Ross Ambassador Blog

Thoughts on the Interview Experience

As you can tell from the other posts, we’re right in the thick of interview season right now.  As someone who essentially looked for a new job/career for most of 2006-2010 (in fact, this was the largest factor in my decision to apply to business school), I often find myself in the position of providing perspective on the recruiting process here at Ross (and I assume at other schools as well).

I certainly understand that recruiting can be frustrating.  We don’t always get the closed lists, second rounds, or even contacts that we want and it’s disappointing each time you find yourself, once again, back to square one.  I am one of the many who are still waiting for that first offer. But I find the process itself overwhelmingly positive, and I think most people who seriously interacted with the job market in 2008 and 2009 would too.

Think about the traditional job search, particularly for those of us not in really hierarchical careers.  You need to figure out the options available to you, identify target companies or organizations, find contacts and get them to talk to you, and finally, apply for jobs.  If you’ve done this well enough, your resume gets pulled from the giant pile of other resumes also submitted for the position, and you go and have a great interview.  Then, more likely than not, you never hear anything ever again!

Now, contrast this with the Ross process.  A large portion of the top 100 companies to work for come to campus to find you, jobs are posted in an organized and single-location job database, recruiters know you by name, you have plenty of chances to network within companies, your (first round) interviews are scheduled at Ross (don’t underestimate the benefit of interviewing somewhere you already feel comfortable!), most of the interviewers are genuinely interested in getting to know you, and you get decisions and often very helpful feedback within 48 hours (some within just a few hours).

Even if you’re looking off campus, the prospect of an MBA plus the Michigan alumni network (largest living!) opens up all kinds of doors for you and the Office of Career Development is ready and willing to take advantage of their networks and help you strategize.

Much easier, right?  As far as I’m concerned, this unparalleled access and directed practice is a primary benefit of business school.  Wherever you go next year, be sure to take a step back, enjoy what you can, and take advantage of what you have.

Recruiting: A Tauber Perspective

As part of the Tauber Institute, my recruiting season is a little bit different than the other MBAs, but not without a little stress so we don’t feel left out. Our official recruiting season started two weeks ago with 4-hour marathon presentations and networking evenings where we learned more about what projects were available.

I knew Tauber was well regarded by many companies, but it was clear during the networking sessions and the quality of the projects presented that Tauber garners respect across many industries. The problems facing sponsor companies are very real and often times involve creating global solutions or proposing comprehensive changes in how a sponsor approaches their operations. To an eager MBA who feels they can solve large problems with a single bound this may seem like nothing so it took a friend’s reactions to as I deliberated over project options to know we were dealing with some pretty cool stuff. There was a moment where I stopped and realized that you almost can’t go wrong with any of these projects since they offer multiple experiences and accomplishments that would make any resume sparkle.

When I attended Spotlight last September, I had no idea if I could match the stellar results and innovative solutions last year’s students accomplished. It’s still a little hard to imagine, but each of our small student teams could bring over $1 million in savings and provide tools that will serve project sponsors for years to come. Through the courses we have taken with Tauber and Ross in general, I feel confident I can bring innovative and valuable solutions to whichever project I find myself on this summer.

 

Interview Story # 1

I'm still right in the middle of interviews, so we'll have to get to the overall report later, but I thought I'd share a nice moment from last week and some quick impressions with you.

The story starts in the waiting room shortly before an interview with one of the large consulting firms.  On one hand, business school does a very good job preparing you for interviews.  By the time January comes around, you've practiced entering a small room with a stranger and talking about your background so often that it's almost second nature.  On the other hand, it's of course a bit different when you know it's about to count.

So the waiting room can be an odd place - you're prepared, but nervous.  You've spent tons of time preparing with your classmates and even though you're often interviewing for the same spot, you feel invested in their success.  Confusing!  Add that to trying to memorize your resume one last time and mentally prepare for a great handshake and good, but not creepy, eye contact, and people can understandably be a little wary.

That's why it was reassuring to see the Ross culture shine through last week.  While we were in the waiting room, a friend of mine realized she didn't have any blank paper, a necessity for any interview that involves a case.  I really wish you all could have seen everyone tripping over themselves to try to help!  Just about everyone pulled out some extra paper for her and many people even offered their pre-prepared note sheet, explaining how to use the shapes that were there.  Suffice it to say, she was well taken care of, and I felt very high on Ross heading into my interview. 

Whether you're in the middle of interviews or applications, hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the new year!

Learning by doing

One of the main reasons to choose Ross was the school's excellence in leadership education. I am one of those people who actually buy these modern ideas that traditional management is dead and that we live in the Age of Leadership.  I knew Michigan was going to be an exciting place for learning how to lead, but only when I experienced it first hand I could fell how wonderful it is to be part of this community.

The Leadership Crisis Challenge is a competition that happens every year at the beginning of the Winter Term. You and your team-mates are put in the shoes of business execs (mid-level, where you are very likely to end up following your MBA) who have to deal with a crisis affecting the company.

The competition follows several rounds, including drawing up initial solution to the crisis, arguing it before the company's Board of Directors, making a statement which is recorded on video, and (for those who reach the final) a press-conference with real journalists from leading US media outlets!

The combination between working on a case, role playing, presenting before a Board on which the members are played by leading Ross faculty and second-year MBA's, and the final round with real professionals "grilling" the best teams is a truly "Ross experience".

Even though my team did not make it to the final round, I was very happy with the competition. One piece of advice for anyone who would be interested to participate next year is - pick your team carefully, it'll repay!

Go Blue!

