Top 5 MBA, Can't Get A Job

Ok guys have interview tomorrow. Wish me luck.

MBA also fail wrote:

Ok guys have interview tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Good luck man. Job hunting can be stressful.

MBA Fail wrote:

I just graduated from a top 5 MBA program and I can't get a job! I've been job hunting for the entire year, been getting first and second round interviews, and nothing has worked out. I've done mock interviews with career services, and they've told me my interview skills are fine and my resume is fine.

What are some MBA jobs that are easy to get but have a decent career path?

My background: English major from a top 5 school, Teach for America, a couple years consulting for a no-name company, then business school. I interned at a CPG company over the summer and hated it (no return offer).

It's you. The job market now is good if you're a good candidate you should be able to find a job quickly. Either you're applying for jobs you're not qualified for, you're terrible at interviews, or there's some other factor you're not telling us.

Unfortunately, an 'English' major doesn't sell. Perhaps it should, but instead we hire guys/gals out of Chicago/Wharton/Stanford/etc... with MBAs or MSFs with serious math/computer undergrad backgrounds. Also, it sometimes really depends on the professor who is willing to recommend you for a position. If you don't have a well known top-tier finance prof providing a reference, then we might drop you out of consideration - especially since many in our crew studied under many top profs and can call them to get inside info about you... and if those profs have no idea who you are, then you are most likely out of luck.

With an English degree, it sounds like you are probably a pretty smart guy/gal. Although you can probably write well, you would also have no idea how to provide a monte carlo price of an exotic option when the underlying asset follows geometric brownian motion.

I do not have an MBA. I do not have an MSF. If you gals/guys are willing to work a real world commission-type job, you can get work selling life insurance. Many CEO's moved up through the ranks from sales. Don't dislocate your shoulder patting yourself on back for monte carlo price, blah, blah, blah. Condor option spread, blah, blah, blah. Corporations can find a person with math aptitude from an Underdeveloped Country to do that stuff for 1/3 of what you want to get paid. Learn to sell life insurance for a few years. You may make enough money and continue to sell life insurance. At a minimum you will learn to become a winner in job interviews. Ricky Roma-types rule the world. [I know they were real estate brokers in Glengarry Glen Ross.]

I am the engineering undergrad major, MBA fail was the English major. Had interview, but it sucked. Don’t think I’ll get the job... :( will find out this week.

Work at Accidenture! :)

I work at a fictional firm called Accidenture and make 53k, but after having a journalism degree making 30k for a decade or so, 53k is a decent salary to live on in Ohio.

For an MBA, yes, it's too poor for his blood.

Any non-troll responses?

I can sympathize with OP. I have an MBA and a Chemical Engineering degree-my current role is operations/applications management and it's fine. I've been trying to get a job closer to my family and it's been a bear: tons of initial interest only to get ghosted after the last round interview. It's pretty disheartening honestly, it's gone on for so long that it feels like all of my job experience and education is viewed as worthless by society. While the unemployment rate is low I've noticed a real lack of "good" jobs that one could support a middle-class family with. Employers want PhDs for MS work, MS' for BS work, BS' for things anyone who graduated high school should be able to do. There's tons of articles about a "skills gap" where employers can't find the employees they need, but the requirements for many job postings are so inflated that I'm convinced the scarcity is an artificial one manufactured by the employers themselves. U.S. businesses picked up a ton of bad behavior in the wake of the Recession and seem remiss to let go of it now that "better times" are here.

All that said, OP you seem kind of aimless going from English to an MBA, it's an educational background where your foundation is completely discredited by the job market.

Maybe you are trying to help. You seem a bit rough on OP.

OP, you seem to want a great high salary job, with performance bonuses. Not just you, numerous others on this thread who state they possess an MBA are not fans of commission jobs. In the long run, we are all on commission. Some of you, mostly gentlemen with a MBA, some of you from elite schools find it puzzling that mostly guys with only an undergraduate education with a major of accounting, economics or finance from universities like East Carolina University or University of IL-Chicago are making $(250,000 to 500,000). Your MBA was to get you a job interview. Buck up and go for it (mostly) guys!

Most of you guys did not and do not need a MBA to be successful. People need to believe in themselves and have someone who believes in them.

Never say anything negative about a previous job or employer. Even a generic “it wasn’t my cup tea” type of statement will scare away a lot of prospective employers.

Again, I am the guy with the Enginnering undergrad. I don’t say anything negative - I say, “I’m Looking for the next level and you guys are it”.

Beginning to think that it’s something systematic and it’s my interviews that’s throwing them off.

Not sure. You guys smell anything?

Mba also fail wrote:

Again, I am the guy with the Enginnering undergrad. I don’t say anything negative - I say, “I’m Looking for the next level and you guys are it”.

Beginning to think that it’s something systematic and it’s my interviews that’s throwing them off.

Not sure. You guys smell anything?

I don’t detect anything in particular from your initial post, but I haven read much of the rest of the thread. This may not work for everyone, but I have had success during interviews with interspersing my answers about experience and qualifications with humorous anecdotes about interesting characters I’ve worked with, etc. Keep in mind that while jobs are very plentiful for lower level type of work, that may not be the case for jobs that are higher paying , as employers tend to be more careful about who they hire. So it could be just a run of bad luck.

But with your qualifications it’s not a matter of IF you will land a really good job, but of WHEN. So try not to sweat it too much. It’ll work out.

That's my bad. I wasn't thinking of it from the perspective of a Top 5 program, which I realized once I read the rest of the thread. I went to a weaker school and the MBA was pathetically easy compared to my undergrad career, to the point where I barely studied and excelled. My MBA worked as a nice qualification but the bulk of my success has come from using it to fill out deficiencies in my undergrad rather than propel myself into a different realm.

Go watch the movie ‘Back to School.’

You know nothing. You have no business experience. You have good textbook experience, but that’s all.

So what exactly can you offer and contribute? You’ve never had to negotiate contracts, meet payroll, deal with personnel, handle crisis, etc.

So since this thread is 2 years old hopefully you’ve been employed and have used these two years to gain some real life experience. Quite different than a textbook and a flimsy diploma with the letters ‘MBA’ printed on it.

I got a job for you ..we are hiring at 70k, mba’s don’t mean anything except at places with a bunch of other mbas.

Even then, all of the major leaders don’t have them and don’t value them.

Smarts and experience are worth way more and the lost opportunity cost and salary loss for b school is not worth it anymore.

Maybe you shoulda gone NBA instead.

Ok officially got rejected. Here's the feedback I got from them:

"XXX really liked you as well, but ultimately decided on a candidate that xxx felt more connected to. You have all the skillset we are looking for, which is what made it hard for xxx at the end. I will definitely keep you in mind."