CHOOSING THE JOB – When,
Where and What?
( For MBA Students):
There are two general
things to think about at this stage – your career path and the next job. Before
you decide which job – or jobs – to apply for, you should have given some
thought to your career path. There is a special section on this in these advice
pages. We suggest that you look there now or soon.
For what follows here –
we assume that you now have decided what type of job in what type of
organisation will fit your career intentions. The issues for you now are to do
with specifics – in particular – when? where? and what?
When to apply?
Put your details on this
site as soon as you can - and get some control over your job seeking process
and schedule
However if you are near
the start of an MBA program don’t start applying for specific jobs straight
away. Few organizations will offer you a job to take up at a much later date –
so apply when you are well into your MBA program. If your School organizes
recruitment ‘fairs’ then find out when recruiters from organizations will be
visiting your School and make sure you apply for any specific jobs that you are
interested in before these begin. As a general rule – the end of your program
should be ‘in sight’ before you start applying - as organizations will want to
know how your have been getting on with your program- eg your average grades
etc –and they may want to get references on you from the School – so you need
to have been there long enough for people to have got to know you. Generally -
6 months form the end of your program is about the right time to start applying
Tips-
1.
Watch what the others
are doing, and apply around the same time - not later.
2.
Try to avoid getting
into a situation in which you have to prepare for and attend interviews when
you want to be concentrating on exams etc You know what your deadlines and
critical times are – external organizations don’t!.
3.
Be prepared for time
consuming processes. Possible employers may expect you to meet with them lots
of times – so try not to get involved at times which do not suit you
Where to apply?
You need to research the
organizations that are potentially of interest to you. Not only is this
necessary at this stage – but it is essential also in preparation for any
applications and subsequent interviews.
Start this process early
– there will be lots of other things that you need to do later.
Look at the
organizations on this site. Use this as your starting point - because these are
the organizations that are interested in people like you. Also look at
local/national papers and business magazines to find organizations that might
be of interest to you – not only the ones that are advertising for staff – but
also those with general advertisements
Now do your research.
Your potential sources
of information include the following-
The Organization’s Web
page – for the ‘official’ info. (Print off the key pages for possible future
use)
Your Library – check the
business directories, on-line and CD ROM databases for company information and
search the on-line newspapers, business journals and abstract services for
references to the organization. (Print off the key pages)
The Organization – if
you are really serious about an organization and need more info after you have
done the above – call them and ask (eg for catalogues, annual reports, etc)
The Alumni of your
School – if there is a database or directory you may find some people who do or
have worked for the organization. Contact them and ask them questions (They
will probably be pleased that you have found them)
Some of the things you
may be aiming to find out during this search – of value in making your choice
as well as in preparation for any interview may include –
Location(s)
Ownership
Size
Growth and profitability
record- eg in comparison to their business sector
Background of senior
staff – eg do they have an MBA and where from?
Human Resource
policy/practices – eg any management development programs
Tips-
1.
Don’t confine your
interest to those organizations that are currently advertising jobs of the type
that might interest you. Cast you net widely at this stage. Not all the good
jobs are advertised
2.
Don’t rely solely on the
organization’s own information- or only on factual information eg from annual
reports. Get inside info, comments and judgements from press reports. (It’s the
snippets and the up-to-date info that will impress if you go for interview)
3.
Use your networks – ask
around
4.
Make notes – create a
dossier on each organizations – they may be useful later – eg at an interview
5.
Pool/share information
with other people on your program. (This is not yet a competitive situation)
6.
Get negative info as
well as positive stuff – you are most likely to get it from press /journal
coverage – it will be of value to you in any interview
7.
Also collect information
– as above – about the sector in which each organization works - eg activities
of main competitors , etc
What to apply for?
Often you will have to
decide what job, or what type of job, to apply for in the organization you have
chosen. However, if you have little or no work experience this may not be the
case – an organization will probably consider taking you on to give you some
initial training etc before they or you decide in what part of the organization
to work. So you can skip this stage
If you have a choice to
make - we are back to considerations of your career path. In thinking about
your career you will have assessed your strengths and weaknesses
You will want to be able
to use your strengths in the job – but will know that you are unlikely to
develop your career unless you also have the opportunity to learn new skills
–and perhaps rectify some weaknesses. So your choice of what to apply for will
be influenced by your desire to strike a balance between familiarity and
challenge. You will also be wanting to ensure some ‘linear’ direction to your
career – so unless you have been totally unhappy with any earlier job, or
unless you have chosen to take an MBA in order to change the direction of your
career - your new job choice will be intended to move you forward
Look at the jobs on this
site (and also of course the local/national papers). You may find something
that fits your requirements, but don’t assume that these are the only jobs that
exist. Not everything is advertised
Tips –
1.
Aim high – not low. An
organization may offer you a job slightly below what you applied for – but will
rarely offer you one above.
2.
Have a good reason to
apply for the job- if your are interviewed you will be asked this question
3.
Know what the job will
do for you as well as what you can bring to the job
4.
Know what the job
involves – if necessary ask
5.
Find our whether it is a
new job or has been/is currently being done by someone else. If the former,
why? If the latter where is the person going – up?
6.
Talk to people who have
done this type of job before (alumni, faculty?)– and get an inside view
(make a note of their
names, job title and organizations – it may be useful to drop this info into
any interview)
Source:
http://www.mbajobs.net/graduates/advice_choosing.html