The Stanford MBA Job Journey, and More – San Francisco News
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Exploration Helped Her Find the Right Hands-On Job — Stanford GSB School News
Celina Johnson, Stanford GSB MBA ‘08, is currently the COO of Man Crates, a San Mateo-based company that sells gifts for men. But these aren’t just any typical gifts—they are special presents enclosed in wooden crates that recipients have to open with a crowbar. Meanwhile, gift cards come in concrete bricks that must be smashed; certainly not your average Pollyanna affair.
In a recent interview with her alma mater, she discusses not only her current role at Man Crates, but also also how her experience at Stanford helped get her there.
“In my first meeting with the Stanford GSB Career Management Center, they asked me what my goal was, and I said I wanted to work ‘at a company.’ I knew that I wanted to move out of investing. I loved the strategic part of it, but I felt that something was missing. I wanted to roll up my sleeves and execute,” Johnson says.
Johnson graduated right before the peak of the Great Recession, which, thankfully for her sake, didn’t seem to hamper her career outcome. Her first role after earning her degree was with Sears-owned Orchard Supply Hardware, which had a headquarters in nearby San Jose. She left after five years, saying “If investing was a lot of strategy and not enough execution, Orchard was a lot of execution and not enough strategy.”
Stanford ’08 MBA alum Celina Johnson, COO of Man Crates / Photo via Emily Billings
Rather than working from the ground up, Johnson felt her particularly skills were best utilized in a “company that already had product-market fit where my skills could be applied to improving the business.” Months after her Orchard Supply Hardware departure, she connected Stanford ’09 MBA alum Jonathan Beekman, who had already begun growing his Man Crates team.
You can read more about Johnson’s journey here.
Delphine Sherman Named as Haas Chief Financial Officer — Haas School News
Delphine Sherman, who graduated from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business with an MBA in 2006, has been named as the school’s new chief financial officer. An expert in the areas of education and financial management, Sherman told her alma mater that she is excited to take on the challenges of her new job.
“It’s a very exciting time to see how far the school has come during this really challenging financial time at the university,” she said. “I’d love to capitalize on that and bring in some strategy around what we want our long-range plan to look like—diving into the long-term and where we go from here.”
Learn more about Sherman and her credentials here.
SCU’s McChesney to Lead Jesuit MBA Network — Leavey School News
Toby McChesney was recently named the chair of the Jesuit MBA Network (JEBNET) — a worldwide network made up of 27 AACSB-accredited Catholic, Jesuit institutions and three Catholic institutions, works towards helping people earn their MBA. McChesney led the graduate programs at the Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business over the past 18 months as the school’s senior assistant dean for graduate business programs. As chair, McChesney will lead these meetings and become the face of JEBNET.
“I am honored to be selected as the chair of JEBNET where I can use my expertise to ensure that the group continues to thrive in graduate management education,” said McChesney, who will serve a three year term. “I look forward to working closely with other Jesuit business school leaders in ways that will benefit the entire network over the next three years.”
Learn more about McChesney and JEBNET here.
New Northwestern Career Video Series Tells You How to Own Your Career
The Career Management Center (CMC) at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management recently launched the “Own Your Own Career” video series aimed to develop brave leaders.
The series was created for prospective and current students, along with alumni, to discuss aspects of managing a career throughout its life cycle. The videos also touch on how Kellogg students can bring value to employers and demonstrate the qualities they seek.
The goal of the video series is not only to help students launch their careers, but also to help them gain the skills and mindset they need to manage their careers over a lifetime, explains Liza Kirkpatrick, senior director of the CMC for the full-time MBA program at Kellogg.
Kellogg Senior Director of Career Management Liza Kirkpatrick
“To that end, we enlisted some of the best minds at Kellogg to address topics that are foundational to owning your career—developing your network, career agility, resiliency, selling your career, and leadership.”
Kirkpatrick continues, “These quick videos tell a narrative about career management that will resonate with and be informative to a broad array of audiences, including prospective and current students.”
The first four episodes of the “Own Your Own Career” series are already online.
- Episode 1: Starting the Career Journey—The first episode highlights three different individuals: Liza Kirkpatrick, Adnan Rukieh, director of the CMC for the executive MBA and evening & weekend MBA; and Matthew Temple, director of the CMC for alumni career and professional development. Together they discuss how individuals can start their career right now.
- Episode 2: Professor Harry Kraemer on Networking—The second episode delves into the importance of networking, emphasizing the value of helping others so they might return the favor in the future. Kraemer talks about networking as a lifelong journey and a key to reaching the C-suite.
