How Harvard MBAs Get Those Six-Figure Jobs

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‘WHAT DOES OUR HEART SAY?’ ASKS TIM BUTLER OF STUDENTS SEEKING DIRECTION

Butler, a senior fellow and director of career development programs, is a legendary figure at HBS, having recently been the subject of a “What Does Your Heart Say?” routine in the 2014 student follies show. A champion for the idea of following one’s calling, Butler helps newbie students interpret the results and then directs wide-ranging discussions of career cases involving HBS alumni. The one-session class, dubbed Path To Career Vision, explores how students can find their way to meaningful and satisfying work. Butler will teach four sessions of the class on Sept. 9 and 10th. “No student is required or forced to do anything other than the one class with Dr. Butler,” adds Murphy. “We have gotten smarter about how to effectively work with students to identify their needs. We help them streamline their job search and be prepared to communicate the value of what they can do for an organization, particularly for students who want jobs with organizations that don’t ordinarily hire MBAs.”

The legendary Tim Butler is director of career development programs at Harvard Business School

The legendary Tim Butler is director of career development programs at Harvard Business School

Launching a career with an MBA is often the result of a carefully orchestrated expedition toward a high-paying job. There are discrete steps along the way: the self-assessment, the interpretation of the results, work in a career team with other students, one-on-one coaching, attending company and industry presentations and coffee chats, industry-specific treks to different cities, interviews for internship opportunities, more coaching, and ultimately interviews with employers for full-time jobs. Throughout the process, there’s often gnawing indecision, significant anxiety, and exhilaration at doing well in an interview and landing an offer. Learning to conduct a successful job search can be as challenging as learning to do a forensic examination of a complex balance sheet.

After Butler’s 90-minute class, students are invited on career teams led by second-year students or alumni by the end of September. “This is the most popular career development program on campus,” says Murphy. “Over half the class does it. In a team, they do a deep dive to find out what they are really interested in and to develop their career criteria. We ask them, ‘What are the things that energize you and get you out of bed in the morning?’ Some might say, ‘I want a job dependent on quantitative analysis to drive a business forward.’ Another student may feel that the most important thing to them is to develop a team of people. Students can be very general and yet their leanings can be very important things. We are very much focused on that assessment so that students are not scattered through the job search and so they can target and know what value they present to companies. When that is in place, they are then prepared to talk to companies and do the research.”

‘A LOT OF THE EDUCATION IS AROUND UNDERSTANDING THE MBA HIRING MARKET PLACE’

Harvard puts on its first career day on Sept. 30. “Students don’t have class but have a series of industry one-on-ones on what it’s like to work in a specific industry,” says Murphy. “We explain how MBAs are hired in an industry, what the marketplace and the jobs looks like. We bring in alumni and faculty leaders who run the programs as well as coaches and second-year students as well.” A field such as finance would be broken down by banking, investment management, venture capital and private equity.

All told, HBS will host three career days (the one full day on Sept. 30th and then two half days in early October). “After the industry one-on-ones, we move into panels and then job search techniques,” explains Murphy. “It’s detailed and thoughtful so that the students can be as focused as they can be so they know what companies they want to engage with. Some are ready as early as seven months out and need to be because some industries recruit at different times and others are real-time hirers. A lot of the education is around understanding the MBA hiring market place.”

On Oct. 22, the school hosts what it calls a “company information day,” an entire day for first-year students without class. The day features a series of presentations by recruiting companies followed by networking sessions. It’s the equivalent of a sort of professional speed dating, a chance to get to know a company and make some key contacts.

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