Getting a job after MBA in the UK

We had a career workshop on 'Own Job Search' during and after the MBA at Cranfield. It was organized by AMBA. It was a very helpful session and one of the highlights of how well we are looked after by our career services.

There were some key takeaways for me from this workshop.

1. Recruitment in UK is different than how it happens in the US, Asia or elsewhere. Companies don't necessarily visit the campus. The reason is simple - not enough candidates to interview for the number of open positions. Say a FMCG or Automobile company needs to recruit 3 MBAs this year. They will ideally want to interview at least 60-70(I may be stating less) suitable candidates before deciding on those 3, and in a typical class of MBA in UK there are not always (almost always) so many students suited for one opening. Hence companies prefer MBAs writing to them, rather than wasting their money and time in doing campus visits.

2. Its difficult to change anything more than one out of Country, Industry and Function when looking for the first post-MBA job. Except if its a leadership development program or if you are lucky. I kind of agree to it, but not fully.

3. Networking, Alumni, etc are the most suitable ways of getting to know the openings in a company. Any contact to the recruiter must go via these contacts, else its viewed as a 'cold call' (Sales term), and is not excepted to generate any response.

4. When it comes to contacting alumni or other contacts for leads, one must take care of the diversity and cultural aspect of communications and etiquetes. Like writing  a polite email first before directly asking for a job/contact. Asking for 15 minutes of personal time to seek 'advise', and using that time effectively if and when you get to meet. Meeting should be focused on 3 things - 'Is my profile a match for your company - advise', 'Is the company hiring, in general, or in particular', 'Whom to get in touch with'. And depending on the response you get asking,in the end - 'If I can use your name while contacting so and so...' (Directly not asking for whether you can give his 'reference', which might mean official/formal).

5. Taking one step at a time - Knowing the function/sector you want to join is very important. Once this is decided, one must make efforts to get contacts, and then prepare CV to match the company and then apply. Also, take into consideration the time taken to apply and interview calls to appear in your inbox. It takes time, especially in the UK. One has to be patient, and sometimes it takes 6-9 months to get the first job. Starting early is always the good option to avoid disappointment after MBA.