- Episode 3: Associate Dean and Professor Bernie Banks on Leadership—This third episode discusses what it takes to be an influential leader who inspires people to perform. Banks dives deep into the situational nature of leadership and how to get people to fulfill your expectations.
- Episode 4: Professor Carter Cast on Career Agility—In episode four, Cast talks about being self-reflective during a career transition. He encourages viewers to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to think several steps ahead when it comes to their career.
“The video series enhances and expands the CMC’s foundational work by highlighting faculty and industry thought leaders who can provide practical examples based on their experience of how to actively manage or own one’s career,” Kirkpatrick says.
“The series provides a roadmap for being proactive and present in your own career development and encourages students to continue asking the right questions to shape their career, not only while looking for a job, but throughout their entire career life cycle.”
This article has been edited and republished with permissions from our sister site, Clear Admit.
Tech Grads Surge in New Northwestern Kellogg Employment Report
The Kellogg School of Management released new employment data and statistics from the Class of 2017. According to the school, 94 percent of Kellogg’s full-time MBA Class of 2017 received an offer within three months of graduation.
“Kellogg leaders take a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex business challenges,” said Matt Merrick, Associate Dean of MBA Operations. “The versatile skills they hone at Kellogg enable them to make an immediate impact across all types of organizations.”
MBAs were hired by a wide variety of companies across all disciplines and industries, shapes and sizes. Some of the top companies hiring Kellogg students include McKinsey & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, Amazon, Bain & Company, and Microsoft.
Employment data shows that the most popular industries were consulting (33 percent), technology (25 percent), finance (13 percent) and CPG (12 percent). The Kellogg Career Management Center helped students establish relationships with more than 50 technology companies in order to help secure these employment opportunities. Overall, the Career Management Center works with employers to create custom recruiting strategies, forging deep relationships with employers of all sizes, from all industries and regions.
According to our sister site Clear Admit, the 25 percent of Kellogg grads that landed jobs in the technology industry was a school record.
Jeanette Brown writes:
“Amazon hired 32 Kellogg grads, making it the third largest recruiter in 2017, behind only McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). But Amazon was far from the only tech firm to hire at the school. ‘It’s not only the big employers like Amazon, Apple, Google—but the small companies as well, the ones that hire just one to two MBAs,’ explains Liza Kirkpatrick, Senior Director of the full-time MBA program at Kellogg’s Career Management Center. ‘We had over 50 unique tech employers that hired our students this past year, which demonstrates that we really have that depth.’ Kirkpatrick further noted that the types of jobs for which tech firms are hiring Kellogg grads is widely varied, including product management, sales, marketing, business operations, supply chain, product development, and others.”
Kirkpatrick notes that the surge in tech jobs stems from a concerted effort from the business school, which was also reflected in the number of technology industry internships for the Class of 2018.
“‘We started developing relationships in the tech space many years ago,’ acknowledges Kirkpatrick. ‘It has taken a while for firms to recognize that when an MBA comes on board, it really adds value.’ But they certainly have, which can also be seen reflected in the number of tech firms that now take on summer interns. ‘They have really organized themselves to bring on an MBA class as interns as a result,’ Kirkpatrick adds. The most recent employment report reveals that 26 percent of the Class of 2018 interned at technology firms.”
In a press release from the school, Jodi Washington, a Program Manager for the Networking and Security Transformation team, said, “Kellogg’s curriculum builds leaders who are strong analytical thinkers and are confident collaborating across organizations. The Kellogg graduates we hire jump in on day one, but also continue to mature at Cisco.”
2017 statistics/photo courtesy of Northwestern Kellogg.
The statistics show that the number of Kellogg MBAs to accept job offers on the West Coast has also increased (31.4 percent) from last year, a direct correlation to uptick in tech hires. Meanwhile, 30 percent of 2017 MBAs stayed in the Midwest and 33 percent accepted jobs on the East Coast.
You can read more on Kellogg’s latest employment stats and the Clear Admit interview with Kellogg Senior Director of Career Management Liza Kirkpatrick here.
Finding Your Post-Graduate Career From the Kellogg School of Management
Every MBA candidate is in pursuit of a dream job with good benefits and high pay. But what can your business school do for you in terms of helping you reach your career goals and aspirations? What resources, networks and workshops are available for MBA students to take advantage of? Specifically, how does the Kellogg School of Management help prepare graduates’ careers? Let’s take a deeper dive.
