Sales in Scotland: Candidate Survivor

My MBA experience is rapidly progressing. I've already sat for two final exams and I'm currently revising for two more. At this point I'm well over half way through the program (or programme for our British friends). Stacie and I will spend spring break with friends visiting from Virginia, visit London and cap it off with a trip to Cairo, Egypt. I return to school to take several intensive one week courses (9 - 5 M-F), and conclude an external consultancy project with the Edinburgh office of a global investment analytics firm. The project concludes in late June and I spend July/August writing a 15,000 word dissertation on a relevant business or career topic of my choosing.

One of the main goals of any MBA'er is to leave the course with gainful employment. Ideally your new job will utilize your new knowledge and produce a positive step change in your career trajectory. I've been fortunate enough to interview with a couple companies for MBA Associate programs recently and I have to say I didn't fully appreciate what it takes to get hired post MBA. I thought hey, I'll submit an application, they'll call me in for a chat, I'll put on the charm, drop a few references to lean operations or Levin's Marketing Myopia and bada-boom....hired. Uh, no!

In reality, one must literally run the gauntlet to get hired. No amount of charm or BS will get you a job, especially in this economy. Here's the process, lets call it Candidate Survivor:

1) On-line application. This process sounds quick and dirty but after answering several 2000 word essays (why work for us? what drives you to succeed? etc) and tailoring your resume to each application and crafting that unique and eye-popping cover letter...you get the point. These things are a time suck!

2a) This step happens 98% of the time...letter in the mail "Oh gosh, you are such an amazing candidate that we are still tingling from reading your application. However, everyone else who applied happened to go to Harvard, flew F16's in the Royal Air Force and speaks seven languages so all we can offer you is this nice letter on official letterhead and our best wishes."

2b) The other 2% of the time...a phone call from the company recruiter congratulating you that you are now eligible for round one of Candidate Survivor, prepare to have your every fiber tested!

3) Round one of Candidate Survivor, ability tests. These test are taken on-line and usually comprise three sections: numerical, verbal and diagrammatic. The first two are self explanatory however the tests are designed so you cannot get a hundred and you cannot finish. The point being they want to see how you perform in a situation where you're in over your head. Here is an example of the diagrammatic section:

Looks life fun eh?

4) If you score satisfactorily on these tests you obviously move on. The recruiter calls you with the good news that you passed and when you come to interview you get to retake similar tests, just to prove you didn't have your genius friend take it for you. Candidate Survivor rolls on!

5) At this point you may get to interview with an actual person, but the advanced version of Candidate Survivor requires that you endure an hour long Gallup interview. The Gallup interview profiles your personality, strengths and weaknesses. The company has an idea of the type of person they want and apparently Gallup can tell them if you're it. The interviewer asks random questions, and only asks questions...no explanation or follow up. It goes like this:

Interviewer: "Do you think you are more capable than your peers?"
Me: "Yes I do"
Interviewer: "Give me an example"
Me: "Example A"
Interviewer: "Another example please"
Me: "Example B"
Interviewer: "If you saw a charity box unattended would you take money from it?"
Me: "heck yeah...just kidding, no I would not ma'm!"
Interviewer: dead silence........................................"Are you dependable?"

And on it goes for an hour until your mind is so broken down you're willing to tell the interviewer your deepest secrets just to get to the end of the interview.

6) Good news! Your personality matches the company wish list (at this point the process feels a bit like on-line dating). You're still on Candidate Survivor and you actually get to meet a real person. This part is the standard interview that anyone would expect. No real surprises in this round.

7) This is where they turn up the heat...you've been invited to an assessment center. This means that maybe 10 - 16 candidates remain (for two spots) and you are all coming to the same event to compete against one another. The twist is that most of the time you are split into teams necessitating a delicate balancing act of working together yet standing out as an individual. In my assessment center one task included analyzing a Harvard Business case that pitted two companies in a negotiation scenario. The teams assumed the roles of the opposing parties and had to pick up where the case left off and negotiate to their ideal conclusion...lets just say it got heated! Other scenarios where more fun but all day long 6 assessors watch your every move, just looking to kick someone off Candidate Survivor!

8) Candidate Survivor has whithered from hundreds of hopefuls to 3 or 4 desperate MBA'ers. At this point you're invited to spend a day at the company shadowing last years MBA Associate survivors and see what they do. At the end of the day you're enticed to a nice dinner attended by managing directors, VP's and the CEO. Sounds cool right? No, these folks have come because your final task is to make a presentation to them on a topic they've assigned to you beforehand. Undoubtedly they are experts on this topic and you are not, so as your presentation draws to a close the sharks will begin to circle. As you as you muster the confidence to utter 'I'll now take any questions' it's game time! You're under attack and they want to know if you will fight or run. Fight, and you're in. Run, and you're out.

9) Congratulations! You've been offered a job! You are the winner of this year's Candidate Survivor! Well, that's the hope anyway.

Okay, I know that this post has been a bit long (I may be venting a little). I'm currently at stage 7 with one company and am eagerly awaiting a phone call to see if I'm invited to stage 8 with another. I was voted off the island at stage 6 with a 3rd company a few weeks back. As tiring as it is to be a contestant on Candidate Survivor, while trying to complete projects and revise for exams, it's pretty exciting. I'll keep you posted if I make it to the next step with either company.

Spring is almost in the air in Edinburgh and Stacie took a few pictures while walking in a park near our flat last week. It's nice to see some color again!