Its that time of year in MBA world... job hunting time! Second year students are busy searching for jobs and first year students are searching for internships. This past Thursday night, I attended a career seminar for people looking to work in the defense industry.
The event was held in Manhattan Beach with the companies L-3 Communications and Raytheon. The event consisted of two guest speakers from the companies to give us an overview of their companies and the industries they compete in. The speaker from L-3 Communications was Wes Motooka, President of Integrated Sensor Systems Sector. The speaker from Raytheon was Dr. Thomas A. Kennedy, Vice President of Tactical Airborne Systems. After the presentation, they opened the event up for a question and answer session. The remainder of the night was spent networking with the two speakers and their company’s HR representatives.
Networking events such as this one are great chances for MBA students to interact with people in their desired industries. They allow students to get the many questions answered about what its like to work for a particular company and what that company is looking for in new hires. Often times networking events have the company’s HR representatives there who can help explain the application process to potential applicants.
Students planning on attending networking events should have a couple things in mind. First, students should be professionally dressed. In the short amount of interaction time a student has with a recruiter, it is very important to make a good first impression. Second, students should have their “elevator speech” down really well. An Elevator Speech is a short paragraph that sums up their major career interest and major qualifications. My elevator speech for Thursday’s event went something like this:
“Hi, My name is Brian Jenkins and I’m an MBA student from Pepperdine looking to pursue a Human Resources career. This past summer I did an internship in HR and completed my PHR certification. I am planning on getting my 6 Sigma Green Belt Certification this upcoming summer. The defense industry is something that I am really excited about and has been something I have always been interested in. Can you tell me a little more about your Human Resources Leadership Development Program?”
After the elevator speech, it is important to have some followup questions prepared for the company. The questions should be informed questions vs general questions. This is an example of an informed question:
“I have researched your HR Leadership Development Program, and I was wondering if members of the program are allowed to take international assignments during one or more of their three, 8-month assignments?”
Vs an uninformed question:
"Does your company allow employees to work abroad?"
Being knowledgeable about the company is an important component to have before going to a networking event. Students should be familiar with both the company and their industry. For example when I was speaking with the VP from Raytheon, I asked him about the growing importance of international markets, citing the recent $6 Billion arms deal completed with Taiwan. Instantly I saw his eyes light up a little as he knew he was talking to someone who “spoke the language” of the defense industry.
However, the most important piece of advice concerning networking events is just to go. I know some MBA students that aren’t happy with their current prospects for a job, but when asked if they are working with career services, attending networking events or reaching out to alumni their answer was no. Careers don’t magically happen for people, our students have to go out and make it happen for themselves. Networking events are a great way to be proactive in the job search arena.