The Kellogg School of Management
Originally founded in 1908 as the Northwestern University School of Commerce part-time evening program, the school was renamed the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1979 after a $10 million gift from John L. Kellogg, former president of the food manufacturing Kellogg Company. Today, the school is ranked among the top graduate business school’s in the Chicago metro and the world.
A founding member of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, Kellogg offers a full-time, part-time, Accelerated and Executive MBA programs. The Kellogg School has campuses in Evanston, Chicago proper and Miami as well as a number of Executive MBA Global Campuses.
What About Jobs?
According to Kellogg, 96 percent of the full-time class of 2016 received a job offer by three months after graduation, with a median starting salary of $125,000. These stats were reported by Kellogg’s Career Management Center (CMC). That report states that most Kellogg students find work in the consulting (33 percent), tech (22 percent), CPG (14 percent) and finance (13 percent) industries.
Here’s a closer look at some of the statistics:
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- 96 percent of students receive a job offer three months post-graduation
- 93 percent students accept job offers within that same three month period
- $125,000 median salary
- Approximately 200 employers hire Kellogg grads
- $25,000 median sign-on bonus
- Jobs placement all across the country (18.8 percent East Coast, 31.4 percent Midwest, 10.7 percent South, 26.3 percent West Coast) and around the world (12.8 percent international)
Following the release of the 2016 CMC jobs report, Matt Merrick, Associate Dean of MBA Operations, said:
“Kellogg students demonstrate a balanced and dynamic skillset that employers seek. With foundational skills in data analytics and business operations, organizations benefit from their multidisciplinary approach to problem solving. As growth-minded leaders, they exhibit an emotional intelligence that motivates teams and has a lasting impact on an organization’s success.”
The Kellogg Career Management Center (CMC)
Kellogg’s industry-leading CMC provides customized support for students, whether they are going through traditional on-campus recruiting or an off-campus “just in time” search. CMC aims to equip students and alumni with the tools and training to proactively manage their career over a lifetime.
For example, of the 22 percent of Kellogg students who took jobs in the technology industry this year, about half got jobs through on-campus recruiting and the other half through a more individualized search in close partnership with the CMC.
What types of resources does CMC offer? Here are just a few, according to the Center:
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- Coaching & Learning: Unlimited free, one-on-one coaching for students and alumni and executive education options for alumni.
- Private Job Board: 3,000-plus job listings, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 for students and alumni.
- Dedicated Research Specialist: Help students build a list of target companies, find contacts and prep for interviews.
- Resources & Workshops: Explore topics, such as resumes, interviewing and salary negotiation, online and in person.
- Expansive Alumni Network: Kellogg’s international network of 55,000 alumni extends across an exceptionally diverse range of industries and functions.
What about for students seeking careers as entrepreneurs?
According to the 2016 CMC jobs report, 39 Kellogg students accepted full-time positions with startups or started their own business. The school has plenty to offer those who decide to pave their own career path.
The Kellogg School of Management’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship (KIEI) initiative helps students and business leaders discover new ideas that can help lead to success in business. Following a generous endowment by Larry and Carol Levy in 2003, the school also launched the the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice in order to provide entrepreneurial curriculum and activities for Kellogg students.
According to Kellogg, since the fall of 2012, the Levy Institute and KIEI have collaborated to introduce 44 new courses to the school and 22 new faculty members who are all engaged within the Chicago startup and venture capital community.
Building A Career At The Emory Goizueta Business School
Even after you’ve stepped off the stage with diploma in hand, the hard work of an MBA continues. Despite the massive advantages an MBA can provide for those entering the job market, the process of searching for and applying to jobs—not to mention finding your dream job—can often be as much as hard work as earning the degree itself.
More Tech Hires at Kellogg, Per 2016 Employment Report
‘Tis the season for MBA employment reports, and one of the latest schools to share details about how its most recent class of graduates fared in their quest for jobs is Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Released in its entirety last week, the report shows a surge of graduates heading off toward technology firms—22 percent of the class, up from 15 percent last year.
“I do think the tech story jumps out,” says Liza Kirkpatrick, director of career management for the full-time MBA program. “But we really are very proud of this year’s employment outcomes overall.” She went on to cite the fact that 96 percent of students received an offer within three months of graduation, up slightly from 95 percent the year before. The median base salary was $125,000, up $2,000 from the year before.
