Tag Archives: recruiting

Evaluating Offers

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I had a pretty amazing internship this summer.  Yet, as I came back on campus, with many recruiting choices at McCombs, I became overwhelmed with all my full-time career options.

Should I stay in brand marketing?  Do I want to pay the premium to live in New York?  What about consulting or going back to technology marketing?  So many questions popped up.

My friend & MBA classmate posted this great quote from a very insightful Dell recruiter:

Look at 3 things very closely – the company, your role and your boss. Make sure you are happy with at least 2 out of those 3 at all times.

As I read the quote, I began to systematically evaluate my options by asking these questions.

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The Company

Do you like the products and services the company is producing?

Do you like the people and culture at the company?

Is the company on solid financial and strategic footing?

Will the company give you the type of experience you want, both using your current skills and pushing you to develop new ones?

The Role

Do you like the job description?

Will you be happy waking up every morning (at the typically accepted time)?

Are you okay with doing the parts of the job that you may not like so much, whatever they may be?

The Boss

You may not know on which team you’ll be working before accepting the offer.  However, ask yourself…

Have I liked the managers I’ve met while interviewing or talking with people at the company?

What is the management training style at the company and are those things with which you agree?

Will you learn critical management skills during your internship/full-time job at the company?

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According to the quote, make sure you like at least two (in my opinion, all three are pretty critical).

Good luck with recruiting and happy hunting!

10 Tips to Rocking National Career Fairs

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National career fairs are just around the corner.  If you’re a first year and haven’t been to any, it may seem a bit daunting.

Last year, I went to Reaching Out National MBA, got an amazing internship at Unilever among other interviews and offers, and had a blast.  I wrote about it here along with a timeline for prepping.

Below are my top 10 tips. Most are obvious but worth stating.

Good luck!

1. Always apply for jobs online

Lots of interviews are set in advance.  The more effort you put into applying for positions on the national career fair website and having your resume in their resume books, the better your chances of receiving a lovely surprise call from Company X asking to pre-screen you for an interview at the Fair.

2. Wear comfortable shoes! Bring 2 back ups.

For the bigger fairs, such as National Black or NSHMBA, you may be waiting in line to talk to recruiters.  They’ll notice if you’re limping or fidgeting in line because your feet hurt.  Even at smaller fairs like National Women or Reaching Out, you’ll be walking around a lot. Hem your pants, and wear flats, ladies.  Guys, I don’t know anything about guy shoes but buy something comfortable.  Additionally, if you’re going for 2-3 days, even the most comfortable shoe won’t seem so if you’re wearing it for a second 12 hours.  Bring 3 pairs, and switch out your shoes every half day.

3. Bring a large bag

You want to be able to fit 1) your portfolio, 2) your extra pair of shoes, and 3) any swag you grab.  The last thing you want to do is approach P&G with a giant sample of Dove or walk up to Bank of America with a Chase coffee mug.  Ladies, I use the one pictured below (from Macy’s; about $200 + tax) because it’s large, conservative, and easy to maneuver. Guys, try a nice messenger bag.

4. Don’t take the elevator pitch so seriously.

Have one, and if prompted, give it.  But do NOT start with “Hi, my name is….” and keep going. After a few hours of hearing MBAs drone on about themselves nervously, I’m sure recruiters are wondering when happy hour will finally start.  Instead, approach confidently, ask them about their day or traveling, and be casual. Ask them about them before you talk about you.  They’ll appreciate that you care, and you won’t sound like every other MBA that just approaches recruiters and wants a job.

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Choosing McCombs

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Howdy!  Time flies.  I’m about 1/6 through the program already.  As Denise Bynum, Associate Director of Dallas/Ft. Worth, says you get six semesters for the price of five (2 full years)!

I want to take you through my decision to attend McCombs.  I’m sure there are many of you who are currently going through the process just as I was a little over a year ago.

Why McCombs?  And why part-time instead of full-time?

I confess.  I’m a rankings junkie.  In the three years between undergrad and starting my b-school application, I scoured all the materials I could find that described b-schools: Rankings, articles, blogs, online forums, books.  You name it and I’ve read it.

Initially, I was dead set on going full-time.  I was ready to be back in a collegiate environment for a few years.  The daily grind of Corporate America was wearing on me.

But I took a step back and analyzed the financial implications of both going full-time and part-time.  The time it would have taken me to payback the tuition, living costs, and forgone salary was greater than 7 years!  I knew that if I got into a top-tier part-time program I could land the same career except I wouldn’t have to forgo my salary.

Even after I knew I would be going part-time, I wanted to see top-tier full-time programs and compare them to the part-time programs I was considering.  I traveled across the East Coast and South and in the end I visited eight campuses.

After my visits, 4 aspects of business schools stuck out at me:

  • Prestige (rankings and perception) – I focused mainly on the full-time rankings because that’s the key determinant of a school’s prestige.  The Texas MBA and the university as a whole are internationally recognized brands and I wanted to be part of that.
  • In-class experience – I knew I could learn at all the schools but I really wanted to be challenged.  The caliber of professors played a huge role in how I valued each school.
  • Culture / Fit – You will write many admissions essays on this topic and it’s just as they say – you should go to the school where you believe you fit the best.  Every school has a personality.   I eliminated several schools because I did not believe that I would maximize my potential in those environments.  Do not discount the power of culture!
  • Post-MBA opportunities – I measured this by looking at the caliber of companies that recruited at each school and how much graduates made upon graduation and after five years.  McCombs MBAs earn high salaries, especially considering the cost of living in the common areas we end up.

