A 2009 Grad’s Final Analysis On The Owen CMC

Someone posed an interesting question to me the other day. They asked me what my overall thoughts on my Owen were and had I gotten what I wanted out of it? I responded that I couldn’t really tell what my final level of satisfaction was until I measured the most important aspect of b-school: that all-important first job after school.

Now that I finally have secured a job {insert cheers of happiness here}, and though I know I can only speak for myself, I wanted to try to answer that question in very specific terms relating to arguably the most important area of customer satisfaction – the strength of the Career Management Center.

To start with, let me tell you that the job is exactly what I wanted, in the industry I wanted, in one of the locations I wanted. It was sourced on my own, outside of any CMC resources, even though I did participate in the CMC’s on-campus opportunities as well as engaged in regular meetings with John, my CMC advisor. I fond the listing on a job board, conducted my research, submitted my resume via email to the hiring manager and crossed my fingers.

Though you could say that John and the CMC had absolutely nothing to do with the specific opportunity I ultimately accepted, it would be foolish to think they didn’t play an important role in how I got there.

For instance, despite the fact that I was going into an industry not typically known for hiring MBAs; when I told him what I wanted, John opened up his own personal Rolodex to me and suggested contacts that could help navigate me towards the right opportunities. Likewise Joyce Rothenberg, the director of the CMC, hooked me up with one of her contacts that became a great mentor and facilitated a for-credit project that allowed me to fill in the gaps in experience I would need for the opportunities for which I would want to apply. Lastly, believe it or not, the incessant mock interviews, resume critiques and peer referrals actually helped me to hone my interview strategies.

Were there times I was frustrated and highly skeptical of the CMC? Absolutely. My on-campus interviews were not well suited for what I wanted to do and I frankly struggled to find recruiter contacts through the CMC that had the opportunities I wanted.

The thing is that the CMC was always there to help connect me with resources or contacts that will at least helped me on my way. Like many, if not all, other aspects of Owen life – the CMC gave me the tools but what I did with them was up to me.

In the end, the road for me was long. It was difficult and yes, it took a lot of my own initiative. The fact is that I stuck with it, was willing to listen to feedback and make corrections when needed. That is what made the difference and why I think John, Joyce and the entire CMC team, though not perfect, deserve my heartfelt appreciation.

Thanks guys, seriously!