Archive for February, 2011

Busy People

I’m trying to put together an MBA network of people, for this blog and for the purpose of professional development. But I’m finding the process a bit frustrating (although I suspect that when I get it rolling, it is going to be really successful.) As with many good people, everyone is really busy, and I’m finding it difficult to get through to talk to people.

Although I can email everyone, of course if the email is not at the top of their priority list they simply read it and leave it alone; so I use this as a first pass, and then ring everyone and talk to the email.

Most people are sort of interested but they want further information – sort of a put off. However, I suspect as in all these things, persistence will pay off in the end.

What is Good for You

Finishing your MBA studies can be a time of stress as well as success. I was talking to a candidate for a job that I am recruiting for, who finished his MBA last year. He worked really had during his period of study and had a degree of success that was greater than he had expected. But ironically, when he finished he felt burnt out, and could not concentrate on finding the job he wanted.

He sensibly decided not to worry too much, and took a job to fill in the time while he recovered. Now he is looking for the right job without having to hurry, and with the security of having completed his studies he finds that the jobs that he is attracted to are rather different from those he thought he would want during his time studying for his MBA.

I didn’t offer him the job – he wasn’t right for it, and he also thought that he would not fit in. However, if the right vacancy came along I would welcome him onto the team – he is educated, knowledgeable and he knows both what he wants and what is good for him.

Confidence

I’m amazed that some people think that business schools choose students on the sheer basis that they are going to be successful in the MBA program.

Actually, many universities –  especially the best universities — look more at the student’s potential to have a successful career. They become self-perpetuating in that they select the people who meet the profile that the selectors themselves fit, and therefore gain success at university.

I can’t personally make up my mind how good or bad this is. My experience employing graduates from Cambridge University in the UK is that you get a certain kind of person, not necessarily the most original thinker, or the person who can cope best with life, but someone who has bags of confidence (even arrogance) and who can use their intelligence well.

Follicly challenged MBAs

A rather amusing survey carried out by CBA consulting has suggested that men who gain MBAs are more likely to go bald than those that haven’t. Apparently there could be a link between high testosterone and baldness, and similarly for men who are ambitious – a trait likely to influence the likelihood of gaining an MBA.

I’m not sure whether I needed to know this or not – is it going to affect the selection procedure; will it affect GMAT scores? Whatever, I don’t think it will make much difference to my perception of good managers.

Chinese Puzzle

My Chinese contact for a joint MBA program is becoming interesting. We have started to talk about assessment and the need for academic rigor. The Chinese approach seems to involve knowing exactly what each mark is for, and in what circumstances it gets awarded. Our approach is that although marks are awarded for some specific items, there are also marks that can be awarded because of the general quality of the work.

Rules seem all important for the Chinese, an attitude that I found (with a different twist) in Russia. We are much more flexible when we are considering graduate degrees, and the importance for us is to have original work, or work that is done using other academic work as reference, but being able to analyze and synthesize.

We need to hammer out these differences now; if we have these differences with the institution, I can only surmise that the students will be even harder to deal with.

Career Progression

Gaining your online MBA may be the most important career move you ever make. Bureau of Labor statistics prove that gaining your MBA means that you can expect one of the highest average salaries of all graduates. Your MBA puts you well up the ladder of success in your management career.

By studying online you can make this career step without having to give up your full-time job. Studying and working means you do not have to sacrifice your standard of living in order to gain the qualifications needed to ensure your future progress.

Take a look at the online MBAs that are advertised on the Web, and make sure you start your career progression now.

Changing Cultures

I have a colleague who teaches in a New Zealand International MBA program. His classes are mostly made up of Chinese, Thai and Middle-Eastern students, although all classes are in English and the same program is offered to all domestic students in New Zealand.

We were talking about all the problems that accrue from this mix of cultures, and how it affects his delivery of his part of the program. He tells me his biggest problem is discussion – most of the Asian students find it difficult to express their personal opinions in public, and are rather inclined to repeat his teaching back to him. The Middle Eastern students are quite good in discussion, but they find it difficult to do group work with the necessary organization and personal disciple – they all want to have control of all parts of the project.

However, by the end of the MBA program he tells me that it is much harder to tell the students apart through their behavioral patterns. He says that co-operation has become simply the norm for most people, and discussion groups are lively, vigorous and opinionated.

Cloning

Big talks today in my department about the relevance of graduate level professional development. My personal thoughts are that professional development makes as much — if not more — sense when you are studying at the graduate level. The reason? You have sufficient educational background to make really good use of development opportunities and the knowledge that you gain on these programs.

Of course, the biggest single factor is the selection procedure that the program administrator uses – but that is true for almost any educational or training program. One only has to look at the GMAT procedure for an MBA program to see that higher scores almost always equal higher MBA program success.

Indeed, the Ivy League institutions have been making use of this fact since they first opened their doors. Recruit people like yourself, and you can make sure they gain top marks – mostly for being people like yourself.

Recruitment

In usual times, this is the time of year recruitment should be in full swing; the recession, of course, has dampened this. But this does not mean those studying MBAs won’t be approached by corporate recruiters. If this has happened to you, you’re in great luck: a lot of the good jobs are never advertised. Recruitment agencies can bring jobs to your attention that you would never normally become aware of.

This is headhunting, and if you’re being hunted, remember: you can negotiate (salaries, terms, and more). They are trying to persuade you to work for them.

However it’s really worth doing your homework on companies that approach you. Just because a company is interested in you, it does not mean you’ll want to work for them. So make sure you do thorough research and prepare yourself to ask serious questions, as well as to answer them. Then consider carefully – this is among the biggest single opportunities of your career.

No Universal Panancea

Holding an MBA is not the answer to all career questions. I have been called in to see if I can advise some people about finding new work – not my usual field, but I’m a part of a panel of people who offer advice about trying new things. Nonetheless, of the people I’ve advised, one in particular stands out, largely because he demonstrates that, while an MBA can be an excellent credential, it can not perform miracles. Anyway, let’s call this guy X.

X is feeling frustrated because he felt like he was stuck in junior management and never seemed able to gain promotion (or even reach the interview stage for higher-level jobs). So X decided to pursue an online MBA; his good GMAT scores gained him acceptance into several competitive institutions. He told me that one of the reasons he wanted to study online was because he was not great with interpersonal skills. Thus, as a student, he did well on exams but not so well in group exercises.

Since graduation, he’s been looking for the next new job; but although he now gets interviews, he is failing to secure the jobs. We talked, and I have to say I understand why he is failing interviews – he is shy, inarticulate and does himself no justice at all. I’m recommending some counseling, which he is resisting. I pointed out that an MBA is a great asset, but not a cure-all.