| Topic Name: |
Questions from a new FMP trainee: |
| Message Name: |
recent offer |
| Date Posted: |
02/15/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
Congrats on your offer, and on joining a great Company (and I can say that with confidence, even though I no longer work at GE).
Couple of thoughts:
1. Your screen name aside, don't think of yourself as "FMP Trainee." Think of yourself as GE Finance Professional, Future GE Finance Leader, or better yet, Future GE Business Leader (keep the last one to yourself in some circles). You have to go into FMP with some balls, for lack of a better term. GE is all about having self confidence. Note - that is NOT arrogance. Self confidence is "comfort in your own skin" as Jack used to say. It is the belief that your good, combined with self awareness of your weak spots, and where you need help.
2. Find a mentor, or better yet mentors. Best advice is to make friends with the folks who are a rotation or two ahead of you. Why are the successful folks successful. Why are the less successful guys less successful. Get to know the assignment leaders. Develop relationships so they want to teach you, and take an interest in seeing you develop. I've long maintained that you could take two identical people, give one to a strong assignment leader, and one to a bad assignment leader, and the first guy will become an FMP star, while the later guy could become a dud. Watch out for this, and try to preference your rotations accordingly.
3. Two the party line. I used to get in trouble all the time because I didn't tow the party line (that means me saying things like "I want to do CAS, then go up the chain in Finance, then be a business CFO." That's what the finance leaders want to hear. I used to say things like "I want to go to HBS, get my MBA, then run a business." General Managers liked that kind of thinking, but it didn't win me friends within the Finance community. Everything worked out well for me, but it was risky. In hindsight, I had a little too much candor about my ambitions. Again, things worked out well, but I took unnecessary risks. Best career advice for a new FMP is to go with the flow.
4. Build a solid reputation right out of the gate. Success insn't so much a factor of how smart you are, but of how hard you work. And even then, it isn't so much about face time, but about results. Prove that you can get things done. Have "attention to detail," be a "pitbull." Then, once you have the basics down, look for ways you can add value above and beyond the call of duty. There are always problems or issues that need fixing. Spot those opportunities, do a little bit of work on your own to figure out a plan, then review your plan with you assignment leader / manager. You want to make them look good; not upstage them.
That's it for now. Fire away with any other questions. |
| Message: |
I recently received an offer for the FMP Asia. The difference is that in the US, FMPs work for one business while in other countries they rotate between GE businesses. So, assuming that I am given the possibility of expressing my preference, which business should I choose? Are there businesses that are more "prestigious" than others? How about the functional areas? Also, my final interview was with the CFO of one of the businesses in Asia and he thought I should start in his business. Should I go for it, eventhough the business itself interest me less? HBS2003, you have giving some great insights. In fact, I am similar to you in the sense that I am more interested in going to B-school after the FMP rather than climb the GE ladder, and your thoughts have been very helpful. Any other advise for someone who is going to be a FMP? One concern that I have is the possibility of being pigeonhold in one of the GE businesses in Asia once graduated from the FMP. How easy is it for a foreign FMP to land a good job in GE US? Any comments will greatly appreciated.
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