Only a percentage of your class is seeking careers in the non-profit sector. Yet, there are many organizations in need of MBA talent. After talking with my colleagues at Hass and Fuqua, I decided to purchase a membership in the MBA Nonprofit Connection. As it says on their website: The MNC was founded in 1995, works with business schools to offer MBAs access to meaningful career opportunities. Increasing numbers of non-profits have actively recruited MBAs to help them strengthen their management and advance their missions. As a student in a partner school, you can apply for positions that have been actively pursued by the MNC staff. The positions have been vetted for MBA level responsibilities. The first posting was entered into CJ Online Friday.

I recently watched a Swiss film titled "Vitus" that portrays a kid who struggles between his parents' dreams and his own. It's a good film and I mention it here because one of the movie lines is memorable: Referring to the stock market, the underage genius pianist portrayed by a real life genius pianist, also plays the stock market. He says, "It's great-where else can you earn 1000 percent and only lose 100 percent?" It's a good perspective to have during present market conditions.

Best, Karin

This week begins the required practice interview requirement with NovAspire. You will be in a group with three other students and a professional executive coach. Each student has the opportunity to be interviewed. Your classmates and the facilitator then provide feedback and constructive suggestions for improvement. You also receive a DVD recording of your interview to take home and view. Make the most of this experience by making some time before the interview to:
-Practice your pitch out loud
-Have at least 2 PAR stories ready for the common desired skills in MBA candidates: leadership,team experience,conflict resolution,failure,greatest achievement, persuasion or selling of products or ideas.
Most students find this to be one of the most valuable CMC programs of the semester.

Two more Industry Guides were completed by the Management Library in cooperation with the CMC. You can now find the Marketing and Finance guides, in addition to Consulting, at the Industry Guide link of our home page Nav bar. I urge you to use them. You will find very valuable information and links to resources that will facilitate your job search.

Best, Karin

You will find a lot of career action again this week, with the second "Selling Yourself" program, this one offered by Citi. There are also Exxon/Mobil and Citi FMA briefings, a CMAM Passport meeting and Marketing Passport personal coaching sessions. Plus, both local area consultants, John Neuman and Dick Shafer are here this week and open for advising appointments. I also urge you to set up your required practice interview this week with a second year student (your career work group career coach or another group's coach or any other second year). Just make sure they complete the electronic evaluation form so that we know you have completed one of the requirements. The reason I'd like you to complete the interview this week is that you will be more prepared for the mock interview with the professional executive coaching group arriving next week. Many first year students tell me after they have the NovAspire interview that they wish they had prepared better for it to make the most of the experience. We know you are very busy with your core classes but these practice sessions are critical to your success in obtaining the internship you desire.

Best, Karin

That is the title of the talk given by Marcus Buckingham on Friday for Johnson School students. Mr. Buckingham worked for Gallup as a senior research where he interviewed thousands of employees at every career stage. In his presentation, he emphasized several points that are critical to career satisfaction:

-Your interests are a very good clue to your strengths. Your interests are part of a pattern inside you. As you find yourself happy and in the zone, write down what you are doing.
-A strength is something that makes you feel focused, in the zone, with time whipping by. If, after you have done it, you feel fulfilled, it may be a strength. Take time to write down your strengths as you act them out.
-What you do in a job is more important that where you do it or who you do it with.
-The perfect job is not found, but created. There are parts of every job you like and don't like. Carve out the job to fit your interests and strengths. You do the other parts but you concentrate on your strengths and therefore you succeed and find satisfaction.

In his took kit that he provided to attendees there is a notebook. He suggests for a week writing down all the activities that make you feel strong. And, all the activities that make you feel weak. Concentrate on your strengths and look for a job, carve out a job that allows you to incorporate those strengths.

Good advice.

Best, Karin

On Wednesday, October 22, at 10:00-12:00 a.m. (Annabel Taylor Hall) the CMC is offering the third program in a series that started at Orientation. Those of you preparing for on-campus recruiting will learn important tips about how to get on the closed list, while all of you will get advice from experienced CMC staff about how to ace your interviews. I know it seems that interviewing is far off, not until January. However, acing the interview takes practice and that means beginning now. We will provide details about the 2 mock interviews you will complete in the next month and how best to prepare for your interview with the NovAspire executive coaching firm that has been helping our students prepare for the past 12 years.

Best, Karin

By now you should be reviewing the Networking and business correspondence pages of your Career Workbook, pages 17-31. There is very useful information for you as you structure your job search plan and begin networking with "Send". Every communication is a reflection of your work habits.

