London MBA Flips the GMAT Classroom

4 Ways to Impress MBA Recruiters

 

You’ve probably heard the quip that business school is a two-year job hunt. Sure, you read case studies, write plans, and produce group projects. At the end, everyone wants the same thing: A job (preferably paying six figures).

Of course, administrators want students thinking about internships and jobs from the get-go. They understand that many companies view business school recruiting as a two-year process. And students will have plenty of opportunity to interact with recruiters at events and one-on-one meetings.

Anyone can make a connection and leave a good impression. Over two years, it takes real effort to reinforce that impression and raise your profile. And each time you interact with a recruiter – formal and informal – is like a mini interview. So how do you get (and keep) a recruiter’s interest. US News and World Report shared four ideas to consider:

1) Know A Company’s Timeline: Many large companies start recruiting summer interns in the fall. Smaller companies tend to wait until spring. So if you’re looking for a finance internship with a Fortune 100 in the second semester, you’re probably too late. Bottom line: Know what you want to do and where you want to work. Remember, the internship you accept will hopefully lead to a full-time job down the road.

2) Prepare Talking Points: Get your elevator pitch down pat. According to JoAnne Starr, the assistant dean for MBA programs at University of California-San Diego’s Rady School of Management, your success will be based on your “ability to articulate a little bit about yourself, to introduce yourself and then to present yourself in a few sentences that are clear that help the recruiter understand who you are, how you might fit in, how you might align with the recruiter’s interests or needs.”

3) Talk To Second-Years: Don’t know what to expect? Meet with your classmates who’ve already been there. In fact, The Rady School hosts sessions where second-years walk first-years through their recruiting process and internship experiences.

4) Get Involved In Extracurricular Activities: Want to show off your technical and leadership skills? Join a school-sponsored club. They’re a great way to show a recruiter that you’re a team player who’s truly interested in their market.

Source: US News and World Report

Management Lessons Are Just What The Doctor Ordered

 

“Less is more.” “Fail fast.” “Culture is destiny.”

These probably sound like lessons derived from case studies.  With the advent of The Affordable Care Act, they may be guideposts for hospitals. Medical professionals will be expected to pay even more attention to cutting costs; weighing alternatives; integrating new knowledge and technologies; developing partnerships; and meeting increasing demand without sacrificing quality. And there is one place where they can sharpen these skills: Business school.

According to the World Bank, health care costs account for 17.9 percent of American GDP. With insurance and care delivery poised for creative destruction in the coming years, medicine could become a haven for MBAs. In particular, health care providers will be seeking executives who specialize in areas like finance and information technology, rather than relying on one person to oversee an entire operation. Even more, this shift will require professionals with “skills in entrepreneurship, in how to be innovative and in how to scale something up in a cost-effective way,” according to Harvard professor Regina Herzlinger, who is widely acclaimed for her research on managed care.

Of course, medical professionals themselves must also expand their skills sets. According to The Financial Times, leading business schools are lending a hand in this area:

“The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University is among a number of schools offering MBAs – some run jointly with medical schools – designed for healthcare professionals. At Harvard Business School’s Health Initiative, an MBA caters to students from fields such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals insurance and public health, and the school has several courses on entrepreneurship in healthcare. More recently, executive programmes have been emerging. Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business has just launched a two-year Business of Medicine MBA for practising physicians who are moving into leadership positions.”

This transformation will also present challenges to business schools themselves. To accommodate the medical field, schools will need to expand their offerings – and better tailor them to medical professionals. Even more, they must recruit faculty who have worked in the field and can teach the skills needed now…and in the future.

Still, The Affordable Care Act – and its ripples it’ll produce – will provide “a huge opportunity for business schools,” says Professor Herzlinger. “There’s a serious mismatch between what the people who are changing healthcare need and the kind of education that’s being provided.” Business schools can help fill that void.”

Source: The Financial Times