Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson

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Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Table of Contents
Welcome  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 1   Networking
                                                                                                                                                Mapping Your Network  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
Student Council Welcome .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 2                                 Requesting the Informational Interview—
                                                                                                                                                   The Networking Email .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
Preface                                                                                                                                            Sample Outreach Emails  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 31
Introduction to the Career Management Center .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4                                                                  Informational Interview .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 32
                                                                                                                                                   Thank-You Email .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 32
Overview                                                                                                                                        MBA Career Fairs - Get Face Time with Recruiters . . . . . . . .33
The MBA Job Search  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5-6                             Should You Attend .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 33
                                                                                                                                                   Before the Conference .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 33
The Process                                                                                                                                        At the Conference .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 34
5 Steps to Success .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6                 After the Conference .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 34
Step 1: Self-Assessment .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
   Exercise: Understanding Your CareerLeader® Results  .  .  . 7                                                                                Follow-Up
   Exercise: Introspective Questions .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7                                            Thank-You Letters .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 35

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Welcome
   Exercise: Job Envy vs. Job from Hell  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7                                                   Thank-You Letter Framework .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 35
Step 2: Explore Your Options .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8                                    Sample Thank-You Email Framework .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 35
Step 3: Focus!  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
Step 4: Make Yourself a Strong Candidate .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9                                                       The Offer
Step 5: Convince Employers that You’re a Great Candidate . 9                                                                                    Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
Individual Career Plan  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9-10                                Exercise: Evaluating Your Offers  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
                                                                                                                                                  Accepting or Declining an Offer .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 38
Getting Noticed
Strong Personal Presence and Professional Image .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11                                                                       Appendix A
Introductions .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 12         List of Resources and Tools .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39
MBA Résumé  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13                 CareerLeader®  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39                                              The Johnson Career Management Center (CMC) is pleased to present the
   Keywords .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13              CareerBeam .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39                                            2018–2019 edition of the “Getting Down to Business” workbook. This book has a
   What to Omit .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13                   JConnect .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39                                     proud legacy — we have in our archives a copy of the “1991–1992 Career Services
   Formatting Specifications  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13                                      Johnson Talent System (JTS)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39                                                                    Handbook” — and our principles remain unchanged: Like our predecessors,
   What to Include .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13-14                            Management Library  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39-40                                                                 we empower students to manage their job searches and offer tools and advice
   Sample Résumés .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14                          Capital IQ .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40                                      relevant to the current market.
   Résumé Review .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14                        Bigdough  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
Cover Letters .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15            Vault.com Online Library  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             This reference tool and workbook is the companion to our CMC and Career Work
   Cover Letter Framework  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15                                      GOINGLOBAL Career Guides .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Group curricula. Read it completely as soon as you receive it so that you know
   Sample Cover Letters .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15-16                                      JPay+ .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             what it contains and how it is organized. Then, refer to it often as you plan your
Student Spotlight: Yuxin (Livia) Liu, MBA ’16, ILR ‘16 .  .  .  .  . 17                                                                            MBAExchange .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             career search, prepare for interviews, and evaluate job offers.
                                                                                                                                                   Other Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Be Prepared
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Each student has a different learning style. Therefore, the CMC has developed
Problem-Action-Result (PAR) Stories .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18                                                  Appendix B
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             an integrated career management program in collaboration with clubs, faculty,
   PAR Samples .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18                 Sample Résumés .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 41-46
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham   alumni, library staff, and the students themselves. You will have opportunities to
PAR Worksheet .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 19-20
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 202 Sage Hall               talk privately with experienced advisors, to discuss your job search in small work
Interview Preparation .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21                         Appendix C
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 607-254-3375                groups, and to hear from CMC staff and alumni in large lecture halls. At every
   Exercise 1: Know the Job  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21                                 Sample Cover Letters  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 47-56
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ccs86@cornell.edu           point, we want what you learn in one setting to be reinforced by what you hear in
   Exercise 2: Know the Company  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             other settings and by your own hard work and practice.
   Know the Interviewer .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21-22
   Exercise 3: Research the Interviewer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 22
   Types of Interviews and Sample Questions  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 22-25
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Being admitted to Johnson means that you have the skills and background to
   Student Spotlight: Vikas Panghal, MBA ‘16  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 23
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             succeed in your career search and to make a strong contribution to the Johnson
   A Note About Phone and Other Virtual Interviews .  .  .  .  . 26
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             community. On behalf of the Career Management Center team, I welcome you, and
   Interview Follow-Up  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 26
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             I am excited to partner with you in your quest for a rewarding career.
Company Research Framework .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
Company Research For Career  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Go Big Red!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Warm regards,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Executive Director of the Career Management Center

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Student Council Welcome

 Symone Williams and Harrison F. Jobe
 Student Council Co-chairs

Welcome to Johnson! We couldn’t be more excited for
you to join our community. The MBA journey requires
many moving parts and involves support at all levels,
from your peers, second years, the Career Management
Center, and alumni — we’re all invested in your success.    What is your favorite part of the recruiting process?
This workbook is just the beginning, but it will provide
you with many valuable resources from industry experts,     My favorite part of the recruiting process is seeing our
recruiters, and members of the Johnson community. As        on-campus efforts result in a pool of candidates that we
you begin this process, remember to stay true to yourself   have a hard time choosing between. Student talent and
— we’re all rooting for you!                                enthusiasm is inspiring and makes my job interesting
                                                            and rewarding.
Symone and Harrison
Student Council Co-Chairs                                   Nicole Bigarani, Principal Program Manager, University
                                                            Talent Acquisition and Strategy at Genentech

What do you look for in consulting recruits?
Recruiting for us is essential. We are not saying “buy
our product.” We are saying “buy us.” People are our
product, and we are only as good as our people. We need
smart, interesting people who are constantly throwing
us on our heads. I want someone on my team who is
going to challenge me.
Alyssa Casey, Business Strategy Manager,
Accenture Strategy

