Dean's Column

Hiring Through the GSB Network

By DEAN ROBERT JOSS

ILLUSTRATION BY POLLY BECKER

TWO YEARS AGO, the biggest problem graduating MBAs faced was which of several great job offers to choose. Today, as we are all aware in so many different ways, the world has changed. With companies facing economic uncertainty, the employment waters this year are probably the most difficult our students have had to navigate in a decade. Clearly, corporations are being conservative with their hiring plans. Last fall, banks and consulting firms, for example, told business schools they will not hire in the numbers they have in the past. As a result, our Career Management Center is doing more outreach than ever to serve our traditional recruiters and develop new corporate relationships. Last year, 174 firms engaged in on-campus recruiting at Stanford. As of December, we were up to 127 firms, with some very good companies in the pipeline for winter quarter.

Still, there’s more work to do. Please remember that you, the alumni, are part of our community in many important ways, including recruitment. I invite those of you who may be hiring in 2002 to consider our terrific MBA students. To conduct on-campus recruiting or to be the point person to talk with students interested in your company, contact our new CMC director Andy Chan, MBA ’88, at chan_ andy@gsb.stanford.edu or 650.723.2150.

If you have only one opening that you believe won’t justify a scouting trip from New York, Dallas, or overseas, there are many easy ways to access our students without coming to campus. First, the recruiter email distribution service is a free, quick, and efficient way to alert our students to your job opportunity. Typically, more than 95 percent of each class signs up to receive these email messages, so they are a great way to reach our community en masse. For instructions, go to http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/cmc/Recruiters on our Web site and select “Email Distribution.”

Second, if you prefer to call students rather than have them call you, you can get information on our MBAs by ordering the online “Resume Book,” the collected curricula vitae of all our students. Just go to the Web site above and select “Order a Resume Book.” Be sure to tell us you are an alum. Until May of this year, the book is free to recruiters who are GSB alumni.

Finally, if you spot a student whose background interests you, but you cannot visit campus for a meeting, we can arrange a job interview via teleconferencing.

No one knows better than you the value of a Stanford MBA. Our student body comprises the brightest, most motivated, and diverse group of young people with whom I have ever been associated. We have students with experience in engineering, manufacturing, retail, pharmaceuticals, banking, consulting, sports, software, and more—much of it international. You may have a specific need for an employee with particular skills or experience. Our online resources can help identify candidates who may fit your position.

You might wish to reach students by taking part in our Cool Products Expo (February 20), High-Tech Career Fair (March 7), or Growth Company Job Fair (April 18). See the CMC Web site for information. To keep up with CMC events, sign up for our monthly newsletter by emailing carter_charlotte@gsb.stanford.edu.

While all our students are in the job market, we recognize some alumni are making transitions as well. We have been expanding alumni services too. Visit the career services area (http://alumni.gsb.stanford.edu/career/). Go to “Career Strategy Advice” to sign up for a one-on-one meeting with career advisor Abby Wilder, MBA ’82. Abby has years of contacts at her disposal and can get you started on the road to job searching. At the Web site, you’ll learn about networking lunches and for-alumni-only workshops, which draw 20 to 80 people. This year, we will expand our workshops to various sites around the United States.

Another useful tool is the online Alumni Employment Bulletin, which lists full-time, part-time, and contract jobs targeted specifically at Stanford alumni. You can sign up at http://alumni.gsb.stanford.edu/career/. From the same site, you can access Monstertrak, a searchable online job listing service. Alumni career consultant Linda Wells, MBA ’93, has worked closely with area venture capitalists to capture their opportunities and include them in the Stanford portion of Monstertrak, which currently lists 20 to 75 jobs every two weeks.

Working together, our strong Stanford Business School network and community can benefit us all.