As many of you know, I finished up the coursework for my Master of Finance in June when I passed my last exam at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. What you might not know is what all I’ve been doing since then to finally get started on my career. I’ve been keeping everything a secret until I knew for sure everything was going to work out. Now that all is in order, I’m excited to share that in just one week I will be loading up my car and road tripping down to Salt Lake City, Utah to begin my professional career as a Product Consultant for Xactware!

If you are confused and feel like this is coming out of nowhere, don’t worry. I don’t think even my family quite understood what was going on because it ended up being such a long, drawn out process. Since I have a 100% honesty policy on this blog I want to make a separate post in the near future to let you all know exactly how the grueling job hunt was for me.

Before I jump into the whole story behind getting this position, I’m guessing you’d like to know a bit more about Xactware. They’re a software solutions company who services the insurance and construction industries. They’re heavily involved with post-flood and hurricane repairs/rebuilding and are pretty much powerhouses in their industry. They’re listed on Forbes’ Most Innovative Companies as well as Best Mid-Size Employers. They’re a really great, innovation centered company focused on rewarding their employees and so I feel really good about taking the first steps of my career with them.

I initially applied for their Business Consultant position in early July. I really didn’t think much would come out of the application since I didn’t meet a lot of their minimum requirements which were centered around industry experience that I don’t have. I decided to give it a shot anyways because I really felt like I fit everything else they were asking for.

I ended up having my first interview via Skype the day before I moved back home from Milan to (near) Seattle. It went really well and long story short, they brought me out to Salt Lake early September for a second interview. They set up my flight, hotel, rental car — the works —  and after a very sleepless night, I gave the interview of my life.

I was prompted for my second interview to prepare a presentation of myself and what value I could provide a client if I was to consult for Xactware. The agenda for my interview had me first giving the presentation and then taking a Q&A, but I actually structured the presentation so that there were breaks throughout where they could ask questions. By the end of my presentation, they had basically asked all of their questions which seemed to really impressed them.

After my presentation, I toured their office which is pretty big and a bit Google-esque. There are TV’s in every office space, big stocked kitchens, and a really nice on-site gym. The only thing missing was some beanbag chairs but I guess if that’s all I have to complain about then I should be pretty happy. I spent the rest of my time in Salt Lake looking at apartments and getting the lay of the land.

Unfortunately, earlier this month I found out that I didn’t get the Business Consultant position. They really needed someone with experience to be able to immediately take some workload off of their lead consultant. The good news is that I made such a good impression on everyone who had met me that they essentially went out and found a spot for me.

Just yesterday I received my formal offer and after sleeping on it for the night, I officially accepted it. Next week I will be hopping in my car with all my things and making the 2 day, 1,000 mile road trip to move down to Salt Lake City. It’s crazy to think that just two days ago I had no clue where my life was headed and now, in just a week I will be in another state preparing for the start of my career. Such is the way of life. I’m just glad I can share it all with you.