2                                                                                                                      3
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Preface                                                                                                               Overview
Introduction to the Career Management Center                                                                          The MBA Job Search
Johnson’s Career Management Center (CMC) provides         •   Publishes reports that allow students to                                                                     The job search starts as soon as you become a Johnson student. Very soon
outstanding, personalized customer service to alumni,         understand the success of prior classes and the                                                              after arriving in Ithaca — and often before — you’ll be meeting alumni and
students, and corporate recruiters to facilitate the          history of our relationships with leading employers                                                          corporate recruiters and will be expected to make a good impression.
best possible matches between our students and            •   Collaborates with student clubs and Student
alumni and potential employers. Our mission is to             Council so that everyone’s efforts to aid students                                                           Below is an internship search timeline for students in the Two-year
help students and alumni develop careers that will            is maximized                                                                                                 MBA program.
provide long-term satisfaction and growth and to help                                                                                     August
companies identify candidates who can enhance and         •   Selects and trains second-year Career Work Group                            Discovery
promote their success in the marketplace.                     leaders and organizes the groups                                                                             •   August — Throughout                  •   September and October
                                                                                                                             June                       September
                                                          •   Understands and develops best practices in career                                           Career
                                                                                                                                                                               orientation, you’ll be meeting           — The CMC will host short,
The CMC is committed to helping each student:                 management through participation in the MBA
                                                                                                                           Internship
                                                                                                                                                        Preparation            classmates and learning team-            intensive workshops so that you
                                                                                                                                        Throughout
                                                              Career Services & Employer Alliance                                                                              building skills that should              can practice key skills essential
•   Identify a career path that is consistent with his/                                                                                   The year
                                                                                                                                                                               serve you for life. You’ll also          for a successful job search
    her interests, values, and abilities                  CMC’s main office is located in 202 Sage Hall, though
                                                                                                                                          Check JTS
                                                                                                                          Jan. - Feb.       often       Oct. - Nov.            meet alumni and be exposed to        •   October and November
•   Create a plan for finding the job on which that       some advisors have offices outside the suite. The office                                                             important information about
                                                                                                                           Interview                      Practice                                                      — Second-year students will lead
    career can be launched                                is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays. Students                                                               career paths                             small functionally focused Career
•   Present himself/herself as a strong candidate in      may drop in whenever the office is open to schedule an                         December
                                                                                                                                                                           •   Early September — You will               Work Groups so that you can
    the marketplace                                       appointment to speak with a staff member at the front                             Apply                              sign up for a Career Work Group          further practice skills needed for
                                                          desk. Students may make appointments with advisors
                                                                                                                                                                               based on your functional and             securing and acing interviews in
We expect each student to be committed to:                by using the Scheduling Assistant feature of Outlook
                                                                                                                                                                               industry interest. Career Work           the field you’re pursuing
                                                          or by dropping by and asking a staff member at the
•   Fully examining his/her capabilities, interests,                                                                  First-year MBA career cycle:                             Groups are groups of five or so      •   December — Many internships
                                                          front desk to schedule a meeting. We can be reached
    values, and traits
                                                                                                                      The first year of your MBA program will help             first-year students led by second-       filled through on-campus
                                                          via telephone at 607-255-4888, email cmc@johnson.           you lay the foundation for your post-MBA                 year students who work on all            recruiting have application
•   Developing and managing a plan to find a job and      cornell.edu, or the web at www.johnson.cornell.edu/         career. From core classes, core teams, and Career
                                                                                                                                                                               matters of career preparation,           deadlines in December. Many
    launch a career                                       Career-Management.                                          Work Groups, everything happens in due time
                                                                                                                      to prepare you to excel at your internship and           including résumés, pitch, net-           investment banks may actually
                                                          The CMC communicates regularly with students                get the job you seek in the fall. That being said,       working, and mock interviews             conduct first-round and final
In keeping with our mission and in recognition of the                                                                 some internship interviews will occur in the fall
varying needs of our clients, the Career Management       through the Career Network News (CNN) e-newsletter.                                                              •   Early September and                      interviews in December
                                                                                                                      before on-campus recruiting at summer MBA
Center offers a range of services. The CMC:               This is our primary mechanism for announcing                                                                         continuing — The CMC hosts
                                                                                                                      diversity conferences, virtual briefings, and                                                 •   January and February
                                                          workshops and programs and reminding students               other off-campus events companies will host.             company briefings in which               — Interviews take place on-
•   Offers confidential one-on-one meetings with          of various application and registration deadlines. It’s                                                              you’ll have opportunities to             campus for summer internships
    professional advisors                                 important to make a habit of reading CNN. The CMC                                                                    meet alumni and learn about
                                                          will also share opportunities and announcements                                                                      a company’s organization,            •   Throughout the year
•   Manages on-campus recruiting bringing
                                                          through JConnect via the Career Management                                                                           products, career paths, and              — Jobs will be posted on
    companies to campus (and virtually) for briefings
                                                          Residential group and other industry specific CMC                                                                    culture. Most companies offer            Johnson Talent System (JTS)
    and interviews
                                                          interest groups. Be sure to follow us on JConnect and                                                                post-briefing receptions so that         that will be filled outside on-
•   Provides online tools for self-assessment, skill-     subscribe to the daily digest in order to have the most                                                              you can speak personally with            campus recruiting
    building, researching companies, identifying          recent information available daily. For some events, we                                                              representatives                      •   June — You begin your
    contacts, and preparing for interviews                expect students to register through CampusGroups;
                                                                                                                                                                           •   Also in September — Clubs                summer internship!
•   Hosts workshops to teach job-search skills and        this will be clarified when programs are announced.
                                                                                                                                                                               will welcome you as new
    provide opportunities for students to practice in a   Many tools that you’ll find useful in your job search are
                                                                                                                                                                               members and offer valuable
    safe environment                                      posted in JConnect under Career Management Center.
                                                                                                                                                                               assistance and support in your
                                                          There you’ll find the recruiting calendar, diversity
•   Engages outside speakers to augment our training                                                                                                                           job search
                                                          conference dates, and substantial content related to
    and to inspire job seekers
                                                          job searches in particular functions. You should become
•   Organizes support for students attending career       familiar with the organization of CMC content in
    fairs hosted by third parties                         JConnect so that you can find material quickly when
•   Cultivates relationships with alumni and              you need it.
    corporate recruiters

4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      5
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Step 1
                                                                                                                                          Self-Assessment                              Understand       Explore        Focus          Make          Convince