There was one last aspect of my decision that played a large role and that was the opinion of my family.  My mother was pro-Texas from day one.  And you know what they say, “the best bet is with what Mama wants.”

I hope my perspective on the b-school selection process is helpful.  Shoot me an email if you want to talk in more detail and I would be happy to connect with you.

Hook ‘em,

Greg

Back to School (and a word of advice for prospective students)

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School is back in Session!

So school is back in full swing and what does that mean?

  1. New classes (mostly electives)
  2. Interviews

The picture above was taken at a recent event that Frito-Lay hosted. There are many sessions at this time to find that perfect company for your summer internship.  I don’t know the exact figures but it definitely seems like companies are recruiting in full force. This is great news for us first-years!

Questions for prospective students

While we’re getting back into the groove of class, many prospective students are crunching away at their apps and trying to find the best MBA program for their needs. I host students visiting campus and I got an interesting question last week from a prospective student; “Will we have enough time to work part-time outside class”. Easy answer…NO! Here is a quick list of things you’ll be doing outside of class:

  1. Studying for class
  2. Getting involved with student led groups
  3. MBA+ Projects
  4. Company Meet-n-Greets
  5. Industry Panels
  6. Hot-seat Challenges

This is just a small list of things you’ll be expected to do outside of class. If you don’t take part in at least some of these activities you’re really doing yourself a disservice. So while I would like to say you could work outside school, I really doubt a normal human being will be able to do this. Hope this helps and good luck with those apps!

-Morgan

Brief and Meets

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Brief and Meets

This past week was “Brief and Meet” week at McCombs.  It was a chance for students to meet with many company reps and learn more about what internship opportunities are being offered this coming summer.  I can’t believe the recruiting period has started, but it’s great to know that McCombs has built so many strong relationships with top companies from around the country.

Here is a short list of some of the companies that visited this week:

Barclays, Yum Brands! Inc, Dell, Intel, Bain and Company, American Express, Dr Pepper/Snapple Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, B of A, Warren Douglas Creative Brand Management, Booz & Co., Microsoft, Chevron, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Walmart, Citi, Facebook, UBS, Progressive Insurance and General Mills to name a few.

Weekend in LA: Reaching Out (ROMBA) Conference

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Part of our first year experience is the option to go to one of the national career fairs.  It’s a chance to start building relationships with companies early in the year.  I got to attend Reaching Out LGBT MBA Conference (ROMBA) in Los Angeles in October.

This year the Conference was held at the Hyatt in Century Plaza.  Thankfully, I booked a room in the hotel (definitely recommended), which takes transportation time out of the equation.  ROMBA is special because attendees are able to attend both the conference and career fair portions.  I loved the experience and the advice I got before going.  Here’s passing on the knowledge.

Timeline:

Month prior: Sign up for the conference.  Buy tickets, book flights, and ask around to find a roommate to share a hotel room (that cuts half your hotel costs).  Once you’ve paid, you can go into the Conference job board and 1) post your resume and 2) start applying for jobs.  Some conferences have more and earlier postings than others.  The point is that you want to make sure you’ve prepped your resume and your cover letters.  Also, be sure to apply on the company’s corporate site as well.

Two weeks prior: Start preparing for interviews.  Do behavioral interview questions with friends, i.e “Walk me through your resume” or “Tell me about a time where you have to be persuasive.”  If you’re doing marketing, consulting, or other positions that call for case questions, prep case questions as well.  At McCombs, I practiced mock interviews with my peer advisor (second year), an MBA + communications coach (provided by the school), my career advisor, and lots of second years.  The mock interviews helped me in two ways: 1) it solidified the general questions that I wanted to figure out, and 2) I strengthened my 4-6 best stories that I can pull from during a real interview.

Week prior: Companies who were interested in my resume started calling to schedule interview slots.  I applied for some positions, and for others, the companies simply liked the resume I submitted online.  Two major lessons learned after the fact: One, schedule interviews early during the day because you may get an interview on the spot at the career fair and you want to be flexible with your schedule.  Two, save at least 15, optimally 30, minutes between interviews.  They’re in different locations, and you can always run over.  Even if you’re 5 minutes late, it makes you look bad.

During the Conference: You are a rock star.  Tell yourself that because you are, and also because you’ll look like you’re having fun.  I had a couple of recruiters approach me just because I looked like I was having a blast (and I was).  Wear comfortable shoes (that goes for the ladies as well as the gentlemen), and make sure you bring at least TWICE the number of resumes you think you’ll need and your portfolio.  You never know which surprising companies will interest you.

Interviews and meeting company reps can be really nerve-wracking.  I felt that way before attending ROMBA.  Once there, I realized, this is just about bonding with cool people and talking about nerdy things that interest both of you.  That’s why I had so much fun.  I wasn’t worried about being judged; instead, my goal was to have fun and generate fun for everyone around me.  Sounds cheesy, but hey, it worked for me. :)