I Landed an MBA Level Role and I Live Happily Ever After

Written by Amy VanderVoort

Hollywood always supplies a happy ending and I am glad to supply my readership the same! Amy Vander Voort, MBA has landed. I start my new job in medical sales on October 26, 2009.

For those of you who are keeping track, it’s been 11 months total. Some people will be shocked by the length of my search, others will not. It’s all relative, right? I’m glad it’s less than a year, though. I wasn’t looking forward to facing another holiday season without work and I was worried that things would slow considerably in November and December, leaving my best chances at employment until 2010. It was my time!

When I received the offer, I temporarily went into shock! I had so many things brewing, was in multiple candidate pools and I definitely felt an offer coming. It was anyone’s guess as to which company it would be! I prayed for a position where I could be successful, for myself and my new employer. I also prayed for an environment where I can grow and be nurtured—something that has been missing lately in my career.

Medical sales is an area that has interested me for a long time. I like that all is based on performance. I like being out and meeting new people. Mostly, there are exponentially more jobs in healthcare sales than in hospital administration, in any geographic market or during any economy. I feel this is a great career move, a chance to learn new skills and a way to successfully earn a living for the remainder of my career. Bring it on!

My search has been an amazing journey and a real period of personal growth for me. I have met so many wonderful people who have dispensed advice, encouragement and career ideas and I am so thankful to all of them.

The IAMBA blog has been a particular blessing and boost to my search. I have really enjoyed connecting with everyone online and sharing experiences. The blog also helped me stay in better touch with my contacts which ultimately led to my employment.

On a larger scale, it gave us a voice: the professional, educated job seekers who are having a collective experience and facing the same challenges across the U.S. and the globe. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me on LinkedIn, posted to the IAMBA site and made this into something that was greater than myself. You gave me a gift that I will always treasure.

For those of you who are still in the trenches—hang in there! I did it, and so can you. I was facing the same bad economy, an industry gripped by fear (healthcare) and an unusual resume that confused my interviewers many times! There were days I felt the odds were stacked against me. Have faith in yourself and know that you have value. Stay determined and things will come together for you!

Wishing you all every success!

-Amy

Is Getting an MBA a Smart Way To Develop Yourself While Layoffs Abound?

I read Penelope Trunk’s blog every day. Yep, she’s brazen. Today’s post suggested that you shouldn’t dodge the recession by going to grad school. She says that grad school is full of depressed losers who can’t find a job and want to delay their adulthood.

My experience with fellow grad school students was different. Business school was full of ambitious, bright thinkers. The program applied to our day jobs, and it broadened the way we all thought about business. If you think that the letters M-B-A make for a magic career carpet ride, I guess she is right.

That’s not the case for the MBAs I know. What do you think? Is the Brazen Careerist right, or are we a little less shallow than that?

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Land Your Dream Job in 2009 – Part Two

Earlier in January, we found a hot button. Apparently, we MBAs are running around annoying hiring managers and recruiters by ‘name dropping’ about our degrees during interviews. In Part One of this series, we learned that we cause frustration when we re-use the same opener to most of our interview answers.

The offending opener is “When I was working on my MBA…”

Let’s be clear. Stated once it’s not bad. Stated ad nauseum, well, it makes them roll their eyes.

Nicole Gonzales, Principal Consultant at Inspired Talent has some tips for us. Try these two simple openers to start your answers in the job interview:

• “I worked on a project that involved…”
• “I was tasked to identify a solution to…”

If the hiring manager asks for context, then you have free rein to share that it was while you were working on your MBA.

What are your tactical interview tips for 2009? Post a comment and let us know your strategy.

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Hints From Hiring Managers: Land Your Dream Job in 2009

Inspired by Tim Murphy’s comment on what’s most important to hiring managers, I conducted a poll. The funny thing is that graduating at the top of the class and coming from a prestigious business school doesn’t do much for hiring managers after you’re in the door for an interview.

The top four ways to impress executives are simpler than you might think.

1. Do your homework. Be prepared for questions about the job and the company. If you can’t articulate your value to them, you don’t know enough. One hiring manager said that if she asks a candidate why he wants to work for their company and doesn’t get any substance, they’re cut.

2. Focus on interpersonal skills. While this is a lifelong journey of skill building, don’t overlook it in the moment. Most hiring managers care more about your fit with the company, the job, and the team than they do about your MBA. Be genuine. Prepare examples of situations when you overcame conflict with a team you’ve worked with in the past.

3. Apply it. Josh Chernin, Harvard MBA and hiring manager, said his top factors are interpersonal competence, and whether you can take on any project and figure out how to generate results. To Josh, it is great to see the body of knowledge and discipline that comes with earning an MBA. Nonetheless, the ability to apply it in a practical business situations speaks loudest.

4. Avoid name dropping. In this case, the name that you don’t want to drop too often is “MBA”. Recruiters tire of hearing “when I was working on my MBA…” to open up every response. Mix up your answers to include projects you completed inside and outside of the classroom. Be careful to not alienate a recruiter who thinks you’re trying to add a bragging opportunity as a replacement for substance.

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The common thread in these tips is that an MBA is job requirement that helps companies screen resumes. After your resume makes it to the “go stack,” your in-person interactions will decide the rest.

Good luck landing the job of your dreams.

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