One of our responsibilities in the Admissions Office is to talk to prospective students about the diverse array of post-MBA job opportunities and how a multitude of Tuck resources will help you land the right one. Since this is such an important message, we thought we’d take a step back this week and go directly to the source by interviewing Stephen Pidgeon Associate Director in the Career Development Office at Tuck.
Hi Stephen! Can you tell the Tuck 360 readers little bit about yourself?
Stephen: Hi! I’m Associate Director in the Career Development Office at Tuck. I started out my career in film and television, then came to Tuck as an MBA student back in 2005. After graduating, I went to McKinsey where I worked for 4 years as a consultant, and now I’m back at Tuck in Career Services, focusing on media, consulting, and healthcare (a lot of my client work at McKinsey was in Healthcare). In my role I counsel and coach students and also work closely with recruiters.
Which pre-MBA careers make good foundations for MBA admission and post-MBA success?
Stephen: Tuck admits students from a large variety of backgrounds and industries; business, medicine, engineering, entertainment, military etc. Previous experience is just one aspect of what makes students successful. Having defined goals, a strong work ethic, and a desire to be an active part of the community are also important.
For those who are less familiar with it, what is the CDO?
Stephen: The CDO is responsible for helping you get your dream job. We divide up industries across our counselors, and each counselor worked in that industry. For instance, I cover consulting and I worked at McKinsey. My colleague Deirdre covers banking and she spent 20+ years on Wall St. at Lehman Brothers. We run formal classes on career skills, and we are also available at all times for counseling and coaching such as interview skills, case practice etc. In addition, we can be a conduit to the rest of Tuck in terms of getting alumni, faculty and other staff involved in helping you in your career search. For instance, almost 90% of job acceptances were Tuck facilitated through on-campus recruiting, the alumni network, job postings on Tuck’s internal job board, faculty referrals, career trips and more.
It’s well-known that intense recruiting is a huge part of b-school. Perhaps not as well-known, is the difference between on-campus and off-campus recruiting – aside from the obvious! Could you explain?
Stephen: Certain industries/companies are better suited for each. One way or another, we will put you in touch with the person you’re looking for!
About half our students find their job through on-campus, and the other half through off-campus.
Briefly, on-campus recruiting usually involves companies that have a predictable and large-scale demand for MBAs, and includes consulting, banking, marketing, pharma, tech and many leadership programs and so on.
Tuck's on-campus recruitment takes place in the fall for second-year students and during the winter for first-year students. Tuck brings companies from a wide range of industries to Hanover to interview students for full-time and intern positions. The majority of on-campus recruiters participate in company briefings prior to the start of on-campus recruitment. Through briefings and other career development events you'll have uncommon access to the many companies that recruit here. To ensure that all first-year students have equal opportunity to interview for an internship with their top companies, we require that every company recruiting interns as part of our campus recruiting season reserve portion of its interview slots for assignment through a student bidding process.
Off-campus recruiting works best for certain industries particularly where the demand for MBA talent is more ad-hoc, or the volume is too small to justify the expense of sending teams to campuses. Off campus can range from fairly formal, where companies post jobs and students apply to them, to informal, where the opportunity may arise out of a relationship the student builds with the recruiting company.
If you have a dream company or industry that doesn’t recruit on campus, we will find a way to put you in touch with them, whether it’s through a Tuck alum or one of our professional contacts. In all, Tuck has active recruiting relationships with about 900 companies.
Can you elaborate on alumni involvement during recruiting?
Stephen: Tuck’s alumni is probably its greatest and most distinctive asset. Tuck alumni span numerous geographical regions, industries and functions. Furthermore, they are known for their dedication and sense of commitment to Tuck. Alumni will not only return your calls and emails, they will coach you through interviews, hand your resume to decision makers, and seek you out when opportunities cross their desk. Once at Tuck, you have access to our global alumni network, through which you can search for just the type of profile you want to connect with.
Even on-campus recruiting is very much led by alumni – they are the ones who week after week come to campus, make themselves available to students, coach them, and advocate for them within their respective companies.
Since Tuck is more remote than its peer schools, are recruiters hesitant to come to campus?
Stephen: Not at all! First and foremost, Tuck graduates make great employees so recruiters are willing to travel a bit to talk to them. Secondly, the remote location actually works in our favor for two huge reasons; focus and access. When recruiters come to Hanover, they’re here to talk to our students…and that’s it. No running off to another meeting or jumping in the first available cab. Additionally, while they’re at Tuck, students are offered unparalleled access to these industry leaders through small group dinners, lectures and information sessions.
What resources are available for students switching careers or with a less defined plan of action?
Stephen: The majority of Tuck students are career changers. We work closely with these students on an individual basis to come up with a job-search strategy aligned with the three variables that will drive change: geography, industry, and function. Our primary goal is to help students shift their ability to market themselves by supplementing prior experience with a range of new and relevant accomplishments; an independent study with a well-known professor, a consulting project, volunteer work, writing a case study, taking a leadership role in a student club, and choosing an internship that builds the most effective bridge. We also emphasize the importance of networking because, in the end, successful career switchers need to market themselves to prospective employers.
In general, Tuck has a number of programs designed to help you make the most of your job search. Sector Smarts sessions are lunchtime panels to guide you in making general decisions about which industry you wish to pursue. Company Briefings are short presentations by companies that will interview students at Tuck through our on-campus recruitment program, and Company Office Hours are one-on-one meetings with representatives from those same companies. Tuck's job postings are opportunities from companies interested in Tuck students who may not conduct interviews in Hanover. These programs, as well as the many other targeted and industry-specific activities held throughout the fall and winter, will supply you with the resources necessary to conduct your own, individualized job search.
How does Tuck’s collaborative environment (vs. those that are more competitive) affect the recruiting process?
Stephen: Tuck is well known amongst recruiters for having students who value collaboration and who score very highly on ‘soft skills’. These turn out to be some of the most important elements in hiring, especially as the candidate advances in their career. For many jobs, the first couple of years may lean heavily on the ‘hard skills’ that all MBA students excel in, but onward success as a manager and leader relies on the ability to influence and form deep, trust-based relationships.
In the end, will an MBA be worth the investment?
Stephen: I think there will always be a debate about the value of an MBA, but for now the data for truly World class schools like Tuck show that the return is decidedly positive. The Class of 2014 had an average base salary of $117,860, and the even more important fact is that those students have given themselves a radically improved trajectory for the future.
When I was applying to b-school I remember making an Excel model of the costs and benefits. If anyone wants data to put into their model, they may find our employment report useful: 2014 Employment Report.
In addition, I have to say as a Tuck alum that the two years I spent here as a student were priceless –they were truly some of the most exciting and profound times of my life – so much so that I’m back here now!
You can read more Tuck 360 posts from the CDO here!