                                                    For students in the One-year MBA program, a general timeline looks like this:
                                                                                                                                          Self-assessment is the first and possibly the most           List five of your high-match careers.
                                                                                                                                          important step in planning your career. You are more
                                                    •     Orientation in May —                         meet alumni and learn about        likely to be happy and fulfilled in your vocation if it is   Make some notes about business cultures that are
                                                          During orientation and early                 a company’s organization,          based on your interests, values, and skills. MBA grad-       consistent with your values, skills, and interests.
                                                           coursework, you’ll be meeting               products, career paths, and        uates often choose their careers based on what they are
                                                                                                                                                                                                       •   Based on your CultureMatch results in www.
                                                          classmates and learning                      culture. Most companies offer      “good” at, but the most important question is “What
                       may                                                                                                                                                                                 careerleader.com®, reflect on the culture of the work
                                                          team-building skills that                    post-briefing receptions so that   interests you?” You probably fall into one of three
                    Discovery                                                                                                                                                                              environment you just came from. Do the results
                                                          should serve you for life.                   you can speak personally with      categories, all of which can benefit from self-assessment:
                                                                                                                                                                                                           explain why you were happy or unhappy with the
       JUNE                         SUMMER                You’ll also hear from alumni                 representatives
                                                                                                                                          •   Clear idea of your goals                                     culture there?
     Job starts                      Career               and be exposed to important             •    October — Application
                                   Preparation
                  Throughout                              information about career paths                                                  •   Idea about a few industries or job functions you         •   Based on your results, in what types of corporate
                                                                                                       deadlines for many full-time
                    The year
                                                                                                                                              might consider                                               cultures will you be happiest or most productive?
                                                    •     Throughout the                               jobs filled through on-campus
                    Check JTS
    NOVEMBER          often       SEPTEMBER
                                                          summer — The CMC will host                   recruiting occur in October        •   Unsure where you fit best                                •   Based on these results, what industries and job
                                                          a series of short, intensive work-      •    November — Interviews                                                                               functions are you most interested in pursuing?
     Interview                       Practice
                                                          shops so that you can learn about                                               If you’re in the first category and have a clear idea of
                                                                                                       take place on-campus for
                    OCTOBER                               and practice key skills essential                                               your career plans, you’ll use self-assessment to help        Exercise: Introspective Questions
                                                                                                       full-time jobs
                      Apply                               for a successful job search.                                                    link your interests, values, and skills to the job you’re
                                                          You will participate in mock            •    Throughout the year                seeking. For the other two categories, self-assessment       Spend some time thinking about the following:
                                                          interviews and functionally-                 — Jobs will be posted on           can help clarify one or even a few career directions that
                                                                                                       Johnson Talent System (JTS)        might appeal to you. If you are a career switcher, self-     •   Describe one or two of the most important experi-
                                                          focused Career Work Groups
One-year MBA career cycle:                                                                             that will be filled outside on-    assessment will be particularly valuable in ensuring             ences in your career. Why were these experiences so
The career cycle for a One-year MBA is similar      •     Early September and                          campus recruiting                                                                                   important to you?
                                                                                                                                          that you’re headed in the right direction! The following
to the first-year cycle, just a much faster pace.         continuing — The CMC hosts
                                                                                                  •    June — You launch your             exercises can help you in that process.                      •   In your work experiences to date, of what accom-
                                                          company briefings in which
                                                                                                       post-MBA career!                                                                                    plishments are you most proud and why?
                                                          you’ll have opportunities to                                                    Exercise: Understanding Your CareerLeader®
                                                                                                                                          Results                                                      •   With whom have you enjoyed working, or not? Why?
                                                    For second-year students in the Two-year MBA program, the timeline aligns                                                                          •   Think about the individual tasks of past jobs. Which
                                                    with One-year MBA students from early September on.                                   Based on your www.careerleader.com® results, write               did you find engaging and inspiring? Which did you
                                                                                                                                          down your three main interests, top three motivators,            not?
                                                                                                                                          and top five abilities. Ask yourself:
The process                                                                                                                               •   What are your three strongest business interests
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Exercise: Job Envy vs. Job from Hell

5 steps to success                                        Understand        Explore            Focus         Make          Convince
                                                                                                                                              (per the Detailed Summary)? What are your thoughts       (Adapted from Discovering Your Career in Business by
                                                                                                                                              about why these came up as your strongest                Timothy Butler and James Waldroop)
                                                     Shortly after arriving at Johnson,           5.    convince employers that you’re        interests? Do these interests relate to the work you
                                                                                                                                              did before? Do they reflect your current interests?      Imagine your ideal job. What features of this job make it
                                                     you should start developing a sound                a terrific candidate.                                                                          attractive to you? Why? Describe your ideal job in detail.
                                                     plan for conducting your job search.                                                 •   What are your three most highly valued work rewards      Where are you working? What is your day like? What are
                                                     The process of finding a job is basic        You will likely work on the fourth          (per the Detailed Summary)? In previous jobs, how
                                                                                                  and fifth steps at the same time,                                                                    your interactions like throughout the day? What are our
                                                     in theory but requires energy and                                                        were these met? Most jobs involve making trade-offs      main activities?
                                                     persistence to implement successful-         and continue to work on the fourth          among different rewards. Which of your highly
                                                     ly. In broad strokes, it is a five-step      step even after accepting a job. If a       valued rewards are you willing to defer for now?         Now recall or imagine a work situation that was or
                                                     process:                                     summer internship does not turn             Why?                                                     would be particularly distasteful to you. What tasks or
                                                                                                  out quite as well as you hoped, you                                                                  circumstances did or would you dislike the most? Why?
                                                     1.    understand your goals, values,         may revisit steps one and two in the    •   Review your abilities and reflect on your five
                                                                                                                                              greatest abilities. How could you apply them in          Be as specific as possible about what you dislike about
                                                           and skills                             fall of your second year. The path is                                                                this job.
                                                                                                  not always linear.                          your post-MBA position?
                                                     2.    explore your options
                                                                                                                                          •   Are there any inconsistencies or tensions between        If you are having difficulty getting clarity about
                                                     3.    focus on a job function that           This manual will be your guide for          your interests or abilities? For instance, you have a    your interests, values, and skills, discuss your www.
                                                           best suits your values, interests,     most of these steps and is intended         weak interest in creative production but put a high      careerleader.com® results with a CMC advisor and
                                                           and skills                             to be used by every student seeking         estimate on your ability to be creative. How is this     try to attend a career self-assessment workshop. You
                                                     4.    make yourself a strong                 employment. It will complement              possible? This example highlights the difference         may find it helpful to read Discovering Your Career in
                                                           candidate                              CMC training programs and your              between an interest and ability: We are skilled at       Business and complete Chapter 3 exercises.
                                                                                                  Career Work Group.                          many things that we have little interest in actually
                                                                                                                                              doing as a career

6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              7
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Step 4
                                                                                                                                                                      Understand        Explore         Focus         Make          Convince
                                                                                                                       Make yourself A
                                                                                                                       strong candidate
                                                                                                                       Much of the work in making yourself a desirable               research about what that job entails for that particular
                                                                                                                       employee lies outside the direct purview of the Career        employer.
                                                                                                                       Management Center.
                                                                                                                                                                                     As a student, you will develop knowledge and acquire
                                                                                                                       To be a strong candidate, you must know the industry.         technical skills through coursework, Leadership Skills
                                                                                                                       This is particularly important if you are looking for a job   Programs (LSPs), Managerial Skills Programs (MSPs),
                                                                                                                       in which you would be managing products or marketing          and hours of practice and review. For many jobs, this
                                                                                                                       campaigns. In those cases, you should be familiar with        will entail becoming an expert user of PowerPoint and
                                                                                                                       industry trends and leading products. Many technology         Excel, or mastering case frameworks, or developing
                                                                                                                       companies, for example, expect candidates to be users of      strong stock pitches. Immersion faculty and Career Work
                                                                                                                       their services and products. The Management Library (see      Group leaders can offer advice on skills you’ll need.
                                                                                                                       Appendix A) can teach you how to research industries
                                                                                                                       you’re targeting.                                             Employers look for candidates with strong “soft” skills
                                                                                                                                                                                     in communication, negotiation, time management, cross-
                                                                                                                       You should also understand the role(s) you want to fill.      cultural understanding, and teamwork. These skills will
step 2                                                                                                                 If you explored your options, you already have a good         come through your coursework, LSPs and MSPs, club
                                             Understand      Explore         Focus         Make         Convince       understanding of typical MBA roles. When applying             activities, and some CMC programs.
Explore your                                                                                                           for a specific role, you may need to conduct additional
options
Ideally you should understand most of your options         events. To thoroughly explore all options, prospective
                                                                                                                       Step 5
                                                                                                                                                                      Understand        Explore        Focus          Make          Convince
when you apply to business schools, and the exploration    and new students should:                                    Convince employers
can continue after you are accepted and through the        • Pay attention to descriptions of job functions offered
first weeks of school. The leading job functions that         in www.careerleader.com®                                 that you’re a great
MBA students fill, typically, are consulting, one of the
several areas of finance, consumer product marketing,
                                                           • Attend Career Path presentations by CMC staff
                                                              during Orientation
                                                                                                                       candidate
and technical product management. New graduates are        • Attend alumni career panels hosted by the CMC
especially drawn to leadership-development programs           during Orientation                                       When you’re focused and confident that you are                framework. Once you are focused, you can use Dalton’s
that allow them to continue to practice in several         • Speak with second-year students, alumni, friends,         developing skills needed to succeed on the job, you should    recommendations to create your own list of companies.
functional areas before specializing.                         family, and colleagues about their jobs                  develop a plan for actually looking for a job. We urge all
                                                           • Read biographies of successful businesspeople,            Johnson students to read The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve       Other tools that you will need in your search will be
We urge you to be open-minded about job functions in          industry news, and various guides to job functions       Dalton and to follow his recommendation for developing        described in this section. The order in which they are
the first few weeks at Johnson. You might be surprised        and industries                                           a list of companies at which you’ll look for opportunities.   described may not be the order in which you will need
by what you like and don’t like in coursework or in        • Attend corporate briefings hosted by the CMC              Ideally, students should read this book once before           to create them or use them, but you should understand
interactions with professional clubs and recruiting        • Read Vault’s MBA Career Bible, available online           arriving at Johnson to become familiar with the               all of them.
                                                              through the Management Library

