“You’re overqualified for this position”, Did this just happen to you? March 7, 2008
Posted by John in Job Hunt.Tags: Overqualified
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I think this may have just happened to me. It’s a great company, and I’m still pursuing other opportunities with them, but several questions came up in the interview for this position about expectations and how they almost never even interview MBA candidates for the position. I’m willing to put in the hard work and lay the foundation for a career within a company so mastering the basics really isn’t an issue.
It’ll work out, it’s just one of those things. For a list of some of the reasons why companies might say this, check out this article here.
Networking is critical to career success March 5, 2008
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One of the primary values of the MBA experience besides the skills you develop is your connections with your classmates, your unique cohort that went through alot together. When you search for the “best way to get a job” (without the quotes) in Google, the top two results relate to networking. It is in fact the way I got one of my interviews.
I’ve been acquaintances with someone from the company for several years now, and at a recent career fair I asked if there was any positions coming available that might be a good fit for me besides the one they were hiring for. He gave me the heads up on a position that wasn’t available on their career site yet, a “hidden job”. While he didn’t have the say so on hiring, it helped get me in the door early in the process.
Two lessons here: one, its good to know people and have a connection established. Two, unless you ask for it, you may never find out about certain job opportunities. So ask around, tap your connections for opportunities, see what pops up.
It’s not always easy March 3, 2008
Posted by John in ERP, MBA Experience, Personal Development.Tags: SAP
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In the pursuit of my MBA there are of course hardships and difficulties along the way. While many of my classes are very engaging with discussions and the like, a few pose a dreary task. I speak of the beast of ERP specifically SAP. For all those who deal with this software on a regular basis, I’m sorry. I’ll likely soon be joining the ranks of those that must deal with a system that displays very little to like about it.
Sometimes just comes down to hard work and just pounding your way through. No special tricks to learn, just hands on experience learning how to work in the corporate jungle. In consolation, SAP experience is especially valuable in many companies and my experience with it should help set me apart. Always try find something that sets you apart for job, whether its a technical skills or a natural talent.
For me, its back to SAP and hoping I make it out alive.
Should you get an MBA? March 1, 2008
Posted by John in Books, MBA Experience, Personal Development.Tags: Books, Personal MBA
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The biggest question to ask yourself is how much time and money are you willing to invest in yourself? Are you willing to spend up to two years advancing your knowledge and exposing yourself to new concepts? Are you willing to forgo a lot of money you could be earning during that time? Or are you willing to do it on the side or even be aggressive in your pursuit of on the job training?
There are plenty of resources if you’re willing to develop yourself without the degree and books are always a great place to start. The Personal MBA was started with the purpose of finding the best books to educate yourself in the field of business. You can find their excellent reading list here.
Absorptive Capacity, Innovation, and Professional Development February 29, 2008
Posted by John in Innovation.Tags: Absorptive Capacity, Innovation
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Absorptive Capacity is an interesting concept that has absolutely nothing to do with diapers as came to my mind when I first heard the term. I was first introduced to the concept last semester on my India study abroad class. My Innovations textbook defines it as: “a firm’s ability to assimilate new knowledge. The more related knowledge a firm has, the easier it is for it to assimilate the new knowledge.”
Now, I am person, not a company, but what the teacher was talking about when he said he was building up our absorptive capacity is our ability to take in as much learning as possible from the travel portion of class.
For example, if we went to India with no preparation, we’d have been shell-shocked, asking a million questions trying figure out so much of what was going on. Instead, we spent a semester’s worth of classes learning about the country so what we saw would make more sense. By being prepared, we were able to ask better questions and we were able to come to a greater understanding of the country of India.
So then, Absorptive Capacity is integral into being able to take on and understand new concepts. For example, if I was an expert on water purification, learning about vodka filtration and production might be an easy transition. However, if my tasks was to learn computer programming, there is very little overlapping knowledge and the transition would take much longer and would involve tremendously more work.
A key lesson for personal and professional development would be to build on what you already know. Find new skills that overlap the ones you already have. Are you good at conducting meetings? Maybe sales presentations would be a good skill to develop. Build on your strengths and look for ways to bring it all together.
