Hanna Renaldi's Blog: What You Need to Know About Finding a Job Post-MBA [Episode 164]

We’re joined today by Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, and by Doreen Amorosa, Associate Dean and Managing Director of Career Management at McDonough. They’re here to discuss what’s changing in the job search landscape, as well as what’s new at Georgetown. Welcome!

How have career services changed due to students’ interest in startups and smaller companies – and to changes such as increased off-campus recruiting? [2:20]

Dean Amorosa: Entrepreneurship continues to gain steam. It’s a focus area here, and McDonough is ranked high for entrepreneurship. We’ve shifted the way we think of access to employers in a significant way: more employers are focusing on off-campus recruiting.

Goldman Sachs is now recruiting undergrads entirely off-campus— is this the beginning of a trend in financial services? [3:50]

This gives them broader access to the talent base at the undergraduate level. We see it continuing into the MBA arena in the future.

How has this changed what students need to do when looking for internships? [5:10]

From the time students arrive on campus, we work with them on analyzing their skills and focusing the direction of their internship search. Once they have career coordinates (industry-function-geography), we help them think through access channels from the employer perspective to get them to the internship opportunities. They have to be focused.

For example, a student wants to work in brand marketing. She needs to think through target companies. Where will you encounter companies and how? (Ie, career fairs, virtual opportunities – alumni outreach – etc.)

The traditional concept of the internship is a 3 – month interview. Is that still the case, or are students shopping around more, or trying non-traditional internships? [8:00]

A lot of students take the traditional path. But other students are taking internships with smaller companies – we see that trend continuing.

Dean Hubert: Georgetown’s entrepreneurship initiative provides some small stipends for students to take internships at smaller/more entrepreneurial companies.

Dean Amorosa: There’s also a summer incubator program. And a fellowship where students work with venture capitalists. There are some unique opportunities.

How has increased off-campus recruiting changed the way students find full-time positions? [10:45]

As it changes at the internship level, it also changes at the full-time level. Some changes have to do with shrinking travel budgets (i.e., virtual interviewing is becoming more popular).

We’re also seeing more companies using predictive hiring tools to manage the candidate pool early in the application process – i.e., they’re incorporating assessments into the screening process to narrow the pool. (Amazon now requires essays and tests at the first application stage.) It’s not just about behavioral interviews anymore.

An important part of gaining the right position is your networking approach. [14:05]

We launched a platform which enables students and alumni to conduct informational interviews virtually. Students can also do interviews with each other. If you sign up, you commit to helping someone else: this is part of Georgetown’s values.

Has the changing job search changed the application process? [16:55]

Dean Hubert: If you’re proposing to change careers/job functions, you need to be prepared, and understand your strengths and skills. Understand your transferable skills. Combine flexibility with realism. Be prepared.

What should applicants who seek a non-traditional post-MBA path do to prepare? [19:30]

Nothing different!

Take a career inventory: what am I good at, what do I like to do, etc. Complete your resume. So that when they arrive on campus, they have an informed vision of where they would like to go, and a sense of how to approach the internship search. The word “non-traditional” is a bit of a misnomer – and can be a strength.

The WSJ article on Goldman Sachs recruiting: Goldman wants to cast a wider net and recruit people who are committed to finance as a career (not a 2-year boot camp). Do you see management consulting firms going the same direction? [25:30]

Potentially. I think this is the tip of the iceberg.

As a former corporate recruiter, I know the challenges corporations have finding top talent. With this approach, talent can find Goldman Sachs from anywhere. It levels the playing field. If they extend this approach to MBA recruiting, smaller MBA programs will benefit. Tech disruptions happen in recruitment every so often.

Any other tech changes coming? [27:05]

A wider use of predictive hiring – using assessments tools earlier in the hiring process to help companies see who the best candidates are.

What’s new at Georgetown? [28:30]

We have a new essay prompt, and a new video. For the essay, we reduced the word count from 750 to 500. And the new prompt is: What matters to you? Please share an experience from your past that illustrates why this matters to you and how it will enable you to contribute during your MBA program. NOTE: This does not necessarily need to be related to your professional goals.

We’re trying to get at what’s important to them – but from an angle of how they’re going to contribute. Be specific with the experience and justify it. We also wanted to tie it into the ethos of Georgetown: giving back, generosity of spirit. That’s why the question asks about how they’re going to contribute.

The second thing is a 1-minute video introducing themselves to their classmates. We wanted a more dynamic, multidimensional way of hearing from candidates – a sense of how they might show up.

What’s new at Georgetown generally? [32:55]

We’re focusing strongly on support for MBAs with families. For example, we have social events throughout the year that include students’ spouses and families. And at the end of the year, we had an event for families and children called the Sippy Cup Challenge. On campus, we have a mothers’ room. And career services offers a partner support program to help place students’ spouses.

We want to be supportive – it’s part of the school’s Jesuit values.

More about the video? [36:07]

Just upload a link to the video – it can be on youtube, etc. It doesn’t need to be professionally produced – they can make it on their phone. We just need to get a sense of who they are.

What is McDonough’s new 1-year MA in International Business and Policy? [37:20]

It’s a 1-year masters for working professionals (with a minimum of 5 years’ professional experience). Students complete 2 modules online and 2 overseas (along with a social action project). It’s a partnership between the School of Foreign Service and McDonough, and takes advantage of Georgetown’s location in DC.

We also have a new Non-Market Strategy Certificate, which will welcome its second cohort this fall. This is another program that takes advantage of the best DC has to offer (social, political, etc).

Do you have any advice for MBA applicants? [39:55]

Dean Amorosa: Think about career decisions early and often! Think clearly and be able to articulate clearly. Have a coherent story.

Dean Hubert: Know yourself, and get to know us. Academically, most top schools are comparable. So learn about the other aspects of the program you’re looking for.