                                                                                                                       the ICP
Step 3                                                                                                                 Individual Career Plan
                                             Understand      Explore         Focus         Make         Convince
Focus!
                                                                                                                       To be successful in your job search, you need a well-         will help you organize the plan for your job search. Your
                                                                                                                       thought-out, systematic plan for targeting people,            ICP is not a static document. It will change over time as
Your joint efforts in exploring interests and under-       Even traditional MBA roles, such as investment banking      companies, and positions. In the job search, you are a        you learn more about the job function you’re targeting or
standing the MBA job market will soon lead you to          or consulting, are highly competitive. Inevitably even      “brand.” You are packaging and selling your unique            as your personal interests and needs change. The “Target
decide what kind of job you want to pursue. The more       well-prepared students are excluded from these jobs.        qualities and attributes. Therefore, you need to be very      Company List” will flow from the exercises in The 2-Hour
focus you demonstrate, the more likely you are to be                                                                   specific about what you are looking for and what you can      Job Search.
successful in your job search — to a point. Some job       For these reasons, we urge all students to have backup      offer. This template for an Individual Career Plan (ICP)
functions pursued by MBA students are highly refined       plans. A good backup plan may be just a more roundabout
or are in areas with little turnover, which means there    route to your original goal, or it may be different goal.
are few job openings in a given year.                      This is a good topic for discussion with a CMC advisor
                                                           or your Career Work Group leader.

8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               9
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
GETTING NOTICED
     Strong personal presence and professional image
     We have all read about first impressions and the impact        •   Get in the habit of keeping a neat and mature
     they can have on your professional success. Most                   personal appearance on any day when you are
     professionals agree that within two minutes you have               likely to meet a recruiter, alumnus/a, or company
     already been evaluated. Some argue that it happens even            representative
     faster than that — within seconds. People evaluate your        •   Practice a firm handshake with both men and
     appearance in its entirety. They observe your demeanor,            women. Ask friends and CMC staff if it is too firm
     mannerisms, and body language, and even assess your                or not firm enough
     grooming. Within seconds, you have moved from being
     a neutral candidate, assessed only by a résumé, to a           •   Remember to have eye contact during your
     probable or improbable candidate. You might argue                  conversations. If this does not come naturally to
     that you have the best skills among all the potential              you for personal or cultural reasons, ask a CMC
     candidates. But you will never get to prove that if the            staff member or CWG leader to prompt you until it
     initial impressions you make are poor. Yes, a candidate            becomes natural
     can overcome a bad first impression, but it is an uphill       •   Smile and be expressive when you are introduced
     battle. If you are impressive in the first two minutes,            to someone
     research has shown that interviewers will give you the
                                                                    •   Read How to Win Friends and Influence People by
     benefit of the doubt on the more problematic parts of
                                                                        Dale Carnegie. Carnegie’s book has been the classic
     your résumé. There are two reasons for this. First, people
                                                                        guide for business behavior in the United States for
     prefer to hire people they like — people who will get
                                                                        more than 50 years. Even if your interviewers do
     along with the team and not strain the social fabric.
                                                                        not practice the ideas in this book, they know that
     Second, regardless of your initial position, you are being
                                                                        good professionals do. Read this book and use its
     assessed on your ability to make a good first impression
                                                                        suggestions
     on clients. That will help close sales and result in greater
     customer satisfaction. The bottom line is that if you fail     •   Read How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes. This
     the two-minute test, you will likely have a long and               is a newer book that is particularly useful if you
     difficult job search.                                              don’t have a lot of experience with the well-heeled
                                                                        in finance, consulting, and C-level circles
     Here are some tips to help you make a good first — and
     lingering — impression.                                        •   Practice! Practice informally by putting these ideas
                                                                        to work with your friends on a day-to-day basis. Be
                                                                        sure to ask for their evaluations

