The Career Fair
It's difficult to assess how good the Career Fair was, in terms of matching expectations from Students, companies, and Career Services.
First, schedules were full of classes. Tough it's definitely easy to skip them, and quite accepted.
Second, it is quite early in the process. At this stage, a lot of people are still struggling to come up with job search criteria, let alone strategies. So approaching "seriously" recruiters in this state of mind in not easy.
Third, we, as participants, tend to expect too much from Career Fair or Career Services.
When I hear comments like "there's no big companies, companies that make me dream". It's partly fair. But then, they are available either through intranet, or they expect us to come to them. Typically, if you're interested in media, entertainement for instance, you won't find such companies in such a Fair.
Who was there? 35 companies. Maybe a potential of 100 positions on offer.
Some big companies in industry (Philips...), some banks (Barclays, Santander...), some telcos (BT, Telefonica), some smallish consulting firms, some bigger (Cap Gemini). A bit of everything. They all looked for international positions.
I'm sure some would be disappointed by the turnout (of companies and students alike), evidenced by a dramatic reminder mass mail at noon that 5 companies or so had not seen a single grad by that time. There could be some kind of long-tail positioning of INSEAD, like filling a position in Abu Dhabi, which could explain the low turnout of students to some firms. I might not be the best person to comment on that, but it also could be early in the process. Once some participants get rejected from McKinsey, Google and the "prestigious" likes, smaller, seemingly less fancy companies become rosier options. And of course, a lot of participants are sponsored.
Overall though, it seemed a useful event, especially if one could establish contact and keep it for later stages.
Alternatively, there are zillions of company presentations, on campus and sometimes via VC. Surely, it's choice that makes it so tough for participants...
I'm having a session of PIM on Wednesday about choosing jobs. I'm sure the Prof. will talk about options, peer pressure, etc. Might be insightful and in the nick of time.
Good luck to all.
Labels: Job search, Recruitment
Reality check at Mock interview session
Today I had my mock interview session. I got to choose from different industries: entrepreneurship, VC/PE, Banking, General Management/Business Development, Consulting Case. I was put in VC/PE.
I can see several advantages in having the mock interview so early in the process. First, because you're not good, or underprepared, or because the interviewer is especially tough, you get a harsh reality check. Basically, out of 3 participants in my session, none got through the mock interview...
I must say, in many instances, we give the stick to the interviewer, even though I felt she over-read in body language, sometimes.
Here are my takeaways to anybody.
- It sounds ridiculously trivial, but be prepared. Preparation does not mean just doing your homework about a company or an industry, it's 2 things. First, know yourself by heart and be able to answer the basics (qualities, improvement areas, why MBA, why INSEAD...) Second, it's know the words your interviewer wants to hear. They differ from industries/positions. For VC/Private Equity, in case study, do not fear using buzzwords like "management team", "exit strategy", "decision criteria", "risk profiles", ie. use their language.
- Don't storytell, Do pyramid talk. That is, when delivering your message, start with the Conclusion, the Essence, then develop, walk through the whys. For one thing, it is more effective and sounds more professional. Then, if you ever get cut short, you would have delivered the core of your message.
- Frame your delivery. Know what the interviewer wants to hear, expects from you. And frame your message towards these messages. Make anything you say relevant to the interviewer.
- Don't lose eye contact, even when you think, during case studies. Walk the interviewer through your thinking. (Although, in my mind, it depends on interviewers. Some would give great importance to body language, some would not read too much in it.)
I was a bit bummed by my performance. If you're underprepared, don't expect a miracle. It's probably better not to do an interview in that situation, rather than to get a ding which hits your morale.
Talking about dings, let me tell you the sinister INSEAD Ding tradition.
Apparently, INSEAD used to have a bell in the campus. The tradition had it that, whenever participants got dinged in job applications, they would ring the bell. In the darkest moments of the 1990s, the bell rang so much that the Dean decided to stop the practice.
Tomorrow is the big McKinsey dinner. That should be fun.
Labels: Interviews, Recruitment
Same but different... About Career changes
Someone asked about Career Change (see comments of Previous post). The question was: being an engineer, how possible is it to go to Investment Banking.
Well, I'm definitely not an authority on any part of the subject, and for this kind of very specific question, the first thing to do probably is to ask the Career Service.
However, I have made my short enquiry across campus, and come up to the following conclusions. First, all career changes are possible at INSEAD, and are done every year by grads. Yet, there's one change that is less "obvious" than the others: going to Finance, like IB. To me, people should have 3 ground rules when it comes to recruitment: you choose just as much as are being chosen (how many times in life can you afford to choose to change after all), everything is negotiable, and high performers are taken anyway. It's a matter of consistency, fit, and potential.
