Hi folks,
Through this post I aim to reflect back upon the MBA application process that most of us MBAs go through and outline things that we could do to improve our chances of getting into the job we desire post-MBA.

For sake of emphasis, I repeat that this talks about how to choose an MBA program so that you can get into the job of your desire.

The first and foremost step in this direction is to introspect and understand where you are coming from. By this I mean, looking back into the not so distant past to analyze the growth process that you have underwent. Growth in terms of personal and professional development; academics , exta-curriculars etc.

WARNING!: I am not guiding u on how to write ur MBA essay, However, doing this may help you with your essay as well.

"History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are."
As quoted by David C. McCullough

The ideal way is to do a timeline analysis (write to me if u want more details) or the least you can do is write down your skills, shortcomings and aspirations. Also, write down what exactly is your expectation from the MBA. Don't write "I want to be an I banker" .. but more in terms of what u aim to learn, which areas r u not so good at (Finance??) and what position you seek post MBA. (I Banker!! I Banker!!) ..

Ok!! Ok!!! If you indeed want to become an I Banker, lets c how you can do this analysis.

First Step: Search the web for I-Banking openings on the web. For starters, look for openings on www.efinancialcareers.com.

Second Step:Identify and outline the skillsets, professional experience etc etc mentioned in the job description.

Third Step: compare these skillsets with your current skillsets. Compare the job description with your current one + the value added by the MBA. This is what I call the Stuart MBA reality test (SMART) I.

Do you see a match? If yes, great!! if no, we will have to look at ways in which we can bridge this divide and also whether we can bridge this divide at all.

Why is this test important?

Till now all the MBA plans and aspirations of yours (& mine when i was an applicant) have been driven by your dreams without any guiding red thread or a check. As a result, sometimes some of us dream up very lofty dreams, which to be honest, are very difficult to achieve even with a top notch MBA!

Another reason why this is important is because once you start applying for jobs and internships during the MBA, the recruiters will look at these very aspects in your application. In case there is a gap between your profile and the job opening, he/she will look for ways in which you have tried to plug it. In case he is not satisfied, he will not call you for an interview. Period!

Please do not get me wrong, shoot for the moon for sure! However, if it is "Pluto" you are aiming at.... hmmm.. we need to re-evaluate the career strategy.

At this moment I stop. In case you find this approach outlined by me relevant, please leave me comments and /or emails. I would then write more posts that bring in perspectives from the post-MBA world to the applicants.

cheers!
Stuart

Hi folks..
haven't been around for a while but in the meantime i've been helping prospective MBA applicants with their applications.. and mind you they are not St. Gallen applicants!

Meanwhile lot of things have been happening at the career end..

we had three one to one sessions with experts in various fields.. we had one expert each for industry, consulting and finance.

Each of them had served in leading firms of their field (Mckinsey, bank of America) and were now to talk to us one on one about our individual aspirations in these respective fields.
The benefits of this exercise were manifold:

1. We got a practitioner's view about our prospects in these fields and also how we can enhance our profile for openings. We also had a resume check to see whether it matched the standards of the said industry.

Some of us also got a very honest view that we weren't cut out for a particular field. This may have disappointed some but for others it provided adequate reason to break through the herd mentality of applying to all Ibanks/ consulting and instead focus on areas where we are more likely to succeed.

2. We got access to the great networks of these people who have interviewed us and can provide potential links.

3. We got a fair overview of the market trends.


Besides this, one of us signed a contract with P&G! The first contract of the season!! Three others have an interview in BCG next week and six have been invited to interview for the Novartis Finance Leadership Development Program. Then there also have been a few interviews with other consulting firms but on an individual basis.

We also are going to a career fair in Berlin on April 13-14. this fair held jointly with 4 other German B-schools is now in its fourth year. The idea is to tap into the niche and captive German market where St. Gallen has immense brand value. Well what adds spice to the curry is the fact that it is an all expenses paid trip sponsored by the MBA Office. yes u heard it right.. air tickets, accomodation, food.. u name it !!
Wolfgang!!! Wolfgang!!! President !! President!!

The Forum HSG is now less than two weeks away and we eagerly await the start of the fair.
till next time!
Stuart

The last two weeks have brought a cheer on the little mousey's face!
my blog figured as the Top blog for the week ending Feb 3 on findmba.com's list!

http://www.find-mba.com/blog/1/21/top-5-mba-blogs-of-the-week-february-3-2008

This was for my blog post titled "European Invasion, Asian Crusade" which examines the latest FT B-school rankings threadbare and spots trends for prospective MBAs.
http://mba-hsg.blogspot.com/2008/01/european-invasion-asian-crusade.html

and what makes it better is that for the previous week it debuted at No. 3 at the same list!
http://www.find-mba.com/blog/1/20/top-5-mba-blogs-of-the-week-january-27-2008

which rewarded my description of the Mongolian BBQ
http://mba-hsg.blogspot.com/2008/01/mongolian-barbecue.html

www.find-mba.com u made my day!! oops !! fortnight!!

Stuart

The most important career event at St. Gallen is the Forum HSG.

The forum is a 3 week (yes 3 week!!!) long event where over a 100 companies converge to recruit St. Gallen students.

The forumHSG 2008 is scheuled from last week of Feb to mid-March and while the site will be completely up in a few days, the companies who've confirmed their participation so far are:

http://forumhsg.ch/index.php?id=49&L=2

Did u spot a company u like in this list?.. well the top consultants are here, and the industry leaders like ABB, ALSTOM, SIEMENS (including the siemens management consulting), General motors, Holcim......so are the banks (but we already had an investment banking days event in Oct and the banking recruitment cycle is almost over so not as many would again show up)
http://mba-hsg.blogspot.com/2007/10/investment-banking-days.html

so tons of opportunities!

disclosure: These companies are not coming exclusively for a batch of only 35 MBAs with very diverse interests. However, a sizable number have already confirmed their particular interest in MBAs and most probably we'll have an apero and a few exclusive events with them.

Last year's class mentioned it to be an important event for generating contacts and getting offers.

To accomodate the Forum, the mba will not have any coursework during these three weeks so that we can attend the company workshops and interviews and meet representatives without bothering about skipped classes and missed assignments.

Well that's reasonable ain't it? After all getting a good job is a valuable ingredient of getting an MBA and in fact is a major yardstick to measure the success of the program ;)

Stuart