                                                          Sharon Bois, Director of Strategy and Analysis, Corning Incorporated

10                                                                                                                           11
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
GETTING NOTICED                                                                                                             GETTING NOTICED
Introductions                                                                                                               MBA RÉSUMÉ
The manner in which you introduce yourself is critical in     Use the following template and examples to help refine        The purpose of your résumé is to draw the attention of            descriptions, browsing trade organization materials, and
leaving a strong first impression. Your self-introduction     your pitch. Consider creating a couple of versions, since     recruiters so that you will be invited for interviews. Your       reviewing company web sites. This is an important step to
is often referred to as your “pitch.” Your pitch should       you will need to adjust your pitch for different industries   résumé is an essential tool in your job search. Not only is it    follow. Often, a live person does not review résumés that
be succinct, memorable, and relevant. You will use it at      or functions.                                                 read by employers seeking candidates for open positions,          do not pass through the computer screening process. It is
corporate briefings, at networking events, in conversations                                                                 it is also used as a “calling card” when you meet people          important to get through this screen.
on planes, or wherever you want to quickly summarize          You will see variations of this model, some of which are      in your field. A great résumé describes your achievements
your unique qualifications and career aspirations. It is      quite effective. Develop a pitch that feels natural and       and skills in such a way that readers can quickly under-          What to Omit
an art to be able to use your pitch in a way that sounds      comfortable to you and that you think strongly conveys        stand your strengths and easily infer your interests.             The standard professional résumé in the United States
genuine and fluid and not overly rehearsed.                   your energy, character, and interests.                                                                                          does NOT include any of the following:
                                                                                                                            The standard Johnson School résumé is a one-page
                                                                                                                            document summarizing your education, professional                 •   Photo
 Component           Purpose            Example 1                     Example 2                  Your Pitch                 experience, related skills and interests, and personal            •   Height, weight, or other physical features
                                                                                                                            interests. Employers in business favor a straightforward,         •   Marital status
Introduction        Identify who       “Hello. I’m Jane Smith, a     “Hello. My name is José                                reverse chronological-order document. Therefore, we
                    you are            first-year MBA student at     Mendez. I am a first-                                                                                                    •   Objectives
                                                                                                                            discourage using a “functional résumé” format. For the
                                       Johnson at Cornell.”          year MBA student at                                                                                                      •   Executive summary
                                                                                                                            JTS résumé database (still sometimes called a résumé
                                                                     Johnson at Cornell.”                                   “book”), you are required to use the template we have             •   Citizenship (but you may include work authorization)
                                                                                                                            prepared. This same template may serve you well                   Formatting Specifications
Background          Establish a        “I have a strong              “Before MBA school, I
                                                                                                                            throughout your career.
                    foundation for     operational background        worked for five years in                                                                                                 •   Use one sheet of 8 1/2” x 11” paper
                    credibility (Can   in telecommunications.”       operations management                                  The résumé is not written in complete sentences, but in           •   Use a clear, simple font, such as Arial, Palatino, or
                    include a key                                    in the auto industry,                                  short phrases. These phrases should convey a lot in a                 Times Roman
                    achievement.                                     where I led global cross-                              few words. Insofar as possible, the phrases in the
                    Often leads                                      functional teams to                                                                                                      •   Use a 10-, 11-, or 12-point font
                                                                                                                            “professional experience” section of the résumé should
                    to further                                       improve quality and                                                                                                      •   Margins should be 1” or 1.25” all around
                                                                                                                            summarize your achievements. Begin these phrases with
                    discussion.)                                     delivery.”                                             strong past-tense verbs, such as achieved, managed,               •   Do not use oversized type for your name or change
                                                                                                                            coordinated, led, oversaw, and facilitated. Whenever                  type size or style within the document; stick to one
Your Story          Connect the dots   “This is where I gained       “In my company,                                                                                                              font style for a clean, crisp appearance
                    (No more than      exposure to strategic         I noticed how the                                      possible, quantify the results of your work: e.g., did you
                                                                                                                            reduce costs, increase sales, reduce lead time, reduce            •   Section headings should be in the left margin
                    three points.      planning, by participating    brand team analyzed
                    Points should      in merger and acquisition     the consumer, market,                                  staff turnover, or improve client satisfaction ratings?           •   Use bold or italic to highlight schools, titles, or
                    be relevant to     activities. It was in these   and competition and                                    Edit ruthlessly and annihilate all unnecessary words and              company names
                    the position.)     activities that I became      used this analysis to                                  sentences.                                                        •   Use a list format with bullets to set off short
                                       very interested in solving    improve marketing,                                                                                                           descriptive phrases
                                       broader business problems                                                            KeyWords
                                                                     communication, and
                                       and developing a sense                                                                                                                                 What to Include
                                                                     product design. This                                   Most employers use computerized scanning systems to
                                       of connection between         resulted in significant                                                                                                  •   Name, email address, and preferred telephone
                                       strategy and operational                                                             search for keywords in the thousands of résumés they
                                                                     sales and market-share                                 receive. To maximize your chances of scoring with these               number. For your email address, use your Cornell
                                       capabilities. That’s why…”                                                                                                                                 email unless there is a good reason to do otherwise;
                                                                     growth.”                                               systems, incorporate keywords and describe your work
                                                                                                                            experience in a manner that is meaningful to your target              for example, if you are sending your résumé to
Career Goal         Express            “I’m pursuing a career in “That’s why I am pur-                                                                                                            Google, use your Gmail address for your résumé
                    your goal          management consulting.” suing a career in brand                                      industry. Develop your keyword list through research
                                                                 management. I want to                                      conducted in informational interviews and by reading job          •   Education — List institutions and degrees in reverse
                                                                 have a stake in setting                                                                                                          chronological order, including the month and year
                                                                 marketing strategy at                                                                                                            you graduated or expect to graduate. If space allows
                                                                                                                            What do you look for in a strong resume?
                                                                 a consumer packaged                                                                                                              and these are notable, also include:
                                                                                                                            We typically look for résumés that highlight interest in our
                                                                 goods company.”                                            industry, such as being a member of the healthcare club or on         o   Majors, minors, concentrations, Johnson School
Fun Fact            Differentiate and “I like to visit               “I like to surf.”                                      a healthcare track. We also look for previous experience                  immersions
(optional)          make memorable foreign countries.”                                                                      at biotech or pharmaceutical companies, as well as achieve-           o   Honors and awards
                    (Often leads to                                                                                         ments. Someone who has won scholarships or case compe-
                                                                                                                                                                                                  o   Named scholarships
                                                                                                                            titions can make a strong case for themselves on paper
                    more questions and                                                                                                                                                            o   Excellent GPA
                                                                                                                            without having previous healthcare experience. Overall, it’s
                    a conversation.)                                                                                        being able to display that you have some type of vested inter-        o   GMAT, in some cases
                                                                                                                            est in working for a company that is passionate about patients.       o   Special programs and study abroad experiences
                                                                                                                            Nicole Bigarani, Principal Program Manager, University
                                                                                                                            Talent Acquisition and Strategy at Genentech

