Jobs on the way: Darden School of Business

"Jobs on the way," said Robert Bruner, Dean, Darden School of Business in his blog post dated 02/09/2009. As the Business schools anticipate a reduction in recruitment this coming placement season Robert Burner tried to reassure his students that he is doing everything possible he can do to gather and devise job opportunities for graduates.

He said, "Last week, I wrote to all of our 9,000 alumni asking for their assistance in finding positions for our MBA students. Within an hour we had eight replies; within a day we had 15 new job postings. More are coming in each day. Inside Darden, we have initiated a new program, “Generating Offers and Leads” (GOAL) sessions with students, faculty, and administration so that those students seeking opportunities could learn about ideas and leads from those with job offers as well as those with contacts in different industries and functions. The sharing, and requesting, of leads has been made available to all members of the Darden community via a lead-sharing website on the Darden portal; initially populated with over 100 CDC-generated leads, the site will become a source of ideas from students, faculty, and members of Darden’s administration".

He further told, "In my travels to every major city, I call on companies who have not recruited at Darden recently, or ever. So far this academic year, I have visited 38 prospects. I give each company a pitch on the quality of our program and our students. Then I invite them to consider our students for employment. Not one company has turned me down. Generally, we have increased outreach to companies significantly over the past year, especially to several “recession-resistant” companies and global companies across different industries. Darden is building a healthy franchise among these firms."

Burner said that this year, Financial Times and Business Week have ranked Darden’s Career Development Center among the very best., which reflect the judgments of corporate recruiters and alumni. He said that this reflects the quality of Darden's students and the “high touch” engagement with CDC. Finally he reported that CDC will host a Darden Career Fair near Dulles airport in mid-April and will also participate in the Southeastern MBA Interview Forum in late March with four other regional MBA programs.

To read more click here: Jobs on the way

During the current tough time of economic crisis, Burner also boosted the confidence, encouraged and advised the graduates in his another blog post. He said," Instead of quitting the MBA Program, I think the student should take four points of advice:

1. Finish the program; get the degree.
2. Focus your job search on what you offer that is valuable to employers. Think like your target customer. Be adaptable to the needs of companies. It is always good to have aspirations and career vision. But the reality of this job market is that new MBAs should be open to new, unexpected, and indirect ways of filling one’s vision.
3. Work the extended network—on grounds and off. Today, more than ever, success in searching for a job comes from a good discovery process. Research reaffirms the value of weak links: people who you don’t know well are most likely to see job opportunities of which you have not heard.
4. Integrity. Don’t be tempted into behavior inconsistent with the best values. Anxiety can take you down paths you will regret. Treat everyone fairly. Represent yourself honestly. Help others."

To read in detail click here: A Time to Hang in There