It has been a hectic two years at the Illinois MBA and with that I have realized a long-cherished dream to earn my MBA. I consider myself fortunate that I landed a job in exactly what I wanted to do after my MBA. My job search has been intense, and I would like to share what I have learned from my experience of successfully completing a job search in this difficult economy, and that too as an international student. Let me go ahead and explain each and every aspect of my job search in detail.
Business Career Services
I would suggest everyone to work very closely with the Career Services team. I kept talking to my career advisor and taking advice on a regular basis. Make sure you know what your advisor expects of you in your career search. They are here to facilitate your career search, but ultimately you need to be in charge of your job search. Both of my internship interviews came through opportunities created by Career Services, and I finally accepted one of the internship offers. Whether you become successful in an interview or not, always share your interview experience with them. They might have some valuable feedback based on how your interview went. In fact, they often have the opportunity to get direct feedback from on-campus recruiters regarding the interviews.
Career Fairs on Campus
The next big resource for a job search is the various career fairs offered on campus. Initially I could not differentiate what strategy I needed for campus job fairs vs. nationwide job fairs like NSHMBA, etc. Both require some amount of planning in terms of how you are going to talk to the company representatives. Consulting companies are highly sought after, and one has to wait for long hours before actually getting to talk to a company executive. I think that the main aspect of a campus job fair is to go ahead and talk to the person from the right department in the organization. Different departments are looking for students of specific interest to them, and it pays off much better to talk to the right person from the area of work you are interested in. After I utilized this strategy, I actually received an interview call for a full-time position thanks to a contact I made at the business career fair.
National Career Fairs (such as NSHMBA)
National career fairs are a great opportunity for a job search, and the NSHMBA (National Society of Hispanic MBAs) Conference was a good experience for me personally. I highly advise that you go to these fairs with a significant amount of preparation. They can be extremely overwhelming because of the sheer number of companies and students attending. One needs to start applying for the jobs at the companies represented at the career fairs well in advance so that you have at least a couple of off-site interview calls when you go. And once you get there, try talking to as many executives as possible from the companies you are interested in. I had an interview with a company for a full time position, and I can’t be certain, but I do attribute it to the fact that I had struck a chord with most of the executives present at the career fair. One of my classmates got her full-time offer from NSHMBA by adopting a similar strategy.
It needs to be mentioned here that the MBA program sponsors up to a certain amount (around $300) for attending such job fairs and conferences. So these conferences are a must-attend for anyone in the program.
Networking – What is it?
From the moment you join the MBA program, you will be asked to network. But what is networking and what is the correct way to go about it? The whole idea of networking can be very difficult to get started with. A good way to start would be to get to know your classmates from different countries. Catch up with them after class and try and talk to them as much as possible. This is a great way to get comfortable talking to strangers and finding ways to find a common connection or interest.
Professors
We have a great faculty team here, and they have great industry connections. Do not shy away from reaching out to your professors for help for your internship and job search. Most of them will be more than happy to help you in your career search. One of my classmates got his internship through the connections of one of our professors. So connecting to our professors is always a good idea, and is something that a lot of my classmates did not consider.
Guest Lectures
Many professors get external speakers from the industry to speak during class hours. One should always look at these opportunities to connect to the speakers and talk to them. Most speakers are usually top executives, and it always helps to connect with them and build a relationship. I had a couple of interviews by networking with organizations of the guest speakers and have accepted a full-time offer from one of them. So never miss out on any opportunity to connect with guest speakers.
LinkedIn
This is a great online resource to get connected to people, especially alumni of the Illinois MBA. Furthermore, most big executives are on LinkedIn and are fairly active. This is a platform where you can actually reach out to anyone of interest. And let me tell you, some people are really very responsive and willing to help. I reached out to many top executives from various companies and even met a couple of them for informational interviews. Some of the top executives are really willing to help and appreciate the fact that you have been proactive in reaching out to them. My suggestion would be to start using LinkedIn early in your MBA and dedicate at least one hour per day to reach out to people.
Websites (online applications)
Most companies you talk to at job fairs suggest to go and apply online. Also, there are a lot of jobs posted online by most companies. I realize many of the applications submitted online usually end up in a black hole, but I have on a number of occasions received emails from HR asking further details about my online application. A few in my class received internship offers from their online applications. So you should not write off online applications. They do work in your favor if you are persistent.
Power of email
Finally, my biggest learning has been to never underestimate the power of your email. Do not hesitate to shoot emails to anyone you think can be of any help to you. The worst that can happen is that you will not get a reply. But always remember one thing – once an email reaches someone’s inbox, no matter how busy that person is, he/she will read it eventually.
These are all based on my experiences and learning during my job search. I think there are many things that I could have done better, but the fact that I kept trying and did not lose hope in the midst of a tough economy is what enabled me to eventually attain a tremendous position. I look forward to utilizing my MBA education as I start my post-MBA career. I hope these ideas will be helpful in your successful job search and that you will realize your dreams for a highly successful career.
