<p>I’m competing with very high caliber individuals.</p>
<p>To place perspective on things, Chelsea Clinton started her career at McKinsey. Mitt Romney started at Bain.
A very large proportion of the people in such positions were basically groomed for them from a young age. Such firms are dominated by well connected, ambitious, geniuses. I’d argue that I’m 2 out of those three and the deficiency is improving. Regardless of any outcome, I’m doing well and I’m happy with where life is taking me. I just want more substance to back up any ambition.
I’ve had friends who landed in similar caliber positions. One guy straight out was told that he received harder technical questions than someone out of Harvard would have and those who also got there were grilled with technicals. The few friends I’ve made from Ivies who had similar caliber positions confirmed that there weren’t given particularly hard questions and were able to get in more based on pedigree than recent accomplishment(they obviously put in appropriate effort in high school but hadn’t done much professionally).</p>
<p>During an interview(and I expect one or two if I network aggressively), I’d garner that a single line would help me answer 10 different questions. </p>
<p>My main concern would be about misrepresentation.</p>
<p>I’ll admit, I might simply be looking for reasons to justify any inadequacy. Either way I want to have my story well flushed out. I want to know myself well.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if the employer would even care about you being a first gen anything over your experience in the workforce + education, to be quite honest. </p>
<p>I would leave it off the resume and just mention it in an interview. IMHO, it can easily be brought up during the interview (I’ve done it in many interviews) since many interviewers ask similar questions. Or you can include it in your CV or letter of interest. It’s very doable, since one of my proudest quality is being a first generation high school graduate + future college graduate/current college student, and I’ve mentioned it a lot in interviews and just a few times in my CV when I see it is relevant.</p>
<p>If this is your concern, then I would just answer the question during the interview. That way you can give an eloquent, well though-out response, where you can make sure that they aren’t misinterpreting your intent. Not only can you explain any problems in your background or resume, but you can demonstrate your ability to self-evaluate, think critically under pressure, and respond intelligently and maturely, without giving excuses.</p>
<p>If you get harder questions than someone at Harvard, that sucks, but telling them that you’re a first generation student won’t make them give you easier ones. Make sure you know your stuff, and demonstrate why you are more than capable of fulfilling the demands of the position.</p>
<p>You can’t say “I’m a first generation student” in two minutes? When I was interviewing, I was told to be able to give a one minute description of myself and how I’m good for the position.</p>
<p>You said that none of your parents graduated college. If it’s this important to you, just put that you’re the first person in your family to graduate college. Personally, I don’t think it makes a compelling story, nor do I think your resume is the place to try to tell a compelling story (unless that story is about your work experience and skills). However, I’m not in your field, nor am I hiring you. If you think it’s appropriate and knowledgeable people in your field have vised you to put it on your resume, do it. “First generation student” has enough different definitions that you could argue your case if you need to, although I doubt people will care enough to check up on it.</p>
<p>I think most places define first-generation students as students whose parents and grandparents (and other ancestors) haven’t gotten bachelor’s degrees. That’s because it’s not just about the fact of a degree or not; FGCS status is a lot about the fact that you have to navigate the college application and experience by yourself with little help from your family (and little cultural knowledge). Community college does not confer that cultural knowledge upon you when you’re trying to graduate from a 4-year.</p>
<p>Given your prior experience, I don’t think you need to weave it into a story. You have the kind of experience that firms like that want.</p>
It’s very doable, since one of my proudest quality is being a first generation high school graduate + future college graduate/current college student, and I’ve mentioned it a lot in interviews and just a few times in my CV when I see it is relevant.</p>