Ross Partners Blog

Getting Down to Business: Job Hunting

Last weekend was Go Blue Rendezvous, Ross’s fun, informative, and—in my case, at least!—semi-overwhelming early welcoming party for admitted students and their partners. I have to admit, in my memory GBR 2011 is mostly a blur of information sessions and meals, names and faces. But one meeting I attended stood out: a career panel for incoming partners.

At the time, I was a freelancer. After eight years in New York working in book publishing, my husband and I moved to New Orleans in 2010, where I continued to edit manuscripts for publishing houses. In a sense, I had already made a big, scary career decision; I’d left a corporate, in-house gig for the unknown. I was lucky—it had turned out well. My New York colleagues were more supportive than I’d ever imagined, and I had a steady stream of work that I tackled in my home office in the Big Easy (usually in sweats).

By the time I attended GBR, I’d had a year of freelancing under my belt. I felt confident that I could continue to do what I was doing wherever we ended up, but I was also intrigued by the opportunities that might be in Ann Arbor if that’s where we landed. The GBR career panel fueled that curiosity; I met a partner who had gotten a job that she loved at the University of Michigan, a partner who had been hired by Google’s Ann Arbor office, and a partner who had started her own nonprofit.

When we moved to Ann Arbor in late summer, I wasn’t under any delusions that if I set my sights on a career move I’d easily find myself in a cozy cubicle at Google gazing down on North Division Street. But I did keep my eyes open. I regularly checked the University of Michigan jobs website, and one day I stumbled upon a job posting in publishing. I applied, interviewed…and didn’t end up getting hired for the position. But a month later I heard from someone in another department about an open position that was more up my alley. That one worked out, and all of a sudden I found myself scrambling to finish up my freelance projects and searching for the business casual attire that had been banished to the back of my closet.

Again, I was lucky. For anyone reading this who is a partner of a future Ross student and worried about what sort of impact moving to Ann Arbor might have on your career prospects, I’m not going to lie: Leaving a job that you love—or even just like most of the time—is hard. Finding a job is hard. Finding a job that you enjoy and that is also somehow rewarding is extremely difficult. Since arriving in Ann Arbor, I’ve encountered a number of partners who’ve had difficulties finding the perfect position. I’ve also met visiting partners who have chosen to remain in their home cities, while their student settles in Ann Arbor for two years. Some people freelance, some people are able to do their jobs remotely, and some people embark on a totally new career path. Whether or not you move to Ann Arbor is a personal and complicated decision. But I just want to offer up my story as proof that it is possible to find a job in Ann Arbor that is challenging, exciting, and satisfying.

For any job-seekers out there, in addition to the University of Michigan job site you can check out the Partners' Club career page, which includes links to various sites, including Ann Arbor SPARK, which has a job portal page that I think can offer some interesting listings. Any other readers know of some job-posting sites or have any advice? Leave ‘em in the comments! 

 

Letting the Good Times Roll

Almost exactly one year ago my husband, Robin, got "the call" from someone in the Ross Admissions office letting him know he'd been admitted to the class of 2013. Like many of his classmates who also applied in Round 2, he was notified on Monday, March 7. However, unlike many of them, he didn't have his phone in his pocket or even anywhere he could easily check it to see whether he'd missed a call (and believe me, he knew calls were being made, thanks to the admissions blogs).

It's not that Robin wasn't stressed out or anxious about whether he'd gotten in, it's just that at the time we were living in New Orleans, and it was the day before Mardi Gras. Everyone around us had one M.O.: laissez les bon temps rouler. There were parades to see, beads to catch, and cocktails to be enjoyed. It was the perfect distraction from admissions angst, and so when someone from area code 734 called, they got his voicemail.

One of my friends whose husband went through the business school admissions process a couple of years before we did told me that the week her husband knew he'd be hearing from a number of schools about whether he'd been admitted they went to the Caribbean. They figured it'd be pretty hard to get too upset about him not getting in somewhere while snorkeling and enjoying the sandy beaches in a beautiful location; I thought that was sound logic. We didn't plan to be in New Orleans during the biggest party of the year when Robin started hearing from schools, but I'm really glad we were. The good times were going to roll regardless of what the Admissions offices had to say.

Unfortunately Fat Tuesday fell in the middle of finals this year. I'd hoped we could put up our Mardi Gras lights and have our Ross buddies over for gumbo and Sazeracs, but the party was put on hold until next February. I was pretty disappointed, until I went to the grocery store and found this:

It may not have been the same as celebrating Mardi Gras on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, but it was still pretty sweet.

Life on Fast-Forward

Just three weeks into 2012 I’m already wondering what 2013 will bring. That’s been the biggest adjustment for me as the wife of a business school student: Knowing that I’m always just a few months away from a major life change!

I guess I started having a new perspective on time a little over a year ago, when Robin submitted his applications and we began anxiously waiting to find out where we’d be spending the next two years. I was excited about the adventure that an acceptance would bring, but I never gave in to any particular fantasy—after all, there was a chance we wouldn’t be going anywhere, and I had to be prepared for that scenario, too. Two months have never felt so long.

Finally, after endless weeks of second-guessing essay topics, the Admissions offices put us out of our misery. When Robin found out in early March that he’d been admitted to Ross’s class of 2013 I knew we’d be moving to Ann Arbor—the program was a perfect fit given his goals and interests, and the smart, interesting, ambitious yet down-to-earth people he’d met when he’d gone to Michigan to interview had made such a strong impression, it was clear to me that if he got in that’s where he’d want to go.

Before we knew it moving day arrived, and soon after our arrival in Ann Arbor Robin was swept up in classes, clubs, case competitions, and, of course, happy hours. I’d just started to feel like I was getting my bearings when I realized that his first semester of school was drawing to a close, and his search for the summer internship that might factor into our next move would soon be underway.

While the timeframe presents certain challenges, it presents opportunities as well. For one thing, I started a new job that’s within my field but different from what I’ve been doing in the past, so I’ll leave Ann Arbor with a new skill set that I might not have gained had we not come here. Another plus is that all the Ross partners I’ve met are dealing with the timeframe issues too, and this, I think, provides a strong foundation on which to build friendships.

I know the remaining time Robin and I have left in Ann Arbor is going to fly by. Where we end up next is anyone’s guess, but I know I’m going to be really sad when our time here is up. I also know it’s going to be really tough to convince our dog, Chopper, to ever say goodbye to Ross—it’s his favorite destination.