12                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    13
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
GETTING NOTICED
                                                                                                                            COVER LETTERS
•    Work experience — Jobs held are listed in reverse          résumé to secure an assistant brand manager position        Most, though not all, employers require applicants to           should include in the final paragraph a specific next step.
     chronological order. Include name of company, job          with Ocean Spray.                                           submit cover letters with their job applications. Your          Read your letter carefully and correct any misspellings
     title, and dates held                                                                                                  cover letter is an extension of your résumé and reflects        or errors. If you are applying for a job at company X,
     o   For companies that are not well-known, add a           Kristen Edwards, MBA ’16 — Kristen is a veteran of the      your knowledge of a specific employer’s needs. It               make sure that you refer to company X in the body of
         short description including industry, size, and        U.S. Army who served eight years of active duty. During     should demonstrate that you are able to communicate             the letter and that the letter is addressed to a person at
         target market                                          her service, Kristen led an aviation company, a medical     clearly and concisely, that you are sincerely interested        that company. It is a good idea, as well, to use a filename
                                                                evacuation team, and collaborated with local forces and     in this particular job, and that you are well suited for        for the electronic version of the letter that names the
     o   Convey achievements in concise descriptive             international teams through several deployments in          the job. Employers look for enthusiasm for the industry,        company. In the rare case that the letter is going by
         statements using strong past-tense verbs; for          Afghanistan and Iraq. Kristen leveraged her background      company, and position. Because employers’ needs                 postal mail, it should be printed with black ink on high-
         a list of verbs to try, see www.livecareer.com/        and leadership experience to land a product manage-         are different, you should write a unique cover letter           quality paper and your signature should be in black ink.
         resumes/samples                                        ment internship with Amazon in summer 2015, which           carefully tailored to each individual employer.
     o   Demonstrate results, not just tasks and                later converted to the role of senior product manager.                                                                      Cover letters go wrong in several common ways,
         responsibilities                                                                                                   Read every job description carefully and make sure              including the following:
                                                                Brett Lester, MBA ’17 — Brett is a veteran of the U.S.      that you address in your cover letter the primary skills
     o   Quantify results as much as possible                                                                               required for each role. As much as possible without             •   Having the wrong company name or contact
                                                                Marines Corps who served six years of active duty with
     o   Write for the reader by identifying skills useful in                                                               writing in a stilted manner, incorporate the exact words            person’s name in the cover letter. This happens
                                                                a background in intelligence and civilian experiences in
         the position for which you’re applying and citing                                                                  used in the description so that your letter will pass               more frequently than you might expect. We are
                                                                finance and project management. Brett recruited for a
         examples of achievements that demonstrate                                                                          automated scanning and keyword search systems.                      all guilty of this kind of oversight, but it is always
                                                                consulting internship and accepted a position with Ernst
         those skills                                                                                                                                                                           embarrassing nevertheless
                                                                & Young’s performance improvement strategy group.
                                                                                                                            COVER LETTER FRAMEWORK                                          •   Over-the-top or cliché language. Don’t say that
     o   If you are a career switcher, make sure the
         reader understands the significance of your            Elizabeth Luckey Suspanic, MBA ’17 — Liz used her           A cover letter typically comprises three parts:                     you’ve always had a passion for the durable goods
         accomplishments and can imagine you                    résumé to leverage four years of knowledge in marketing                                                                         manufacturing industry if you don’t truly love
         transferring your skills; avoid jargon                 and international experience to secure a summer             1.	 Introduction: Capture the employer’s interest!                  washing machines and dishwashers
                                                                position with Colgate-Palmolive in the Global Marketing         Identify the position for which you are applying,           •   “It’s all about me.” Make a case for how you can
•    Languages, including level of proficiency                  Development Program.                                            tell how you found information about the job, and               add value to the company; do not simply expand
•    Professional affiliations or certifications                                                                                describe your interest in the position. If appropriate,         on the ways that the company can help you develop
•    Community service                                          Zachary Raynor, MBA ’16 — Zachary’s résumé helped               you may even identify second-year students or                   your career and enrich your life
                                                                to successfully secure a summer associate position with         alumni that you know there.
•    Athletic and/or artistic interests                         Goldman Sachs in 2015, which later converted to a full-                                                                     For additional information, your Career Work Group
                                                                                                                            2.	 Specifics: Explain how your qualifications relate to
•    Hobbies that you can discuss knowledgeably                 time private wealth advisor position.                           the opportunity. Include examples of measurable             leader can review your letter and offer suggestions.
                                                                                                                                results from past jobs that make you a particularly         Also, books on cover letters are available in the Career
•    Interests that distinguish you and catch the eye of        Résumé Review
                                                                                                                                strong candidate.                                           Management section of the Management Library. In
     the reader
                                                                                                                                                                                            particular, we recommend Cover Letters That Knock ’em
                                                                When you have developed a good draft of your résumé         3.	 Closing: Ask the employer to agree to a date for the
Sample Résumés                                                                                                                                                                              Dead by Martin Yate and the Vault Guide to Résumés,
                                                                by following these guidelines, ask your Career Work             two of you to meet for an interview. In cover letters for   Cover Letters, and Interviews, which is available online
                                                                Group leader to review it and ask three or four peers           on-campus interviews, say that you look forward to
In Appendix B you’ll find good examples of one-page                                                                                                                                         through the Management Library. If English is not your
                                                                with experience or familiarity with your target job             seeing him/her when the employer comes to campus.
Johnson résumés from the following Johnson students                                                                                                                                         first language, seek assistance from the international
                                                                function to read it as well. Career Management Center
and alumni:                                                                                                                                                                                 writing assistant.
                                                                advisors will usually make time to look over résumés        Before you start to write your letter, answer the following
                                                                but prefer to see them after some work has been put into    questions to yourself for each cover letter that you need       SAMPLE COVER LETTERS
Anton Beckerman, MBA ’16 — Anton is a Russian-born
                                                                them. At some point, however, you will be receiving         to write.
Israeli who came to Johnson with ten years of experience
                                                                increasingly idiosyncratic feedback, and you will have to                                                                   In Appendix C you’ll find good examples of cover letters
in the technology industry. Focusing his search on big-                                                                     •   Why did you choose this industry?
                                                                stop making changes and upload it.                                                                                          from these Johnson students and alumni:
name tech firms and well-funded startups, Anton
secured a marketing operations internship with Autodesk,                                                                    •   Why are you interested in this company?                     Caroline Lefwander, MBA ’16 — Caroline entered
                                                                Keep in mind that for purposes of the GradLeaders résumé
which later converted to a full-time offer. Anton is not        “book,” you will have one active résumé in the system       •   What about this position appeals to you?                    Johnson with an interest in consumer packaged goods
authorized to work in the U.S.                                  that will be visible to any employer who purchases the                                                                      and successfully developed this cover letter to obtain a
                                                                                                                            •   Why should the company hire you?
                                                                Johnson database. You will receive an automated email                                                                       brand management internship with Reckitt Benckiser in
Grace Coriell, MBA ’16 — Grace entered Johnson with             message when your résumé has been approved by a             Before you send your cover letter, ensure that your letter      summer 2015, which converted to a full-time offer as an
more than eight years of experience in nonprofit and            CMC staff member for the book. Later, for any particular    is carefully tailored to each individual employer. Each         assistant brand manager. She is not authorized to work
for-profit enterprises. She interned at Johnson & Johnson       job for which you apply through JTS you can upload a        letter should demonstrate your knowledge of the target          in the U.S.
as a consumer marketing MBA summer associate. When              unique résumé tailored to that job.                         company and position. Also, make every effort to address
Grace returned to campus in the fall, she developed this                                                                                                                                    Janaki Palaniappan, MBA ’16 — Janaki used this cover
                                                                                                                            your letter to a person by name instead of to “Dear Sir/
                                                                                                                                                                                            letter to obtain a summer internship with the Accenture
                                                                                                                            Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Your letter
                                                                                                                                                                                            Development Partnerships program.
                                                                                                                            should fit easily on one page, be well-organized, and

