The career track is one of the most important streams of the MBA program. Changing country, getting a higher position or switching to another industry or function is on the top list of every MBA student.
Personally I started the process in May, with four main stages:
- Understand yourself, your competencies and a market
Conversations with classmates of different backgrounds and industries brought new perspectives to my pre-program career ideas and IMD’s Career Development Centre (CDC) workshops helped me understand what I truly wanted and my strengths. As my goal was to switch from entrepreneurship to corporation, I explored the largest corporations, to understand what I could bring to them and find a gap that I could bridge. - Develop a strategy
After the exploration stage, I developed the following approach: First, I focused on corporate leadership development programs. Second, I looked into industrial corporations, exposed to modern technologies, where I could leverage my previous experience and MBA. Third, I explored consulting firms within desirable industries. - Networking
IMD alumni are very responsive and eager to share their experiences. But it is beneficial to understand whom you want to reach and why, and to provide people with your aspirations, passion, and the value you can add to the company. IMD trained us well on how to pitch yourself and network. Moreover, the company presentations, organized by CDC, and cluster meetings helped me to get insights and connect with inside people. - Applications and interviews.
Finally, I worked a lot on my CV and cover letters. There are two main types of interviews: behavior and case interviews. The latter probably takes more time to prepare, but the July Case Bootcamp, with IMD alumni from McKinsey, was instrumental in starting case preparation. In addition, mock interviews with classmates gave me valuable feedback.
Now it is the beginning of November, and I suppose that about one-third of our class already has job offers. Given how tough this year is, and that it is only the middle of the recruiting process, I find this result amazing. “You don’t need many offers. You need only one offer, which is right for you,” – the phrase I heard from a mentor this year.
I believe in each of my classmates, and that she or he will find the right job for her or him in the coming months: a job where they can grow and succeed.
Wishing good luck to everyone!
