With a mixed outlook on the job market for new MBAs, HBS has put together an arsenal of resources to help students in their job search. Students begin by completing an online self-assessment program before they even arrive on campus. The CareerLadder tool, developed by a member of the HBS faculty, helps incoming students identify their life interests, professional skills and “work/reward” values. When they arrive on campus first-year students participate in a class that helps them interpret the CareerLadder results while discussing cases on the careers of HBS alumni. Later in the semester, but before official recruiting begins, students can attend “Industry Weeks,” which are on-campus programs and panels that provide overviews of a variety of industries and how to plan a successful industry-specific job search. These are taught by career coaches, alumni, Career Services staff and company representatives. First-year students can also join Career Teams, which are small groups of other first-year students who use exercises, facilitated by trained second-year leaders, to help identify and advance their professional goals. Students may also take advantage of opportunities to meet with one of 35 career coaches for one-on-one coaching or take advantage of one of the many student clubs that help prepare their members for interviews. Clearly, HBS takes nothing for granted and is committed to finding not only jobs, but the “right” jobs for its students.
Read the full article: Friday Factoid: HBS Works to Find Work