14                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       15
Getting Down To Business Workbook 2018-2019 - Cornell Johnson
Student
                                                                                                                         Spotlight
Thomas Palmer, MBA ’14 — Tom wrote this cover letter          Arnav Sawhny, MBA ’15 — Arnav relied primarily on                                         Yuxin (Livia) Liu, MBA       has a number of professional skills that can perfectly
for his successful application for an equity research         focused networking as he was targeting a niche industry                                   ’16, ILR ‘16                 meet company needs; however, some students,
position at JPMorgan Chase.                                   in which most companies do not recruit on-campus or                                       Livia received the Ki Kon    especially international students from very different
                                                              sponsor work visas. He used this letter for successful                                    Chai MBA ‘57 Graduate        cultural contexts, often underestimate the importance
Frederick Rollins, MBA ‘16 — Frederick is a graduate of       application for a summer internship with LVMH in New                                      Scholarship merit-           of interpersonal skills. Companies do not hire people,
the One Year MBA program who landed at L.E.K.                 York. Arnav will be working at Deloitte in Amsterdam                                      based award and has a        but people hire people. When a recruiter talks to you,
Consulting after graduation. This sample cover letter was     after graduation.                                                                         background in media,         they are not only looking for a candidate with superior
used to apply to PwC.                                                                                                                                   marketing, and consumer      skills but are also searching for a future colleague who
                                                              Peter Slowik, MBA ’17 — Peter entered Johnson with                                        packaged goods. While        can hang out with them — no one wants to work with
Yana Routshtein, MBA ’15 – Yana held a summer                 five years of experience in consulting, seeking to pivot                                  living in Beijing City,      a person who is aloof and boring.
internship at Verizon and used this letter to apply for a     into investment banking. He developed this cover letter                                   China, she served as a
permanent position with Deloitte, where she accepted an       to secure an investment banking summer associate                                          communications and           The second thing I think is really important is to take
offer. Yana is not authorized to work in the United States.   position with Citigroup.                                                                  marketing officer at The     initiative and build connections, as many as you can.
Jennette Saltsman, MBA ’15 — Jennette entered Johnson                                                                                                   Nature Conservancy.          I secured my second summer internship with a giant
                                                              “Johnson Student,” MBA ’16 — Johnson has a summer
as a career-changer, seeking to leverage six years of                                                                                                                                pharmaceutical company through networking, despite
                                                              2015 internship with Deloitte. He used this letter to
experience in consulting and supply chain operations.                                                                    At Johnson, she served as co-president of the Greater       the fact that I didn’t have healthcare industry experience
                                                              apply for an internship with GE and received an offer.
She successfully developed this cover letter to secure                                                                   China Business Club and oversees a variety of activities,   and they had rarely hired international candidates.
a position as a retail leadership development intern at       Mary Zabriskie, MBA ’15 — Mary worked for IBM in           such as organizing career development seminars for          Here’s how it happened: I attended a roundtable
Amazon, which converted to a full-time offer.                 summer 2014 and accepted a permanent role with Intel       Chinese students as well as raising Chinese cultural        conference at the ILR School and met the company’s
                                                              after graduation.                                          presence through traditional festivals, cultural intro-     chief human resources officer. He told me that he
                                                                                                                         ductions, and performances.                                 didn’t have a position available but that I should keep
                                                                                                                                                                                     in touch with him. After being admitted to the MBA/
                                                                                                                         As an energetic student with strong entrepreneurship,       MILR program, I wrote to him immediately, and he
                                                                                                                         Livia leveraged past experiences along with new skills      responded within one hour with a summer internship
                                                                                                                         learned at Johnson to successfully develop an innovative    interview opportunity. I know lots of us feel awkward
                                                                                                                         marketing strategy in the 2014 Battle of the Brands         about reaching out to strangers — don’t be. Think of it
                                                                                                                         competition. Her team sold 240 cans of cat food to the      as a chance to make new friends and learn insights from
                                                                                                                         student body and won first place in the competition.        these experts — and keep trying.

                                                                                                                         Livia immersed herself in numerous practices at             What advice do you give international students who
                                                                                                                         Johnson, helping various types of companies solve real-     are seeking employment in the U.S.?
                                                                                                                         world challenges, from launching a new product for GE       Get outside your comfort zone and learn as much as
                                                                                                                         Healthcare and developing a marketing strategy for a        possible about the U.S. Before arriving at Johnson, I
                                                                                                                         local media startup in Ithaca streamlining operations       read Ethnic America by Thomas Sowell and watched
                                                                                                                         systems for a family-owned company in Colombia. She         America: The Story of Us, which is a 12-part, nine-hour
                                                                                                                         hopes to become a well-rounded general manager with         documentary-drama television miniseries. This helped
                                                                                                                         a human resources focus after graduation.                   me build a deeper understanding of the United States,
                                                                                                                                                                                     such as its spirit, reasons for the “American Dream,”
                                                                                                                         This summer, Livia will serve as an intern in the Human     why the PC is super vital in the U.S., and so on. This
                                                                                                                         Resource Development Program at Bristol-Myers Squibb        understanding helped me to adapt to society, the culture,
                                                                                                                         in Princeton, NJ. She previously served as a marketing      and the people better, since I had never studied or lived
                                                                                                                         and business strategy intern at CareerCoach.com.            in the U.S. before.
                                                                                                                         Share your experiences with recruiting in the U.S.
                                                                                                                         What did you learn? What helped you be successful?
                                                                                                                         As a dual-degree MBA/MILR student, I had two
                                                                                                                         summer internships. The most important skill during
                                                                                                                         recruiting is to be likable. Every Johnson student

                                                      Alexandra McCants, Vice President Human Resources, Emerson

16                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              17
BE PREPARED                                                                                                                             BE PREPARED
PROBLEM – ACTION – RESULT (PAR) STORIES                                                                                                 PROBLEM – ACTION – RESULT (PAR) STORIES WORKSHEET
A typical 30-minute first-round interview will include                •    The action you took (told in 1–2 minutes)
several questions designed to assess how you behave in                                                                                  Tell me about a time that you
various kinds of situations; these are called behavioral              •    The result (summarized in 30 seconds                                                         Problem   Action   Result
                                                                                                                                        demonstrated/dealt with/had:
interview questions. An example might be: “Tell me                         Explain why this result was significant to the
about a time when you disagreed with your boss.” It’s                      organization
best to anticipate these questions and be prepared with
                                                                      Most of your PARs should be work related. Nevertheless,
clear anecdotes.                                                                                                                        Worked in a Team,
                                                                      feel free to incorporate good stories from outside the            Especially a Cross-Functional
PAR stories will help you immensely in preparing for                  work environment. Consider extracurricular activities,            or Global Team
these interviews and in creating your résumé. You                     school, and volunteer work. In all cases, your stories
should develop at least two stories for each skill that is            should be concise, clear, and specific.
critical for the job for which you are interviewing, as the
                                                                      Review the following sample PAR stories — one on
interviewer will often say, “Give me another example.”
                                                                      leadership and one on teamwork — then complete your
                                                                                                                                        Showed Leadership
For each skill, develop the following:                                PAR worksheet on the following page.