Resources to Help Prepare for a Job Interview February 27, 2008
Posted by John in Job Hunt.Tags: Interview Questions
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Rather than rehashing what has already been produced in countless other places, I’m wanted to share a few of the links I found helpful in my interview preparation.
How to answer 23 of the most common interview questions
Common job interview questions
50 Common Interview Q&A
My least favorite question is, “Where do you see yourself in (say) 5 years?” Anything I try to predict, will likely changed over that period of time. All I know for sure is that I want a job that continues to allow me a career path for future development. I love learning new stuff and constantly dealing with new challenges. The main thing is that by the time I my on to the next position is that I am proficient in the job that I’m leaving. I don’t want to hop around so fast that I can’t really learn the ins and outs of a job.
I found this post after my initial preparations and it was even better than the above.
25 Questions to Think About Before Your Next Job Interview
Tyson Discovery Center February 27, 2008
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The Tyson Discovery center was an interesting opportunity to see how companies can increase their ability to innovate by developing appropriate facilities. Previously Tyson only had a small R&D center. Now they have a 19 kitchen facility.
The variety of tools and close proximity of its R&D staff help to create an center that can provide quick turnaround on developing new products. Tyson has a miniature pilot plant at the center that allows for rapid development and testing of new products. It’s even USDA inspected so that new products can be produced on site and then be sent out for consumer testing.
The key takeaway for me was that to foster innovation, you have to the environment and proper tools at hand.
For a detailed overview on the Center check out this article here.
Busy Day February 26, 2008
Posted by John in Job Hunt, MBA Experience.Tags: Job Interview Questions
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Tonight I am going to have plenty to do. I’m doing final preparation for upcoming job interviews, selecting a few final positions to apply for, going to a pre-interview information session and then going to finish out the night with pizza and poker with some of the guys. There are always going to be some tough interview questions, so I’m reviewing my relevant experiences to some of the common questions.
The toughest for me is, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” I’ve got several ideas both in regards to personal life and ambitions and hopes in my professional career. But things change so much in 5 years, that I know that likely things will turn out far differently than the way I expected.
I also like to ask the interviewer questions to give me a better idea about the position’s purpose and its expectations. So typically I’ll ask something like, “What are some of the objectives you would like accomplished in this job?” or “What need does this position fill within the organization that is absolutely critical?” I like to know these things primarily because it helps better fulfill the needs of the position.
This point goes along with one of my favorite quotes, “Our job is not to figure out the how. The how will show up out of a commitment and belief in the what.” — Jack Canfield. The point is that people tend not care enough until they are committed to idea and to the work.
My internship last summer was an exceptional experience, with one noteworthy difficulty early on. Exactly why was our project relevant to the firm and what was the next step after it going to be? Once our team go answers to these questions it proved extremely helpful in enhancing our ongoing project to what was needed by the company.
Innovation February 23, 2008
Posted by John in Innovation.Tags: Innovation
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I recently learned a somewhat academic definition of a term I thought I was familiar with. The latest trend in the business world is its heavy emphasis on innovation. From my youth, to me innovation = invention. However in my Innovation and Creativity class I learned that innovation is not quite so. According to the American Heritage Dictionary innovation is: the act of introducing something new. Essentially then, innovation is the act of commercializing an invention. This somewhat demeans what for me was an idealistic concept of being innovative.
On the flip-side, if what you invent never comes to market, you’ve likely failed to make a lasting impact. So, no matter how great it is, an invention must be followed by an innovative process.
The Job Hunt February 23, 2008
Posted by John in Job Hunt, MBA Experience.add a comment
As an MBA student, the general expectation is that the continuing your education will help build a foundation for the future. I feel this has been the case for myself. Exposure to a variety of concepts, discussion of cases, conducting a variety of analysis is just an experience that’s hard to get any other way. Overall the MBA experience can really help you grow as an individual.
Now is the time I look for this investment in myself to begin its payback. I have three interviews so far in the upcoming weeks, with good leads on a few other positions. A word the to the wise MBA student; aggressively pursue the job search the semester before you graduate. Last semester, I began a casual search and landed an couple of interviews. It’s one of those eye opening experiences when some of your classmates start taking job offers. It showed me that the opportunities are available by companies that recognize highly qualified individuals need to be sought early in the process.