Indeed, someone who interviewed during P2 in IB made the following remarks: one ultra-bright person with a legal background got an offer in M&A, yet IB gets so much demand that it's only natural if, all being equal, they should select from past experience. Then, for the engineer with no IB background, if he/she has extraordinary analytical skills and outstanding personality, it should be ok. Otherwise, I suspect that if he/she is "only" super skilled super great, someone equally so with previous experience in IB my be chosen. Alternatively, I do believe being on the Dean's List could help as well. Then again, that's just my call. In this kind of switch, that MBA participant advised to get summer internships (December intakes) and catch up the others.
Tonight was the big Bain event, yesterday the big BCG event. These companies even invite grads by countries in restaurants. It's funny how many people claim they don't want to go into Consulting, yet the amphi was full tonight. Must be the buffet after as well...
Tomorrow, I have my mock interview. You get to select an industry or a type of interview you want to practice in. I got Private Equity/VC.
Labels: Job search, Recruitment
Recruitment time finally gets moving
"Domo,I'm a regular reader of your blog. It would be nice if you could put a detailed post on how campus recruitment has been this year, so far, that would be very useful for applicants like me. What is your impression of type of companies? how many were around this time? how is the recruitment going on? We don't see much of that for INSEAD on blogs, whereas we see more info from top US schools."Here's a message I've just received. Thanks first for your interest in this blog. It's in the nick of time, because everything is really starting NOW.
Actually, in reality, you have 2 recruiting periods: one during your P2 (that is the previous intake's P4), and your own P4. Both are open to all INSEADs, all campuses, with a priority to P4s -although to me, a good candidate is a good candidate to the company.
I have seen mostly Investment Banks being ready to offer jobs in P2.
In P4, that is now, all jobs are on offer.
This week is the main one for Consulting (McKinsey dinner on Friday, Bain and Booz cocktails). During the week, companies present their offers, and candidates who have already applied and been selected are invited to interviews.
Still, it's not just Consulting. The talk of the day is Google. There are presenting tonight, followed by a cocktail party. Then all big 3 Consulting firms have their days, then on Monday next week there's a big Campus Job Fair.
This week, Careers Service also organises Mock Interviews sessions with a specific profile (like VC, or Consulting type interviews), and sessions about other relevant issues (like Negotiating Salary for Women, Body language...)
To synthesize:
- Locations seem to me from all over the world, with a slight emphasis to London. You'd expect more exotic countries than in other BSchools (Middle East seems pretty strong)
- Industries are across the board, not just Consulting or Finance
Examples of job postings received this week:
- one service company in high-tech looking for grads in Amsterdam, London, NY, Philly, Boston
- Google looking in all fields in all countries
- Alumni firms looking for grads in London
- 2 boutique consulting looking for offices all around the world
- 1 VC looking for London office
In the Career Fair, I'll try to enquire whether there will be others. INSEAD has invitations to other Career Fairs in Europe, but on campus, I only see 34 firms for Monday -one third in various Consulting, 50% in industry (big names and smaller), one NGO, and 4 Financial Institutions (most IB already recruited during P2).
The Careers Service at INSEAD is a common scapegoat of Students. I have no objective criteria to assess this. I know that so far, people who have secured a job are either sent by their companies, or in Banking from P2. Then people who are having interviews had them though the Career website (either applying to firms or them searching for you).
The next wave of interviews probably will come from Career Fair and Consulting...
In a way, it's good to see my fellows getting in the mood for job, but I'm seeing them a bit stressed... As to me, I have decided to give a chance to entrepreneurship. I definitely will report the job process though.
I promise to write a recap post at the end of the week.
Labels: Job search, Recruitment
Promising P4
The term is starting in earnest.
Job search wise, companies are visiting in mass. Next week is dedicated to the Big ones of Consulting: McKinsey dinner in a Chateau, Bain, Booz in cocktails.
On Monday, everyone's Corporate job dream is coming on campus, Google.
Then, many others are coming, I've lost count.
Course wise, I'll tell you more in the week-end, once all courses have started. One common pattern: it's all about Real Life. No models here. Just experience. How to build a business. How to buy one. How to claim value in Negotiations (yeah, I'm taking Nego 2).
I love it... It nearly makes you want to go right now to the real thing.
Anyway, great to be back in Fonty. After all, despite its flaws, Fonty is the soul of INSEAD...
Labels: Job search, P4 Courses, Recruitment
Three rounds of standing ovations for Horacio!
Where is this number coming from?
Well, round 1 was because he's just had a baby boy. It's the 3rd INSEAD baby in less than a week. Congrats to all of them.
Round 2 was because it was our last session, and honestly Horacio is right up there in the pantheon of INSEAD legends. I just enjoyed every minute of his classes -not solely for the entertainment, and his communications uber-skills- but also because Negotiations are so important in every aspects of your life. From business contracts, to job interviews, to even selctecting the TV channel in the living room for the evening movie!