•      A description of the problem or situation
       (explained in 30 seconds). Be sure to state the
       impact of the problem on the organization, since
       it might not always be evident to an outsider
                                                                                                                                        Took Initiative

     Problem-Action-Result Stories – Samples

 Tell me:          Problem                       Action                                          Result

                                                 To turn our business around, I focused on                                              Developed a Creative Solution
                                                    three key action steps:
                  In my role as Center           1. Built team motivation by creating short-
                  Manager for Score!                term incentives—such as free dinner if
                  Educational Centers, I had        we hit month-end targets
                  to lead my team toward
                                                 2. Increased sales efforts by capitalizing      Increased revenue by 14% in one
 Sample 1:        a profitable business. We                                                                                             Quantitatively Analyzed a
                                                    on existing opportunities—meeting            year; membership grew from 300 to
 Leadership       had been losing more                                                                                                  Situation
                                                    with parent coordinators to set up           380 members in one year.
                  customers than budgeted
                  for, and we really needed         presentations at school fairs
                  to move in the right           3. Held more frequent training sessions for
                  direction.                        assistant teachers to improve skills and
                                                    quality of our service, which affected our
                                                    long-term business and brand
                                                                                                                                        Taken a Controversial Stance
                                                I led a cross-functional team that included
                                                market research, advertising, direct
                  I was tasked with fielding,   marketing, email, public relations, sales,
                                                                                                 The study was well received by
                  writing, packaging, and       events, and external marketing agencies.
                                                                                                 the public and our clients. The
                  then promoting my             Work was divided, based on individuals’
                                                                                                 marketing campaign produced
                  company’s annual U.S.         strengths. We maintained constant                                                       Had to Persuade a Group
                                                                                                 almost 30,000 visits to our website,
                  study of employee benefits    communication through a weekly status
                                                                                                 which is double the traffic from the
                  trends. This study is         meeting and smaller meetings among
                                                                                                 previous year. Web downloads, site
 Sample 2:        viewed by my company’s        work groups. We celebrated success and
                                                                                                 registrations, and visits to other
 Teamwork         institutional business as     recognized the contributions of members
                                                                                                 research studies posted online also
                  one of the cornerstones       of the team on a regular basis. And even
                                                                                                 increased. We also received feedback
                  of its intellectual capital   though I was technically leading the team,
                                                                                                 from one or two sales associates who   Effectively Used Verbal and/
                  offering and is meant to      I did not hesitate to roll up my sleeves and
                                                                                                 said the study and the supporting      or Written Communication
                  raise awareness of my         make contributions of my own; since I had
                                                                                                 sales materials helped them make       Skills
                  company as a thought          experience with this kind of study before, I
                                                                                                 sales.
                  leader.                       managed the writing and creative layout of
                                                the study in addition to my oversight duties
                                                as project manager.

18                                                                                                                                                                                                  19
BE PREPARED
                                                              INTERVIEW PREPARATION
                                                              A job interview can be a life-changing event. Most first-           have worked in this company. Ask them for their
Tell me about a time that you                                 round interviews for MBA candidates are only 30 minutes             perspectives on the position and make notes about
                                  Problem   Action   Result   long, so it’s critical that you are ready and confident and         their responses
demonstrated/dealt with/had:
                                                              able to make a strong positive impression quickly. You’ve       •   List the key skills and attributes the company is
                                                              worked hard to get to this point by focusing on your                seeking in candidates for this role. Refer to the job
                                                              interests, researching job functions and industries,                description and to the conversations with people
                                                              networking, and conducting informational interviews.                who have worked there. Make notes about how you
 Overcame a Difficult Situation                               You cannot go into a job interview with the plan of                 meet those requirements
                                                              improvising or being spontaneous; you must be prepared.
                                                                                                                              Exercise 2: Know the Company
                                                              Many recruiters tell us that the impression you make in
                                                              the first two minutes can be the lasting impression of the      •   Research the company in publications such as the
                                                              remaining 28 minutes.                                               Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, Factiva,
 Failed                                                                                                                           and LexisNexis. Make notes about the latest news
                                                              To provide a crisp and confident presentation, you need
                                                              to know your direction and skills and be able to argue          •   If the company is public, read its annual report,
                                                              that you are focused on this role. You must understand              particularly the Chairman’s Letter to Shareholders.
                                                              the job, company, and industry. And insofar as possible,            This letter will reveal something about the
                                                              you should know something about the interviewer                     company’s recent successes and failures, as well as
                                                              so that you can try to relate to him/her and ask good               its strategy. This information should drive several
 Set and Achieved Goals
                                                              questions. This is not always possible, since the CMC               of your questions. Make notes summarizing this
                                                              usually does not know in advance who is coming on                   information
                                                              campus to conduct interviews.                                   •   Continue conducting research to answer the
                                                                                                                                  following questions about the company. Consider
                                                              As you prepare, try to reach beyond the job description             resources such as Datamonitor Reports
                                                              or title to reflect a true understanding of the job tasks and
Managed Conflict                                                                                                                  o   Who are the company’s competitors in
                                                              responsibilities. The most successful candidates speak to
                                                              several people about the position in order to develop a good            this industry?
                                                              understanding of it. Your questions in the interview will           o   What differentiates the company’s products
                                                              reflect more than a superficial knowledge of the position.              from its competitors’ products?

                                                              The art of the interview lies in providing convincing               o   What are the industry trends?
Handled a Disagreement with
a Co-worker                                                   proof that you are indeed a good fit for the firm. Every            o   What are the greatest challenges the
                                                              interview ideally becomes a two-way conversation. You                   company faces?
                                                              should convey your excitement in the form of stories
                                                                                                                                  o   What are the greatest opportunities the
                                                              about past experiences; these are the PAR stories that you
                                                                                                                                      company faces?
                                                              have been practicing. An interviewer also wants to see
                                                              your excitement through your body language — your                   o   What does the current sell-side analyst community
Faced an Ethical Dilemma                                      eyes light up, you’re on the edge of your seat, your hands              believe about the company and its prospects?
                                                              move. When two people being interviewed for the same
                                                                                                                              The Management Library at Johnson is a tremendous
                                                              position have roughly equal qualifications, the one who
                                                                                                                              resource for uncovering information on companies and
                                                              appears more passionate gets the job. Passion can even
                                                                                                                              industries. For more information about conducting
                                                              trump qualifications. And, the interviewer is more likely
                                                                                                                              research through the library, see the Appendix.
Worked with Upper
                                                              to converse with you than fire question after question
Management                                                    when you show commitment to the job and company.                Know the Interviewer
                                                              Exercise 1: Know the Job                                        Companies usually do not tell the Career Management
                                                                                                                              Center in advance who will be representing them as
                                                              •   Contact up to three alumni at the company and ask
                                                                                                                              interviewers. However, for second-round interviews and
                                                                  them to explain their perspectives on the position.
                                                                                                                              interviews taking place off-campus, you often will be
Made a Major Presentation                                         (Reference the Company Research Guide on page 33)
                                                                                                                              informed of the identity of the interviewers.
                                                              •   How does this job fit within the division?
                                                              •   Where does the division fit within the company?             Knowing the interviewer will help you connect with
                                                                                                                              him/her during what can be a stressful situation for many
                                                              •   Search the Johnson School résumé database and/or
                                                                  www.linkedin.com to see what people in your class
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