A Monster.com For Job Seeking MBAs

The candidates set MBA Project Search apart from other career matching portals, according to Mullaney. Employers are drawing from a pool of seasoned business professionals looking to hone their credentials in academia, he says. “I see some intimidatingly qualified people looking at some of the opportunities.”

The service is free for both students and businesses. But employers looking to draw more eyes to their posting can pay a $10 upgrade fee to display it in a prominent place or fork over $5 to hide the opportunity from search engine results.

Mullaney also introduced an Ebay-type feedback system for both students and employers. Either party can leave comments on the other – allowing users with positive reviews to attract more opportunities.

SELLING POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS ON THE BENEFITS OF REMOTE WORK BY MBA TALENT

He’s confident that the site’s reach also gives it a competitive edge. Employers can connect with qualified MBAs worldwide. “I try to sell employers on the remote work,” he says. “I know oversight is lacking in that regard, but I think in terms of the volume of candidates and finding the best fit, the work remote situation allows for that.”

The concept is slowly gaining traction among the MBA crowd. Take, for instance, Darryl Glover, an MBA alum from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Originally trained as a clinical pharmacist, Glover was looking to transition back into healthcare after a career in biotechnology.

But Glover faced an added challenge – he’s located in a tiny village 30 miles outside the capital of Slovenia – a Google map search shows trees, a cluster of houses and not much else. After scouting out MBA Project Search, Glover found an opening with qliqSoft, a Dallas-based company that offers secure messaging for healthcare providers.

A WAY TO EITHER WORK REMOTELY OR SIMPLY GAIN WORK EXPERIENCE

Glover got the gig and the temporary consulting position turned into an “open-ended” opportunity.  But he says these openings are few and far between. “You talk to 99% of people in business and you try to explain what it is to run a virtual company, and they just have a blank look on their face,” he says. “I think the site is definitely something that people need to look into because of the wealth of opportunities to work either remotely or to go to another geographic location to gain work experience.”

For Duke MBA student Grace Webster, the opportunity to connect with employers in far-flung areas holds appeal for another reason – reaching outside oversaturated university networks.

“When you’re talking about the career services resources, everyone is drawing from the same pool, and everybody is applying to the same thing, so if you had a competitive advantage with an outside firm that’s connecting you to companies…it’s just one more thing to differentiate your job search,” she says.

A HANDS-ON FOUNDER WHO KNOWS HIS USERS

Part of the site’s appeal is the founder himself.  Mullaney admits to being very hands on.  “I don’t like the site to function as a typical post-away job site. I believe there’s a lot more to be had in terms of actually being involved in the volume of applicants,” he says.

Mullaney links users together if he sees a great fit and often sends opportunities out to his own network.  Glover can attest to the personal touch. “I wrote to him out of the sky blue.  He doesn’t know me from anybody and he facilitates this introduction, sends things off,” he says. “He’s constantly looking for people and looking out for them.”

But with growth come more questions. How will the site vet non MBAs, block spam postings and maintain the personal touch users enjoy? Mullaney is vague when it comes to the company’s revenue model, only revealing that it’s a novel approach based on user-ship.  It remains to be seen if the site will take hold as the go-to source for MBA opportunities.  In the meantime, MBAs can enjoy another chance to get ahead, earn some cash and gain experience.

MBA Startups: A Darden MBA Returns to School To Start A New Business

MBA Startups: A Yale MBA Wants To Call His Own Shots

MBA Startups: Why A McCombs MBA Turned Down J&J To Do Her Own Thing

MBA Startups: A Skin Care Junkie At UCLA Follows His Passion

MBA Startups: Taking The Entrepreneurial Route at Kellogg

MBA Startups: A Fast Track To Entrepreneurship at Cornell

My Story: From A Dot-Com Disaster to Harvard

My Story: From a Dot-Com Bust to Stanford

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.