Step 3: Use your business school’s alumni network Your business school’s alumni network isn’t just relevant to you when you graduate. It is an invaluable resource to tap into before and whilst you are studying. Find and connect with alumni on LinkedIn, look at their career paths, ask them for help and advice. They will be able to give you unique insights into common mistakes to watch out for, how to sell yourself and when to time career moves. Learning from the experiences of those who have gone before is very useful and will save you a lot of time and energy.
Simon Kingsnorth, former first direct and HSBC director now managing director of Optimal HR, did his Executive part-time MBA at Bradford. He says: “I remain an active supporter of The Bradford School of Management and member of Bradford’s international alumni network. The diversity of people and opinions was invaluable during my study and I have maintained contact with senior business professionals across the world as our careers and businesses have developed. This kind of network is invaluable in so many ways and a major benefit of studying an MBA at Bradford.”
Step 4: Get yourself a mentor/role model
Once you have settled in to your studies and have a clear career plan, look for a mentor or role model who you aspire to be like. Your business school may be able to help put you in touch with someone from the alumni network or a business partner and set up a formal mentoring arrangement. Or you may want to choose someone with a high profile that advises up and coming business people who you can follow
and learn from.
Use your mentor as a sound board and take them on your career planning journey with you. Remember that both parties should get something out of mentoring – make sure that it is a two-way relationship.
Step 5: Get social
Employers look for candidates with the right social skills to gel with their teams – and their customers. This is particularly important if you are in a leadership role. The theory that the best ideas in the workplace are born around the water cooler is the same in a business school.
It is important to socialise with your classmates when you get chance – chat to them over lunch, arrange to go for a meal or throw a party, especially if you are an international student. By sharing ideas and immersing yourself in different cultures, you will gain insights into what it is to be a business leader above and beyond those you learn in the classroom. These relationships will also enhance the classroom experience and make it more interactive and productive.
Social media is also now an important part of your career planning journey. Victoria Tomlinson, chief executive of Northern Lights PR and author of award winning e-book ‘Why you can’t ignore social media in business’ says: “Get used to reading and commenting on blogs to keep up with the latest business thinking. Use LinkedIn to connect with people you come across during your MBA studies and get introduced to potential employers through your contacts. Set up a Twitter account and use it strategically to make a
name for yourself as an expert on a particular subject. Stick to that subject in your tweets and share interesting articles and research – which others will then re-tweet. Find employers that you aspire to work for and follow them to keep up to date with what they’re doing and things they’re interested in.” So, if you’re thinking of starting an MBA in January 2012, come with a career plan in mind and talk to the careers team as soon as possible to help shape it and put it into action from the very start. If you have any questions before hand, post them here – along with ideas and suggestions for other prospective students.
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http://blogs.brad.ac.uk/ management/experts
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BUSINESSBECAUSE 39
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