It's As If We Never Had Winter Break

We came back from Winter Break just one week ago, and recruiting is definitely in full swing right now – my friends and I are doing mock interviews with practically any- and everyone we know!  In my interview prep group, a few of us all have interviews with the same companies this coming week, yet it really doesn’t deter us from continuing to practice in this same group.  It’s helpful to bounce ideas off of each other, provide that constructive criticism to help make our stories tighter, and hopefully in the next couple months, we all get good news from companies!  Since I am recruiting for CPG (consumer packaged goods) marketing, a couple friends and I walked the aisles of Target over the weekend talking about products that stand out or are marketed well/poorly as part of our interview prep.  I sure hope we’re not offending anyone when we talk about how poorly a product is packaged…

As Katie previously mentioned, MAP projects came out a month ago, and we finally submitted our ranked MAP projects last week.  I got together with friends thinking we could rank the projects all the same way, but it turns out that we all have different priorities.  Some of them are ranking projects based on the company name and industry, with the intent that those projects will help them prepare for this summer’s internship.  I, on the other hand, prioritized based on location and project type, because I want to gain the international work experience while working on a marketing-related project.  We’ll see what projects we end up with in a few weeks!

Side note:  it’s been snowing the past two days!  I’ve been a Californian my whole life, so I could easily spend the entire day just staring outside the window.  Maybe next year … when I don’t have recruiting on my mind.  Time to head to M-Den though to stock up on some Michigan-branded winter gear!

And with that, I’ll say … good luck to everyone during recruiting and of course, GO BLUE!

Recruiting Season is Officially Back Upon Us!

Welcome back to the new year, first years!  What a rough awakening, I think it has been!  The internship recruiting season is officially upon us!  Some of the interview lists have started coming out and I think it has been a pleasant surprise for some!  Perhaps, not quite as pleasant for some!

The OCD peer counselors have been hard at work getting students ready for their interviews through a variety of individual and group counseling appointments.  One of the best ways of practice seem to be these small group  behavioral mock interview.  We put together groups of about four MBA1 students with one counselor.  The counselor facilitates the groups, but most of the insights come from the other students.  Each student gives feedback to the student answering questions.  It gives all of the students to overhear other answers and see how someone else would answer it. 

The peer counselors also give a variety of individual appointments like mock interviews, resume and cover letter reviews, and even just general counseling.  The counselors are available for all the different functional and industry areas to provide advice about their personal recruiting processes and how they navigated the "system."

On a less stressful note, I am super excited that the Winter Classic for the NHL might be coming to the Big House!  How fun will that be!  It may conflict with a potential bowl game, but hey, Red Wings vs. Toronto would be pretty amazing!

As always, go blue!

A Year in Reflection- Part II

Happy New Year!  Last year, one of my favorite posts was a look back at what I had done in the lead-up to business school and my first few months at Ross.  To continue this trend, I've decided to reflect on some of the great experiences that I've had in 2011:

Jan: Started on-campus recruiting for summer internships.  Also enrolled in core classes in Managerial Accounting and Operations and an elective in Valuation.  Went on the annual Boyne Ski trip weekend and attended the annual Ross prom! 

Feb: Discovered how much I love prepping for on-campus interviews.  Completed a fun factory simulation in Operations.  Capped off Winter A by going on a great spring break trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica!

March: Spent three weeks of my MAP project in Dhaka, Bangladesh!  Loved meeting the people and the entire experience abroad.  Interviewed with Samsung Electronics via Skype and received a summer internship offer. 

April: Completed my MAP project and enjoyed some free time in Ann Arbor while packing for the summer.  Said good-bye to the great MBA2's that I had met throughout the year!

May: Went on a 3-week vacation to Europe.  Moved to Jersey City for the summer and started my internship at Samsung in Ridgefield Park, NJ.

June-July: Met some great people at Samsung while working on my summer project.  Enjoyed exploring and eating my way through NYC on the weekends!

August: Ended my internship, led a great M-Trek to Alaska that included 13 fellow Rossers, then finished the rest of the month on the West Coast.  Arrived back in Ann Arbor in time for the first football game!

September: Got back into the swing of things and discovered what it was finally like to be an MBA2!  Started classes in Options & Futures, World Economy, Advanced Competitive Analysis, and Business Leadership in Changing Times.  Attended the most exciting football game of the year vs. Notre Dame!    

October: Had a great experience presenting with my Leadership team in front of the President of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.  Found out what it was really like to manage the finances of 3 different student clubs.  Enjoyed on-campus interviews once again. 

November: Enrolled in Base of the Pyramid, Impact Investing, and Financial Communication & Investor Relations.  Went to Detroit for the weekend on a great retreat sponsored by Michigan Business Women.  Threw a Thanksgiving dinner at my house surrounded by great friends.

December: Experienced the most heartfelt lecture on Business Ethics by Professor Guatam Ahuja.  Attended the Wolverine Wine Club Winter Gala and threw a hot pot party for my Alaska M-Trek.  Wrapped up 4 team final papers before leaving Ann Arbor to celebrate the holidays in SF.  Capped off the break by cheering on the Wolverines to victory at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans! 

So as you can probably tell, this year has been full of friends, fun, and football (and of course, lots of hard work)!  I look forward to the opportunities that the new year will bring.  Wishing everyone the best of luck and happiness in 2012!

Some Pictures to Close Out the Year:

Alaska M-Trek (photo credit: Clemens Eder)

Wolverine Wine Club Country Club Party (photo credit: Giorgi Suladze)

Dinner in Detroit's Greektown during the 1st Annual MBW Retreat (photo credit: Anna Marie Cruz)

Attending the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans!

Michigan = Champions!