Filed under: Blogging from NY
Brianna here, and I’m on the bus headed back to DC after an amazing but exhausting two days in NYC. This post is about last night’s activities, and tomorrow (hopefully) I’ll be able to write about today’s awesome company visits.
After the alumni mixer last night, fellow first-years Emily Hedgpeth, Kelsey Artes and I ate dinner with Jennifer Lasko. Jennifer just received her MBA from GW in May 2008 but now works as an Assistant Product Director for the Clean & Clear brand at Johnson & Johnson. Emily, Kelsey and I were hanging on to every word she said, absorbing all that she told us, despite her concerns that she was telling too many stories or boring us. She was not. Through her stories, Jennifer gave us a number of valuable insights, which I will describe below. Having just graduated in May, she had very recently been through what the first-years are going through now, and we could not get enough of what she had to say.
#1. Have a story. This was first and foremost. Jennifer started out as a chemical engineer, realized this was not the right field for her, and found herself in business school seeking out marketing positions for facial products. How did she get there? The story could take 15 minutes, it could take an hour, but she was able to perfect it into a 2 minute “teaser” to share with companies. If they wanted to hear more, they were just going to have to interview her.
#2. Be persistent. Jennifer mentioned the story of the traveling salesman. Doors are going to be closed on you and you are going to get rejection emails when you are searching for an internship, but you need to keep going. This is something I’m dealing with now, and I know I need to keep my head up, but it’s always nice to be reminded that other people went through and are going through the same thing. Those internships may not have been the right one for me, but I will find the one that is.
#3. Make your own experience. When interviewing with a recruiter, Jennifer pointed out, there is no need to talk about the classes you are taking and what you are learning in them. That’s a given. They know you are taking those classes, and so are the other 110,000 MBA students in the country. Join clubs. Get involved. Talk about what you are doing in those clubs and the results, not just the fact that you are in those clubs. You need to set yourself apart from everyone. Jennifer planned both the NY and San Francisco career treks, and got her summer internship through the San Francisco trek.
#4. Don’t give up. Sure this may sound similar to #2, but it’s that important.
#5. Give people a reason to want to help you. If you contact an alum to network or for an informational interview, don’t expect that person to hand you a job or other contacts simply because you went to the same school. Always prove yourself with steps 1-4. Jennifer met an alum during the San Francisco career trek who was so impressed with her passion and drive that he actually created the internship for her. This internship helped to get her job with Johnson & Johnson.
She also developed a very close relationship with Toni Della-Ratta, a career counselor with GW’s MBA career center. How does a once chemical engineer transition to facial care marketing? Toni saw Jennifer’s drive and commitment, and was willing to pull out all the stops for her. When two people work equally hard to support one another, great things can be accomplished.
#6. To quote a favorite computer animated fish, “Just keep swimming.” Actually, this is my contribution, but Jennifer couldn’t say “Don’t give up, be persistent, keep your head up, hang in there” enough. Emily, Kelsey and I found it refreshing for her to acknowledge how tough the first year of the MBA program actually is. Jennifer’s accounts of never sleeping rang true. But you know what? It’s one year. And it’s going to set you up for the rest of your MBA career (if not the rest of your life?).
Kelsey, Jennifer, Emily, Brianna
After the dinner, the four of us felt extremely close and we vowed to keep in touch. Jennifer was such an inspiration to us and her stories were fascinating and entertaining. Emily, Kelsey and I agreed that it was beneficial to speak with someone who had so recently graduated, because she was able to truly understand what we were going through and give us advice that was current. I am so grateful for this opportunity to have met with such a passionate, caring young woman who wanted to give back to three students she had never even met.
Okay….I think I’m going to pass out on this bus now. Bye for now.
–Brianna
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