We know you are studying for finals this week so we'll wish you the best and hope you ace your exams. Have a great fall break and enjoy the various treks to NYC. We will catch you here next week.

Best, Karin

We will continue to remind you, but I want to make sure all of you are aware NOW of the 3 requirements to participate in CMC internship interviews.
1)A Mock Interview with a second year student career coach
2)A Mock Interview with NovAspire
3)CJOnline Training

Career Coach Mock Interview
For these interviews you are responsible for:
-Contacting the Career Coach to set-up a time and date (get these done before the Novaspire mock interview)
-Reserving a room or meeting place to hold the interview
-Reminding the Career Coach to fill out the CMC evaluation form (so we know you have completed this requirement)

Mock Interview with NovAspire
The School uses the services of the executive coaching firm NovAspire so that each of you can have one professional mock interview. This experience receives rave reviews from students! You will be asked to sign up for one two-hour slot in which four students will have brief digitally recorded interviews with the coach. Students will provide feedback to one another as well as receive comments from the professional coach. Sign-ups will be available at the beginning of November.

For these interviews you are responsible for:
-Signing up for your NovAspire Mock Interview in the CMC
-Staying for the entire two hours of your time slot
-Dressing in business attire for the mock interview
-Bringing a blank DVD to the interview as you keep the recording for later review

CJOnline Training
You must attend a CJOnline Training session in order to participate in on-campus recruiting. Go to the "Search for Events" tab
-Under "Event Type" use the drop-down menu to select "Career Management Center Event"

You can sign-up for either presentation day:
November 14 at 4:30 p.m.
December 3 at 4:30 p.m.

We will continue to post details about these requirements, including a list of second year career coaches, on our CMC home page, left Navigation Bar.

Many of you are asking about access to the Cornell Alumni Directory. You should know that you are the only students at Cornell given access...ordinarily only alumni have access. However, several years ago I was able to convince the Alumni Affairs Department that with your level of experience and maturity you could be trusted to professionally manage the communications. We provided your contact information to alumni affairs and to the third party vendor that manages the directory in August. We have contacted them four times to speed up the process. We were told you would have access last week. It should be very soon.

Best, Karin

This week the Career Action Group (CAG) is sponsoring Resumania on September 30 and October 1. This is a great opportunity to have your resume reviewed one last time before you submit it to the online resume database viewed by employers. The Career Action Group includes 9 students who work on your behalf to provide career programming throughout the year. They work closely with the CMC and play a big role in organizing the Career Work Groups. Resumania is an event that allows you to get your resume reviewed by second year students in your target functional area. There will be 30 second year students reviewing resumes on Tuesday from 3:00 to 4:30 in the atrium and 15 more on Wednesday, in the atrium.

This week, I heard from 6 alumni who reached out offering to assist students with career issues in one of the most dramatic weeks we have experienced in some time. That says a lot about the Johnson School community. Our alumni are accessible and willing to help the School in so many ways. Some of these alumni have been matched with students for practice interviews on October 17 in NYC and others as career coaches. I shared an email with a couple of the career clubs from an energy trader in Houston, urging students to think more broadly about their career options and preferred locations. He also attached a few current job openings. Your investment in your MBA education allows you to become a member of this great student/alumni network.

If you have not completed your career marketing plan on pages 13-17 of the CMC Career Workbook, now is a great time to do so. It is really helpful in clarifying your thoughts and getting more specific with your action steps. It will help your CMC advisor or career coach to more effectively assist you to reach your goals.

I just finished Randy Pausch's book, The Last Lecture. This is the former professor at Carnegie Mellon who died last year at a young age of cancer. Much of what he wrote is memorable, but I especially liked this quote from Seneca, a Roman philosopher: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity". I'm sure some of you have read or heard that quote before. In this economy, it is especially telling as you never know where that opportunity is lurking, but you can be sure it is there. I also saw the movie Man on Wire this weekend. This is the story of the Frenchman who walked the wire attached to the roof between the World Trade Center buildings. He lived what Walt Disney espoused , "if you can dream it you can do it".
Best, Karin

On October 30,and November 6,13, and 20,the School will provide buses so that you can build your network with alumni and other contacts working in NYC. Students are expected to pay a percentage of the cost and all sign-up details will be provided to you in advance. It is important to do your research now, reaching out to contacts, so that you are prepared with confirmed appointments when you make the trip. The buses will leave at 6:00 p.m. from Sage Hall on Thursday evenings, and return from the Cornell Club in NYC at 6:00 p.m. the following day. You need to make your own arrangements for accommodations in NY.

