The Rules Of Recruitment
By Brad Crawford

Advice
	Continuing Education and the MBA Planning Your Life Around an MBA Program Student Diversity Examining Your MBA Options Preparing for the MBA Maximizing Your MBA Experience Passing the GMAT Test Financing Your MBA Education Internships - Valuable On The Job Training The Rules of Recruitment Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Request info from the NSHMBA

It's never too early to take a serious look at your career path after you've completed your undergraduate study. From the time you enter a traditional MBA program, the clock is ticking.

The good news is that MBAs can look forward to a stable, growing job market a year or two down the road.

Top schools are reporting that the core industries recruiting MBAs, such as finance and consulting, are hiring in slightly larger numbers than in previous years, and secondary recruiters, such as tech companies and retailers, have returned to campus.

In addition, 2008 will mark the leading edge of Baby Boomer retirement, a labor exodus of nearly unprecedented proportions that ultimately will have major employers scrambling to attract and retain critical talent.

What will recruiters be looking for when that time comes?

What Recruiters Want

Team players. Almost every employer of MBAs ranks this among its most desired traits. 'Teaming is very important,' says Steve Canale, manager of Recruiting & Staffing Services at GE. 'It always has been, and it always will be.'

What's different is that working as a team requires more flexibility than ever before: the ability and willingness to change scope or direction at a moment's notice, collaborate with coworkers who might have vastly different personalities and cultural norms, and move fluidly between leadership and supporting roles without complaint.

Insider insight 'One of the biggest mistakes students make during recruiting season is not preparing well enough in investigating the company.' Leslie Lynn Associate Director of Career Services, Office of Career Development at the University of Michigan

Strong ethics. Companies have too much invested in their businesses to allow one person's poor decisions to bring down the operation. What's black and what's white should be self-evident well before one enters the boardroom, or even B-school.

Cultural fit. Top recruiters need to see that you'll flourish in the company culture and provide value not only in your first job but also in growth positions five and ten years down the road. 'If you're trying to guess what [a company wants], you might find yourself in a job that you don't want - a lose-lose proposition,' says Steve Bean, senior recruiting manager for Procter & Gamble's North American operations.

Internships. A substantive, hands-on internship is a must for the best post-MBA employment; companies increasingly rely on interns as candidates for full-time positions. For those entering a new career (54 percent of 2004's graduating class), this isn't just essential for breaking into a different industry; it's also an elemental part of deciding whether your chosen career path is right for you.

Internships are one of your best sources for contacts outside the university. Learn more about the value of internships.

Results. Sheryle Dirks, director of the Career Management Center at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, puts it this way: 'The recruiter's perspective is, "I'm recruiting from ten schools and have five candidates at each school. That's 50 students. What's going to differentiate you?"' The answers, hiring managers say, are proven performance and the ability to apply B-school concepts to real-world challenges.

If you have those, you might find that what recruiters are looking for is you.

Job-Searching Tips

Start early
The process seems to creep up earlier every year, and getting a head start is one advantage that's easy to give yourself.

Demonstrate interest
'One of the biggest mistakes students make during recruiting season is not preparing well enough in investigating the company,' says Leslie Lynn, associate director of career services in the Office of Career Development at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Due diligence on this front impresses employers and will help you make the right choice.

Showcase people skills
Your technical skills might be superb, but soft skills, such as persuasion and conflict resolution, loom larger in the presence of an interviewer. And they're equally important.

Be confident
Confidence should be present not just in your personal life but also in your choice of work. Recruiters who sense you aren't committed to a career path might question how you'll fit in the company.

Apply previous experience
Your entire work history is on the table come interview time - not just your MBA program. Be prepared to show how you excelled in your previous jobs and why they're important now, even if they aren't directly related to your post-MBA search.

Leverage alumni
Many companies use employees as liaisons with their alma maters to build up relationships with current students. Tap them whenever you can to learn more about a company's business model, markets, work environment, and hiring needs.

Salaries: The MBA Advantage

		Years of full-time pre-MBA work
2004 Grads*	Mean	Fewer than 3	3-6	6 or more
Pre-MBA annual salary	$56,190	$39,267	$54,415	$65,259
Expected salary, first post-MBA job	$78,608	$62,822	$80,810	$83,680
Expected signing bonus	$14,801	$10,553	$15,702	$15,423

*Who had accepted offers at time of survey, all salaries in US$
Source: GMAC Global MBA Graduate Survey

Expert advice

Alejandro Roman NSHMBA Connecticut Chapter President Stand Apart from the Crowd 'To differentiate yourself from the dozens or even hundreds of other job candidates you're competing against, you should show enthusiasm; don't wait for your internship to start before you learn about the company. Read the most current press releases on the company Web site. Find out what industry magazines are used, and read up on the industry and the company. 'Get involved in the community. Many business leaders and community leaders interact on several fronts, and companies like their employees to be involved in the community. Get involved in the Hispanic Employee Networks if the company has one. This is a great place to meet coworkers and leverage their experiences. Share unique experiences such as living abroad or working abroad. Make sure people understand the unique qualities you bring to the table.'

About the writer
Brad Crawford is a freelance writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has written about some of the country's largest companies. He's also the author of Compass American Guides: Ohio (Fodor's, 2005).