Round 3 was because, as a great communicator, Horacio claimed that he'll always remember the Great July 07 intake -for at least the fact that he fathered little Luca at the same time.
A word about the Nego last session. Recruiters beware, we know all your tricks and we are ready to negotiate. The topic was: Job interviews - not interviewing, negotiating (not just the salary).
Among the many tips, and the one that I can reveal without too much damage to the course dynamics, my favourite is the Future Opportunities. Say a Big name company gives you a low range salary -they always do that- and of course you ask
"Where is this number coming from?". Very often, the answer will be like,
"it's a great name on your CV, so it justifies less". To which you should claim that the only way to value that option is to leave the company. So let's take that number, thanks, but let's work on some more value for you and for me.
Another one I like is when they say
-"Well the number comes from the average of your position in the firm". To which one way of answering is "
Well, why should you pay for others' mistakes. I'll take that number, thanks, but let's create bla bla bla".Of course, the minimum requirement is to engage in relationship building first. We had a painful role play of someone not willing to give his pre-MBA salary for fear of being anchored low, but completely destroying the relationship in the process.
During the session, we had other role plays. Great session. Among the best quotes:
- Horacio simulating interviewer "You're a great candidate, we'll give you 60K"- Student "Hum... Where is this number coming from? Which currency? Is it per month?"- Horacio: "Ha ha. No, it's for 5 years.""The way companies treat you when they interview you is probably the best way they'll ever treat you.." Horacio on why should you care about interview signals.
Labels: Negotiations, P3 Courses, Recruitment, Singapore
Cracking the case
This week-end is devoted, to many students, to Cracking the Case sessions with Bain. The top consulting firm is organising "workshops" to help students experience what it is to solve cases in job interviews. This is supposed to be one of the toughest interviews you'll ever get, because cases can be as ludicrous as "How many pingpong balls can fit in an Airbus 380 aircraft?". Anyway, I'll let other people undertake this kind of torture, and will let you know on Monday about topics, and possibly processes.
Job search has intensified considerably. Johnson&Johnson held interviews during the week. Disney sent first round invitations. I received one letter and one phone call to be interviewed by one firm.
These are all "traditional", expected ways of getting interviews.
Let me share some other ways, which only INSEAD can provide, I suppose, thanks to an unrivalled breadth of contacts.
Remember Rajeev, the bright Indian entrepreneur in wine? Rumour has it that he offered a position to one student who is passionate about India, and wine...
Another student got interviews through company executives who were on campus for their Advanced Management Programme. He is getting second round interviews back in Fonty.
Students can also make the most of visiting companies for P1s, and reversely, P1s can benefit from company events for P3s.
One thing is seriously lacking in most students now though, is prioritization. There's so much going on on and off campus in such a short time, that it's difficult to stay focused on job search. That can explain why INSEAD students on average get their jobs later than other major MBA's.
Take Career Fair in Fonty, held a couple of weeks ago, primarily for P1s. A panel of top companies came, including Google. Still, only a dozen students showed off.
To Google, it's INSEAD students arrogance.
To Students, it's Career Services incompetence.
To School, it's Students lack of focus.
Whoever is right, on this glorious sunny Saturday afternoon, I'm heading for the pool...
Labels: Job search, Recruitment
Getting ready for Singapore
It's week -1 before P3 reopening, and a couple of days from my arrival there.
I flew back to Europe yesterday, then joined some friends in France for a couple of days. I like flying. Over the years I've developed special skills ie. tolerance levels for long distance flights. I can fly for 24 hours, and still find it enjoyable. One reason is, when you get stuck in a plane for hours, you only take care of yourself. No phone calls, no emails, no meetings, no assignments. It's the best time to catch up about, in my case, books and movies.
Indeed, last week was frantic. It's as if because you hold an MBA, people ask you for more. That's all fine with me, just that it was not really Christmas break. I did secure some really interesting opportunities for the next 1 to 2 years. First, I was confirmed by my sponsor as the one in charge right after INSEAD, on the upper level from where I was before. Second, the unit I set up and led prior to the MBA has enjoyed a record year. The trend accelerated in December -traditionnaly the year's biggest month- with a double-digit figure growth. Third, that industry is being reshaped, offering new investment opportunities in the near future. Last, I secured a trip to China in May to an Energy Conference, all paid for by the firm which has expressed interest in my profile after School (see previous post). I guess I needed to map all these opportunities somewhere in my mind. Not that the stress of post-MBA was starting to creep up, just that with everyone asking for "What after INSEAD?" I realised that my short-term path still has some greyish areas to link with my medium-term objectives. But then again, keep slack, you never know what can happen in 6 months.
