We've been following this story on dealbreaker.com and wallstreetfolly.com for the last few days, wondering whether it really had legs. Several Wall Street blogs were describing the item as a US 'Lucy Gao' (The Citigroup intern who hits the headlines in August because of that e-mail about her birthday party at the Ritz). We were initially a little dubious, but now we're convinced. What you are going to read about is probably the most incredible investment banking job application - ever.

It all started earlier this month when Aleksey Vayner, a Yale University Senior, forwarded his 11 page cv and a video to UBS Investment Bank's Human Resources department in New York. Vayner was apparently after a job.

Now an 11 page cv is a tad excessive, but not in itself real news. It's the video (titled - 'Impossible Is Nothing') that has provoked the interest. Viewers of the video are treated to Vayner lifting a 495-pound weight, karate-chopping six bricks with one hit, serving a tennis ball at 140 miles per hour, and ballroom dancing with a scantily clad female. One of Vayner's most corny lines goes: 'Failure cannot be considered an option. To achieve success you must first conceive it and believe in it. Remember : impossible is nothing'. The video, which was shown on YouTube and a variety of other sites, has apparently made Vayner the laughing stock of the Street, doing the rounds at Credit Suisse, Goldman, JP Morgan, Lehman, Wachovia and a host of other firms.

Vayner also claims to run his own investment advisory firm (although some say that this is strange as his SEC qualifications are thought to be pending). He says that he has established his own charity (which some allege is fabricated). The would-be banker has also apparently written a book about the Holocaust, 'Women's Silent Tears', which some claim has been partially plagiarized from an online encyclopedia.

In the meantime, folks are getting a little nervous over at UBS, as the firm is said to be worried that Vayner might sue, claiming that the bank leaked his cv and video to the public. UBS spokesperson Kris Kagel said that 'we're looking at whether it did come from UBS and, if so, we'll take action. As a firm we obviously don't circulate (job applications) to the public'.

To view the video, please press the following link:

'Impossible is Nothing' - The Video

Sources include:

dealbreaker.com

wallstreetfolly.com

Dow Jones Newswires

The New York Sun

The Yale Daily News

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