I would like to get your impressions on briefings. How can they be improved so that you get the most value for your time? Please respond with some of your impressions and suggestions for future briefings.

Best,
Karin

Many of you are attending the evening company briefings and you are inquiring about employer contact information to send thank you notes. The CMC staff asks the visitors for their cards. Some of the company representatives and alumni are not bringing their cards and that is intentional. It’s one thing to receive thank you notes from students after an interview schedule of 12 people. Imagine the volume of email when 50 – 100 students attend a briefing. If there is one person in particular you’d like to thank and the CMC does not have their contact information (all business card information is entered into CJ Online the day after the briefing), write to the HR contact for the company. Or, write to another Johnson graduate in the firm and ask if you can obtain the email. You also might find the contact information through LinkedIn or JAC (Johnson Alumni Connection).

I’d like to hear your thoughts about briefings. Are you finding them valuable? This blog is intended to be an exchange. I’ll read your comments and respond as appropriate. This week there is another great line-up of companies – BCG, TD Securities, Morgan Stanley, Welch’s Foods and more. Go to CJ Online for the most up-to-date information.
Best, Karin

From the comments I received, it seems many of you had informative conversations with the alumni and recruiters at the Career Fair on Thursday. The golf tournament provided additional opportunities to connect with employers. This week brings company briefings with Citi banking, Lazard, Liberty Mutual, Unilever, IBM, Citicards and P&G. Even if you are concentrating your job search through off-campus contacts, you should consider attending some of the briefings to gather current trend and industry information that could be helpful to you in your conversations with other organizations.

Remember to keep notes on important conversations noting name of contact, date, and issues discussed. Keeping careful records of conversations will help you immensely in follow-up communications.

Cornell Career Services is sponsoring a Career Fair this week. It is intended for undergraduates, however, you are welcome to attend as long as you refrain from elbowing them out of the way! I do not have a list of the employers. You’ll have to pick up a handout at the entrance of Barton Hall.

Career Fair Dates:
September 9, 2008 (10:00AM - 3:00PM)
September 10, 2008 (10:00AM - 3:00PM)

Location:
Barton Hall - Cornell Campus, corner of Garden Avenue and Campus Road

Overview:
The annual Career Fair Days provide an opportunity for Cornell students to meet with representatives from over 250 companies over a two-day period, in one central location.

I am hosting the first of a series of informal lunches (pizza) in my office on Friday (September 12) at 12:30 p.m. for first year students. I would like to hear about your impressions and take aways on career offerings of the past few weeks and other career issues on your mind. Space is limited to 6 students, so please RSVP to Jodie Foster jaf286@cornell.edu or 255-4888.

Best, Karin

This Week's Tips:
-If you haven't yet picked up a copy of your Career Workbook, you can obtain one from Marcie or Jodie at the front desk. Since many of you will be attending the Career Fair on Thursday you may find it an opportune time to put your "pitch" to good use. In your Workbook, read and complete the exercises up to and including page twelve that addresses "the pitch". One of your classmates has offered to provide assistance with your pitch...he has experience as an improvisation actor and is a good coach at providing constructive feedback. He promises not to turn this into a comedy routine.If you're interested, let me know.
-As you develop your resume you may want to take a look at resumes of students from prior years. Go to the FAQ link below and you will find information about the MBA Focus Resume Book link.
-In your spare time, you might find some articles of interest in the most recent version of Jungle Magazine. http://www.eyemag.se/core/showpage.php?PROJECTNR=2709&SITEID=daf1b
Best, Karin

GREETINGS MBAIs -- This blog and the CMC website are new to you and to us! The purpose of the website is to organize important, just-in-time information for you, at a glance. We have moved to this design concept as an attempt to provide information to you quickly and to reduce the number of emails you need to read. We hope this site will become your go-to place for CMC information and a place where you can ask your questions and comment on programs or blogs to foster dialogue and idea sharing. I look forward to your feedback on the website and the blog as it evolves and I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS AND COMMENTS. Make this interactive tool useful for you.

Weekly Highlights

• There are three Passport Overview sessions scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday: Consulting, SGE, and General Management. CMAM and Marketing took place on Monday and IB is on Sept. 2.


• The Managerial Finance Passport will begin in September and you will be informed of details in a subsequent blog.

Next Week - Save the Dates!

Launching Your Successful Job search, September 3, 8:30-10:30;repeated 11:00-1:00

Career Fair, September 4, 2:30-5:30

I will aim to keep these messages brief...send me your questions and I will address many of them right here.

# posted by Karin Ash @ 3:26 PM 0 Comments