So, with all these in mind, the flight back was more than welcome. It's interesting how much you can do in a plane.
I caught up with the Goal (yes, the POM Book). Still not finished, as I offered it to a friend who runs a manufacturing company. Great stuff.
I caught up with 2006 movies: "Little Miss Sunshine", Frears's "the Queen", French hit "Prête-moi ta main" (aka "I do" in international markets). All excellent, true gems.
I caught up with a friend. He actually intended to do the INSEAD MBA after a common High School grad friend of us had got Harvard. Asking me for advice, 4 years ago, I told him that I could not see a logic in his MBA, thus that to me he did not need to go to INSEAD considering the career he aimed for. So now he sees me there, what must he think of me :-(
At least he will know that I don't value prestige, but a hands-on approach to MBAs. For the anecdote, he works in M&A for Goldman Sachs, so he really did not need INSEAD to get there... By the way, he once had dreams of start-ups. It's buried, as Goldman Sachs is paying so much bonus that people are tied with the firm.
Finally, I caught up with the news. Several interesting articles, related to MBAs.
The Economist Christmas double issue was outstanding.
Among things of interest: IMD is looking for a Professor of Family Business -exemplifying the need to develop this competency in BSchools (for which INSEAD is at the forefront); an article about economics of Pushtuns social system (I loved the "Blood cannot wash away blood, but blood can be turned into love" cheesiness); an article about Country Music in Midwest America (I understood why Country Music and Cowboy culture was so prevalent in my country too -same values). The good tip for incoming P1 is: this is so much what OB1 and OB2 essays should be.
And finally an insightful ressearch on Brain: University of Southern California patient Elliot, after a brain tumor, lost his ability to make sensible decisions. Compared to other patients with brain tumor, he was able to list rational alternatives. But like them, he was not able to come out with a choice, a decision. Why was that? Well, while other patients in the study lost part of their Brain in what is believed to be the Rational side of it, Elliot lost a different area, what is believed to be the Emotional side of it. Without emotions, while he was able to summarise alternatives given ot him, he could not decide, ie. rank and choose alternatives. In substance, contrarily to common assuption that Emotion and Rationality are opposed, they seem to work together, with no one better than the other, as end-result is the same without any of them: failure.
So, incoming P1s, do take away as much in OB as you will in Finance et al.
Next days planning:
- pack up stuff for Singapore
- collect air ticket
- say bye to everyone in France
- attend Sunday night BBQ at Palms in Singapore!
To know more about Little Miss Sunshine (particularly insightful on our American friends' winning culture):
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_miss_sunshine/To know more about The Queen:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/queen/To knwo more about Prete-moi ta main:
www.pretemoitamain.com/To know more about Economist articles (Print Edition of Dec23-Jan05)
http://www.economist.com/printedition/Labels: Entrepreneurship, Reasons MBA, Recruitment
Read at INSEAD
I'm on a roll today.
Here's a mail sent by a student, re. Cubicle Policy, that students should leave them clean and ready for the next-in-line chaps.
Subject: RE: My Cubicle
To all you MBA students,
This is my cubicle. I love it. I even kiss the whiteboards with my luscious lips and wipe off all the dust from the desk. This is my cubicle and I don’t want anyone to come and write stupid graffiti on the boards. I do not come over to your house and spray paint economics equations or silly Leading People slogans like “Better Time Management”, and “Self Development”.
I will protect my cubicle with my life. I will sacrifice my left kidney for it, hell I already gave out my right kidney to pay for the tuition.
Please respect my cubicle.
I am naked.
I am bald.
I have a bad eyesight
I see everyone beautiful
Thats why I smile when I look at the mirror.
I found it hilarious. It's in the same mould as Drive Safe Campaign - I don't know why it is that in the Real Life, we need to police things in a threatening way, while messages can be passed smoothly and funnily in a much more efficient manner.
To finish with W3, it has been full of Company Presentations and there's Recruitment Fair as well next week. That is to say, it's true that 10 months is short to learn AND search for a job, but you need to know a bit about yourself and what you want to do. Times and times, people will say that INSEAD is not for career switchers, and they are right.
This said, you can enjoy the benefits of your previous intake job searches. INSEAD thus has 2 recruitment periods during the year, ie. for December intake in Period 4 (the currently ongoing recruitment targets) and July intake Period 4 (in April, more or less), which is more than any other B-school. The good thing is, when you start like me, you can enjoy to pop in some presentations just to have the feel of it. Next week, Google is coming to campus for recruitment. There are assured of a massive turnout, as most students I have spoken to about jobs either wanted to go to Consulting, Private Equity, or Google, whatever that may mean.
Ok, I'll get ready for the Pirates party - I plan to wear a symbolical eye bandage as a costume...
Labels: Quotes, Recruitment, Social Life
