Preparation Is Key To Maximizing ROI Of Accelerated Master’s Programs

Summer internships present a big career development opportunity for many students in traditional two-year graduate management programs. But the rise of accelerated specialized master’s programs suggests that more and more students are evaluating the trade-offs and opting to fast-track their career advancement. How can students taking a full-time course load to complete degree requirements in as little as ten months attract the best job offers to maximize the ROI from their programs? The answer is preparation – lots of it, starting even before students gather on campus for orientation.

Students enrolled in MIT’s 10-month Supply Chain Management master’s program begin one-on-one career coaching remotely in the months prior to their arrival on campus. Preparation begins early because organizations are eager to begin recruiting SCM students as soon as the fall semester starts – and a few, even before arrival.

Once orientation begins, MIT SCM’s Career Services operation kicks into high gear, helping students prepare for the job search through a high-touch, concierge-style program of integrated services and offerings:

Assessment and development of soft skills. Students who are aware of, and invest in, their natural talents are in the best position to impress employers by authentically conveying, through personal stories, their interest and qualifications for positions.  MIT SCM administers the CliftonStrengths Assessment to incoming students prior to arrival and facilitates 1:1 and group coaching sessions to support individual and team effectiveness.

Career strategy. Our strongest students come into the program with particular career goals: they have solid ideas about where they want to be after graduation, and specific organizations and functional roles they want to explore. Working one on one with Career Services staff, each student develops a tailored strategy for engaging with SCM alumni and organizations who can help them achieve those goals. Prior to arriving at MIT, incoming students are paired with alumni mentors to accelerate preparedness.

Programming and resources. To make a strong impression on prospective employers, students need to be confident and comfortable translating their experiences and communicating their quantitative and technical skills to prospective employers, MIT SCM students work to develop their case interviewing skills, refine elevator pitches, improve their presentation skills, and optimize their resumes and LinkedIn profiles through a full roster of highly focused interactive sessions led by SCM Career Services staff and expert consultants. Preparation begins during the summer and accelerates throughout the fall as students hone their interview preparation skills with regular mock interviews, and case preparation workshops.

Alumni are a powerful resource for students in top programs. MIT SCM alumni drive the success of the program’s recruiting efforts by proactively assisting current students through career conversations, informational interviews, referrals, mock interview practice, and more. Our alumni working at top companies across consulting, technology, consumer goods, and retail sectors are eager to recruit from the current SCM classes because, having completed the SCM program themselves, they’re highly confident that these students have the practical experience, strong quantitative orientation, and structured, logical thinking skills their organizations need.

All the work students put into this early preparation pays off; top supply chain leaders are in high demand, and in recent years a high percentage of MIT SCM students have received job offers before the end of their first semester in the program. No one can say for sure what a post-COVID-19 world will look like, but it’s a safe bet that organizations of all kinds will seek to ensure that their supply chains are more resilient and less vulnerable to disruption. A specialized master’s in Supply Chain Management from MIT is a powerful way to jump-start your career in a field that’s increasingly critical to businesses of all kinds.

Len Morrison is responsible for career and professional development, employer relations, alumni engagement, and employment outcomes for the Supply Chain Management Master’s degree program. Before MIT, Len was director of undergraduate career services at Bentley University, where he led a nationally-ranked career team serving 4,000 undergraduate students. Under his leadership, Bentley career services ranked among the top 5 career offices in the U.S. from 2012-2017. Prior to Bentley, he led graduate career services at Northeastern University and Babson College.

Len has extensive career coaching and advising experience and has helped hundreds of undergraduate and MBA students secure meaningful employment at leading firms in the financial services, consulting, defense, retail, and technology sectors. He is a Gallup-Certified Clifton Strengths Coach. Earlier in his career, he was a Vice President of Commercial Real Estate at Shawmut Bank.

Len earned his BA in History and Economics from Bates College and an MBA from Northeastern University.