Consulting, long the destination for the majority of Kellogg grads, still drew one in every three—33 percent—though this represents an ever-so-slight dip from the 35 and 36 percent in each of the past four years. Financial services, which drew 19 percent of last year’s class and 20 percent two of the three years before that, dipped to just 13 percent this year, the most significant downward shift of any industry.
According to Kirkpatrick, the drop off in financial services could be nothing more than a reflection of the aspirations of this particular class. “We look at it as just an indication of the interest of the Class of 2016,” she says, noting that 14 percent of the class took finance internships during the summer between their first and second years, in line with the 13 percent who took full-time offers.
Not Surprisingly, Salaries Highest in Consulting, Financial Services
Though student interest in financial services is lower than it has been, it’s certainly not because of waning paydays. The highest starting salary of the class—$250,000—went to a graduate going into private equity. Median starting salaries for students headed into financial services were $125,000. Overall, consulting led the way in terms of pay, with a median starting salary of $145,000 for these graduates.
Technology trailed slightly, with a median starting salary of $120,000, although Kirkpatrick was quick to point out that salaries for those entering more technical roles at technology firms remain very high. “The more technical your skills are, the higher your base compensation will be,” she says. Stock options and other non-salary compensation also factor into the allure of tech jobs, she adds. “Stock options are very attractive, and we see tech companies using those to attract talent whether for technical or non-technical roles,” she says. Unlike some other schools, Kellogg does not include information about non-salary compensation as part of its employment report. Median signing bonuses were $25,000 for consulting and technology, bested by a median bonus of $32,500 for financial services.
Diversity of Jobs, Employers the Real Story
More than money, it’s the diversity of tech jobs that seems to be drawing Kellogg students, Kirkpatrick says. “There is such wide variety in the types of tech jobs our students take,” she says, noting that graduates went everywhere from very small companies like Narrative Science to medium-size companies like Uber to large firms like Google. They also went into a wide range of functions and an array of sub-sectors, from software to hardware, mobile to the “Internet of Things.”
Both in technology and beyond, the breadth of hiring companies is the real story in Kellogg’s most recent employment report, says Kirkpatrick. “What stands out for me most is the diversity and range of employers that come to Kellogg,” she says. “They are looking at our students—who have a balanced and dynamic skillset, excellent general management skills, the emotional intelligence to motivate teams and make an impact and a global perspective—and they are finding places for them in their organizations.”
There has also been an increase in data-related jobs, she adds. “There’s such a surge in data, and we are increasingly seeing employers look at the MBA skillset as a solution to that,” she says. “We continue to see a broad breadth of employers come to Kellogg, but we also see that how they are using the MBA in their organizations is evolving, too.”
In terms of absolute numbers, McKinsey snapped up more Kellogg grads than any other firm, hiring 43 members of the Class of 2016. Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Co. followed, hiring 25 and 24 respectively. In tech, Amazon led the way, luring 23 grads, followed by Google with 12 and Apple with 10. Notably, companies hiring three or more students accounted for just over half (290) of the jobs, with the other half split between scores of firms each taking just one or two grads, underscoring Kirkpatrick’s point about breadth.
Outside of these numbers were the roughly 15 percent of the class—95 students—who were company-sponsored and returning to their employers. As well, 13 students were focused exclusively on starting their own business, a slight uptick from 11 last year, but still representing just 2 percent of the overall class.
Career Services Adjusts to Changing Recruitment Landscape
As the nature of recruiting has become more diverse, so, too, have the services Kirkpatrick and her team offer. On the employer side, the Kellogg Career Management Center (CMC) has a team of business development leads working to create opportunities for students across industries, geographies and companies. On the student side, a team of one-on-one coaches works intensively to help students identify their target companies and understand what their recruitment journey will look like. If it does evolve to an off-campus process—as is the case for a growing percentage of the class—a personal coach is available to help them navigate it successfully. “What we offer is very customizable to what the student is looking for,” Kirkpatrick says.
“We are always looking at ways to improve our services to students,” she continues. “We do find that students coming in have an increased demand for one-on-one coaching. Students want to have a relationship with their coach, someone who understands their story and can help them achieve their goals. In Kellogg’s CMC we pride ourselves in knowing our students and how to help them on their job search journey.”
Though traditional on-campus recruiting has remained a very robust channel at Kellogg, Kirkpatrick says, the trend toward off-campus, just-in-time recruiting is something she and her team are paying close attention to. “As students’ interests expand, Kellogg’s Career Management Center services and support evolve to support every students unique job search.”
To view the 2016 Kellogg MBA Employment Report, click here.
This article has been republished with permissions via Clear Admit.
