In November 2023, I had three interviews with Morgan Stanley while in the process of moving to Houston. The first two interviews were conducted over the phone. The first interview was a typical screening, covering questions about why I wanted to work for Morgan Stanley, my customer service experience in the financial services industry, and other housekeeping questions. The second phone interview was much more comprehensive, lasting over an hour and conducted with a higher-up manager. This interview felt more like a friendly discussion and provided me with valuable insights into the culture of both the company and the specific office I was interviewing for, which was the Galleria location. The manager was impressed by my background in client services and the diversity of my experiences and internships, despite only my most recent positions being directly relevant to investing and the investment industry. She expressed approval of my qualifications and assured me that my resume would be presented to multiple people, and that I would be contacted by another manager under her supervision. True to her word, I was contacted a week later, and the in-person interview was arranged. By the time of the third interview in December 2023, I had just moved to Houston on December 8th. This in-person interview was quite intimidating, taking place in a sleek, impressive building. The questions were straightforward and focused on the role's expectations, emphasizing the complexity of the position and the aggressive nature of the licensing requirements. However, the tone shifted when I mentioned that I had recently failed the Series 66 exam. They informed me that passing at least one more exam was necessary before they could extend an offer of employment. I didn't take the additional exam, as I believed their request was not formal or binding since it wasn't in writing. This decision may have impacted the outcome, as I did not receive the job offer. Instead, I was ghosted by the company, which was frustrating given how far I had come in the interview process and the effort I put into traveling for the in-person interview. A courtesy email informing me of their decision would have allowed me to move on with my job search sooner. Despite this setback, I am now working for a much better company. Morgan Stanley however still played an instrumental part in my professional development process by teaching me to never beg any one - job or not job related - for anything.

Simple, they were very welcoming and straightforward. I felt comfortable when I got there, but I could tell they wanted someone with more experience than me. It only lasted 30 minutes and they only really wanted to hear me talk about my experiences and asked one behavioral question.