MBA Career Management Center

Start by considering your organization’s current hiring needs and resources. What are your growth plans and how does MBA recruiting fit into them? What kinds of resources do you have available, including senior managers, HR officers, GSB alumni and others who will be involved? Understand your current level of commitment to MBA recruiting and note what you would like it to be in the future. Are you just starting your MBA recruiting and testing the waters, or increasingly using MBA recruiting as a key source for new talent?

These questions will help determine the appropriate option(s) for recruiting our MBA students. They will also help assess your hiring needs:

• Number of openings
• Types of roles/jobs in your organization's departments and groups
• Locations (domestic or international)
• Backgrounds of desired candidates
• Timing of when you need new hires to join
• How to develop and keep your new MBA hires

Identify your points of difference and positioning. Develop a plan to communicate your organization’s uniqueness. Make sure students understand your organization, where it fits in the marketplace, and its distinctive culture.

As competition increases for MBA talent, it is important to break through the clutter: marketing to students so they understand your points of difference. In the past, most organizations focused on competitors in their industry. Those who are most effective at recruiting broaden the definition to include all organizations that may be vying for the same kind of candidates based on their profile and functional expertise and aspirations.

Organizations that consistently achieve successful results are extremely selective and efficient in how they use their resources.  Consider the following recommendations:

• Assign a team captain for recruiting efforts. Create a high level of internal communication and coordination so you can integrate efforts and focus resources.
• Involve employees at different organizational levels of your firm in recruiting. For example, have senior management participate in activities such as interviews and club speaker events while involving mid-level managers in career education events, Recruiter Days, Company Networking Nights, Meet The Company presentations, career fairs, and possibly heading up your Stanford recruiting team.
• Consider that for many students the people you send are your firm. Our students consistently rate "compatibility with people in the firm" among the top three criteria for job choice. Select employees to participate in recruiting who represent your firm well and who know the firm's overall recruiting strategy. Students particularly enjoy meeting Stanford Business School alumni.

Prepare your interviewers to view students as potential customers and ambassadors of your organization. 

• Provide interviewers with the CMC Recruiter Policies and an understanding of the School culture.
• If participating in On-Campus Recruiting (OCR), be sure interviewers are aware of all the important deadlines.
• Remind interviewers that MBA students influence the opinions of their peers.
• Make sure interviewers are well informed about your next steps so they can explain them to students.  
  • Ensure students receive a timely follow up after they interview, preferably within one week.
  • If an interview involves travel be sure students are aware of any financial obligations they may have.
    
  • Be mindful of the student’s academic obligations and work with the students to arrange first- and second-round interviews when they do not have class. During fall quarter, classes are not held on Wednedays. For winter quarter of 2009-2010, the GSB is piloting a new academic schedule. The following weeks will have no classes on Fridays to accommodate the needs of employers: February 12, 19, 26 and March 5, 12.
• Keep all commitments made to students.

Keep in mind that the ideal job opportunities for most Stanford MBAs have the following characteristics:

• High-impact function and intellectually stimulating responsibilities
• Growing company and/or innovative industry
• Inspiring management and dedicated mentor
• Career path with increasing responsibility and opportunity
• Compatibility with people in the firm
• Competitive compensation

Location is not a significant factor when the job opportunity is compelling. It’s useful to appreciate the long-term value of hiring students for the summer. In 2008, 14 percent of all job-seeking graduates accepted the full-time job offer of their summer employer.

Remember that students’ interests may shift from year to year.

• Start fresh with each new class
• Appreciate the diversity of Stanford MBAs, especially those with international backgrounds
• More than 50 percent of students change their function or industry each year

Promote your specific job opportunities. Below are three of the approaches discussed in Marketing to Students:

• Place an ad in The Stanford Business Reporter
• Contact relevant club leaders through a CMC contact
• Target students via the Resume Databases

Turn your former employees on campus into ambassadors for your organization.

• Keep in touch with former employees or summer interns who are currently MBA students, and enlist their help in recruiting
• Give them a small budget to take classmates out to coffee or lunch to share their experiences working for your firm
• Get “insider” feedback about student interests and perceptions

Invite students to your office during non-class times.

• Host an organization site visit for students to learn more about your culture
• Help coordinate student meetings with your executives, especially during a career trek

By establishing relationships with multiple groups within the Business School, your firm will create visibility and a presence that distinguishes it from the many organizations competing for student talent. Some suggestions include:

• Support school-wide student activities and major events.
• Send your senior managers to Stanford's Executive Education Programs. Not only will they gain first-hand exposure to world-class teaching, but they will become part of Stanford's close-knit alumni.
• Join the Business School's Corporate Investors Program. These companies provide annual support and enjoy a dynamic relationship with the School in a variety of ways.

After an offer is extended and while the student is considering, check in periodically to let the student know you're available to answer questions. Ensure that all recruiters understand the "Time for Offer Consideration" policy. This is important in showing support for the student's important decision.

Once you have completed recruiting this year, discuss with the CMC what worked well and what could be improved for next season. You can also contact students for feedback on your recruiting process.

Read our monthly Recruiter Newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter, just fill in this short form.

If you’re not ready for a formal recruiting relationship, we can still help.  If you don’t have current job openings, let us know how students can learn about future openings and how to apply.