sachs. This particular office was in lower Manhattan. The director of college recruiting was a guy named Mike Lowenthal. At the start of the interview he mused, “There’s mostly women working in college recruiting.” Hmm, maybe this gives me an edge, I thought. He didn’t ask me any questions though. He just rambled on for a couple of minutes about Goldman Sachs. Suddenly, he looked past me (his office was surrounded by windows).  He stood up, grabbed a stack of what look to be like tickets to a game or concert wrapped with elastic bands, and raced out the door. I turned around, but he had already fled down one of the hallways, disappearing from sight.

So I sat there for a few minutes, wondering what I should do. Wait until he comes back? Leave now? It started to dawn on me that I wasn’t going to get this job even if I stayed, so I was about to go when a girl named Kim walked in.

“Mike had to go, but I’ll finish the interview,” she said brightly. Then she proceeded to talk a little about the job. She didn’t ask me any questions, or ask if I had any questions about th position. She did talk at length about the bars in the area and how everyone in the department liked to go out for drinks after work.

After a few minutes she stood up and held out her hand. “It was nice to meet you,” she said.  For some reason I said thank you, nice to meet you too, instead of saying what I really felt, which was, why did you even bother to call me in….

I’ve thought that maybe they didn’t like the way I looked. If that’s the case, and I’m sure some interviewers consider that above all else (although they would never admit it), why not ask for a picture? A photograph with the resume on the back. It would save us all a lot of time and money. By looks, I mean beyond the blue suit/white shirt/red tie/polished shoes/clean shaven appearance.

Who knows. Maybe this isn’t as ridiculous as some others’ experiences. It feels like it was a waste of time and energy. On the other hand it’s given me something to write about, so maybe it wasn’t a total loss. Stay tuned for upcoming stories about job search…

The best Catchers in Major League Baseball history

The position of catcher is the most demanding position in the sport, both physically and mentally. So to have a player who can sustain a high level of achievement at the position is rare. Below is a ranking of the top 21 Catchers in major league baseball history, based on both offensive and defensive statistics.

 

 

The best Catchers in major league baseball history:

 

21) Rick Dempsey:  A four-decade major leaguer, Dempsey had a .988 fielding percentage and threw out 40% of runners attempting to steal while catching 1,633 games from 1969-1992. He was the MVP of the 1983 World Series.

 

20) Ray Schalk: A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Schalk caught 1,727 games from 1912-1929, with a .981 fielding percentage and 49% caught stealing rate, higher than the league averages at the time of .976 and 44%. 

 

19) Ted Simmons: An eight time All Star while catching 1,771 games from 1968-1988, Simmons had a fielding percentage of .987 and threw out 34% of runners, while batting .285 with 248 home runs and 1,389 RBI’s in his career.

 

18) Brad Ausmus:  Ausmus caught 1,998 games for four teams from 1993-2010, winning three Gold Gloves. His career fielding percentage was .994 and caught stealing rate was 35%.

 

17) Mike Piazza: A twelve time All Star, Piazza has a fielding percentage of .989 and threw out 23% of attempted basestealers while catching 1,630 games from 1992-2007, but his value lay in his bat. He has a career average of .308 with 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI’s.

 

16) Jorge Posada:  A five time All Star, Posada batted .273 with 275 homers and 1,065 RBI's, in 16 seasons. He caught 1,574 games with a .992 fielding percentage and a 28% caught stealing rate.

 

15) Elston Howard:  A nine time All Star and winner of the 1963 American League MVP award, Howard caught 1,138 games and had a fielding percentage of .993 and a 44% caught stealing rate.

 

14) Jim Sundberg: A three time All Star and winner of six Gold Gloves, Sundberg had a .993 fielding percentage and threw out 41% of runners attempting to steal, while catching 1,927 games from 1974-1989.

 

13) Bob Boone: Winner of seven Gold Gloves and a four time All Star, Boone caught 2,225 games from 1972-1990, with a .986 fielding percentage and caught stealing rate of 40%. He batted .311 in 36 post season games.

 

12) Lance Parrish:  Catching 1,818 games from 1977-1995, Parrish won three Gold Gloves and was named to 8 All Star teams. He had a fielding percentage of .991, and threw out 39% of attempted base stealers. Parrish also hit 324 home runs and drove in 1,070 runs.

 

11) Carlton Fisk: During a 24 year career Fisk caught 2,226 games with a fielding percentage of .988 while throwing out 34% of base stealers. He batted .269 with 376 home runs and 1,330 RBI’s.  Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

 

10) Thurman Munson:  Winner of the 1970 Rookie of the Year Award, and named the American League MVP in 1976, Munson was a seven time All Star selection and winner of three Gold Gloves. He threw out 44% of base runners attempting to steal, and  hit .373 and drove in 12 runs in 16 World Series games. Munson caught 1,278 games in eleven seasons.

 

9) Mickey Cochrane: A two time All Star, Cochrane was named American League MVP in 1928 and 1934. He has a career batting average of .320 with a .419 on-base percentage. He threw out 39% of basestealers while catching 1,421 games in 13 seasons. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

 

8) Gary Carter: Winner of three Gold Gloves and an eleven time All Star, Carter had a fielding percentage of .991 and caught 35% of attempted basestealers while catching 2,056 games in 20 seasons.  Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

 

7) Ernie Lombardi: A seven time All Star and winner of the 1938 National League MVP award, Lombardi caught 1,544 games in 17 seasons. He had a .306 career batting average and threw out 47% of attempted base stealers. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

 

6) Gabby Hartnett: Catching 1,793 games in 20 seasons, Hartnett led the National League catchers in caught stealing percentage six times, with a career mark of 56%. A six time All Star, he had a career batting average of .297 and won the 1935 National League MVP award.  Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

 

5) Roy Campanella: Named the National League MVP in 1951, 1953, and 1955, Campanella was named to eight All Star teams. He threw out 57% of basestealers while catching 1,183 games in 10 seasons. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

 

4) Bill Dickey:  An eleven time All Star, Dickey's threw out 47% of runners attempting to steal. In 17 years Dickey had a .313 batting average and caught 1,708 games, while contributing to seven Yankees’ world championships in the 1930's and early 1940's. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.

 

3) Ivan Rodriguez: A thirteen time Gold Glove winner and fourteen time All Star, Rodriguez won the 1999 American League MVP award.  Catching 2,427 games in 21 seasons, he threw out 46% of runners attempting to steal.

 

2) Johnny Bench: Winner of ten Gold Gloves and a fourteen time All Star, Bench won the National League MVP award in 1970 and 1972. Catching 1,742 games in 17 seasons, he threw out 43% of basestealers and had a .267 average, 389 home runs, and 1,376 RBI’s. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

 

1) Yogi Berra:  Selected to the All Star team 15 times, Berra won the American League MVP award in 1951, 1954, and 1955. He caught 1,699 games in 19 seasons and threw out 49% of basestealers to go along with a .285 career batting average, 358 home runs, and 1,430 RBI’s. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

 

 

 

source for statistics: www.baseball-reference.com

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