A head start on the MBA recruiting journey

Introducing Career Days, a new two-day professional development bootcamp that gives students hands-on practice in career storytelling and networking.
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A group of adults sitting in chairs raising their hands.
Eager with questions, incoming MBA students participated in the “ask me anything” session with career advisors during Career Days.

This Fall Quarter nearly 500 new Kellogg MBA students gathered at the Global Hub’s White Auditorium to hear from experienced career advisors in an “ask me anything” style panel. The session formed a part of Career Days, a two-day professional development bootcamp before classes start, offered through the Career Management Center (CMC).

Career Days features sessions exploring key trends and opportunities across industries such as consulting, investment banking and tech. Professional development workshops like Building a Competitive MBA Resume and Planning Your Off-Campus Search equip students with practical insights and empower them to navigate their MBA recruiting journey.

Take a closer look at how students spent this year's Career Days.

A new perspective on networking

During the Q&A portion of the day, students like Jackson Watson ’28 Two-Year MBA Program were eager to put the day’s lessons into practice, particularly when it came to networking. “I always feel like I’m bothering people when I do it,” Watson said. With a background in strategy consulting and life sciences, Watson plans on using his Kellogg experience to pivot into venture capital (VC), where he hopes to help smaller healthcare companies bring nascent technologies to market. He recognizes the crucial role networking plays in breaking into VC. 

Charmaine Lai ’28 MBAi Program echoed Watson’s sentiments after the session. After years of working in tech, she hadn’t always seen networking as critical. “I always thought it was a black box,” Lai said, referring to the application vetting process at many large tech firms. 

Three men sitting in chairs looking down
Students take notes during a Career Days session, gathering insights from Kellogg career advisors before the start of the academic year.

From networking authentically to cultivating professional relationships, career coaches emphasized the growing importance of connection in today’s job market. “The MBA job market has changed,” said CMC career coach Megan Thomas. “Networking is no longer a nice-to-do, but a need-to-do. Whether you are getting a referral or just getting information on the company, every industry runs on connections.” 

Thomas cautions that networking ineffectively can have an adverse effect on one’s job search. “Networking works best when you have a story to tell about yourself,” she said. “Learning to tell your story in a way that is authentic and highlights what you bring to a company can be the difference between a solid connection and a weak one.” 

Finding your story — and telling it well 

“A big part of what we do in Career Days is get students thinking about the big picture of where they are coming from and where they want to go. Students don’t just work on their recruiting plan and their resume, but they are also asking themselves questions like ‘Is this industry really the right career path for me?’,” said Thomas. “They are truly trying to figure out whether this is the right lifestyle for the next stage of their lives. That’s where telling your story really comes in as an important skill.” 

In a session titled 30-second Pitch, CMC career coach Joseph Patton ’09 offered one way to stand out in any networking conversation. “One great thing you can do is narrow down your story early in your MBA journey before having networking experiences,” he said, adding that students should practice pitching themselves and why they are pursuing their career path, all in 30 seconds or less. 

A bald man wearing glasses and a checkered sports coat
Joseph Patton gives incoming MBA students practical advice on how to pitch themselves in 30 seconds.

“Students need an immersive place to practice these foundational skills,” said Patton, who specializes in coaching students pursuing careers in Investment Banking. “We want students to not only know the fundamentals of telling their story but also get the reps in so they are effective when speaking with someone who may be able to offer an opportunity.” 

As the session concluded, Shirley Wu ’28 Two-Year MBA Program realized her story wasn’t complete but was feeling energized about doing the work to fully articulate her story clearly to potential employers, as she pivots from economic consulting to management consulting. Wu described the day's storytelling practice as a challenging but enriching experience. “It’s been like drinking from the fire hose, but in a good way,” she said. “It was helpful in highlighting what pieces of my story I had filled in, what pieces were still blank and figuring out where I can say more about myself.” 

A man with glasses speaking with two people next to him
Students connect during Career Days, a two-day professional development program that helps Kellogg MBAs prepare for recruiting.

The practical sessions during Career Days will give students a safe place to discover their blind spots. “Without fail, in these sessions, you see a lightbulb turn on,” said Patton. “As students practice pitching themselves to one another, it becomes clear that there is meaningful work to be done. They leave realizing that they’re only beginning the work of their recruiting journey.” 

 

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