Let the Residency Games Begin!

In case you are a new reader, here's a little run-down on what the corporate residency program entails here at Northeastern: All first year MBA students are required to participate in a paid, six-month internship at a corporation as part of the programs graduation requirements.  In the past, students have completed residencies at such firms as Staples, State Street and IBM.  First year students begin their residency search during their second semester.  This is where I stand; smack dab in the middle of that search. 

So without further ado, here's what last week looked like for me:

There is no school on Monday so I spend the day catching up on homework and e-mailing past and present employers so that I can start composing a reference list for my residency search.

I also meet with a second year MBA student from Nepal with experience in the travel industry. She graciously agrees to coffee at the Starbucks in the Curry Center. We spend the next couple of hours talking about travel in Nepal, her family’s tour company and her experiences working in the industry.  Our conversation gets me very excited about my upcoming trip and I can’t wait to start booking my flights, hotels, etc. Alas, that will have until I secure a residency.

Tuesday morning I dutifully continue my new morning library routine (admittedly 30 minutes later than last week). I start my Thursday readings for Strategy and my Statistics homework assignment.

That morning I was also notified that I had been invited to participate in the first round of interviews for the Hasbro corporate residencies I applied for. The three interviews will be held tomorrow afternoon.  I’m so excited but know I have a lot to do in preparation for tomorrow. Wish me luck!

It’s hard to believe that, two weeks into class, Wednesday is the first Operations class of the semester (remember our wonderful snow day last week?). I’m excited to meet our professor, especially since he will be leading the India trip in May. I’m also curious to see how our Operations and Supply Chain Management professors will draw the distinction between the two courses. From my novice perspective, the two seem inextricably dependent upon one another.

After class I rush to the grad lounge for our monthly third Wednesday lunch.  I grab a couple of slices of BHOP pizza before making my way to the Stearns Center for my interviews.

I have three interviews in a row, one each for US and Regional Brand Marketing, Global Brand Marketing and Global Consumer Insights. I really enjoy speaking with each of the interviewers and hope that I represented myself well.

After interviews I run out to grab some beverages for our Marketing Club speaker event. Our guest is a Northeastern graduate who founded the Marketing Club and is currently working in the field of marketing.  The alum graciously explains his current job in advertising, his ventures into entrepreneurship and answers all of our questions about the industry and his time at Northeastern. He is very laid-back and we all enjoy his presentation while munching on a catered dinner from the Cheesecake Factory (got to love that $3,000 club budget).

I don’t leave campus today until 8:30 pm and my homework books don’t crack until 9:30pm. Needless to say it’s a long night and I don’t drift off to sleep until past 1:00 am.

Thursday after class I join my Marketing Club consulting team for a meeting about our pending project. I have determined that I need to delegate responsibility a bit better and set out to find volunteers to take on a team leader role.  In fact, delegating is a key managerial skill I have designated as a personal development focus in my Living Document.  What better time to start than now?

Luckily, a team mate steps up to the proverbial plate and I breathe a sigh of relief.  The group as a whole does some brainstorming for marketing plan options and I jot down a preliminary list. Despite our progress, I’m feeling the time crunch. You see, I’d love to get the campaign out before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Blooms flower show in March.  I guess I can’t be too overzealous...although, maybe with my new delegating skills, I can.

Friday sees another 8” of snowfall, but, much to the dismay of the class, we did not receive that much-anticipated cancellation text from Northeastern in our morning inboxes.

In Career Management we learn about behavioral and unique interview questions.  We split up into sections and practice some behavioral questions on the spot in front of our section. While it was very nerve-racking to expose yourself to a large group, I think the experience was quite beneficial. After all, if you can answer personal questions in front of your peers, it should be pretty easy to answer them to just one interviewer.

After class I meet with my career adviser to review my cover letter and resume for a Global Product Management position at Staples that’s due on Tuesday. When I get home I hit send, proud to be so ahead of the deadline.

The rest of my day is spent on some retail therapy. While at the mall spending my Christmas gift cards like it’s nobody’s business, I get an e-mail from the Career Center that I have been invited to proceed to round two of interviews at Hasbro! The positions I will be competing for are the US and Regional Brand Marketing and Global Brand Marketing residencies. I’m ecstatic and, admittedly, a bit nervous.  The interviews will take place in Rhode Island on February 4th and include round robin interviews and a case interview.

After a relatively unproductive Saturday in front of the computer, completing only two assignments, I spend the evening with friends at Trattoria Toscana in Fenway.  I get a deliciously indulgent bowl of gorgonzola gnocchi sprinkled with walnuts. What a wonderful way to stay warm.

Sunday my productivity finally kicks in.  I crank out my homework for Monday and Tuesday, drag myself to the Laundromat and run a ton of errands that take me from the Pru to Newbury Street to the end of Massachusetts Avenue and back.  Phew! Goodbye first week of school with your relaxed schedule. It was nice knowing you.

P.S. - Please feel free to post any comments or ask me any questions you may have.  I'd be more than happy to answer them.

* The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, its staff or affiliates.

The Beginning of the Middle

 Monday marks my first week back in school.

After spending my last day of freedom cramming pre-work, residency applications and running errands I get an early night to be fresh for the beginning of the middle of my MBA program.

This semester I start my Monday classes at 8:30 am (a whole 20 minutes earlier than last term – trust me, it matters).  Our first class of the day is Critical Skill Development (the second part of the Human Resources course we began the first semester).  To my surprise, we are informed that this class only meets three times during the entire semester! What? I get to sleep in on Mondays? I am so pleasantly surprised because with seven classes I will definitely need any extra time I can get.

After that I head to Finance.  I’m a bit intimidated by this course having never taken anything like it before but am pleased to see that the professor seems to be very willing to help all of us novices.  In fact, we are even assigned a second year student as our section’s tutor.  I have a feeling that tutor and I will become fast friends.

After class I head to work. My hours have changed due to my new, admittedly less conducive, class schedule.  I will now be working Monday and Wednesdays. I’ve also taken on fewer hours which will be nice to help compensate for the additional work load.

After work I head to the Career Center to get some pointers on a rough draft of my resume and cover letter.  My career adviser graciously assists me in my questions and I leave feeling much more confident.

That night I go home and finalize my cover letter and resume for the Hasbro residency. I also buckle down and finish up my Supply Chain pre-work for tomorrow.

Tuesday is a relatively light day and I don’t have to be at Supply Chain until 10:50 am! Normally, I would try to wake up early on Tuesdays and get work done at home only to fall back asleep, so I've  made a pact with myself to ‘pretend’ I have an 8:30 class and go to the library.  This plan works great and I’m very efficient in the eerily quiet library.  This morning study session could be just the thing I need.

After Supply Chain I rush about doing errands.  I pick up a financial calculator at the bookstore, finally drop off my reimbursement sheet for the Marketing Club holiday party and grab any remaining coursepacks I need.

I then head to lunch at Pan Thai with a friend where I savor one of their great lunch specials for students.  I also drop by the grocery store because a blizzard is heading our way tonight.  There is even suspicion that school will be canceled tomorrow.  The Weather Channel anticipate 12-18” of snow in one day and the Governor has declared a snow emergency! I’ve never been in a snow storm, let alone had a snow day so I’m very excited.  We’ll find out by 6:00 am tomorrow morning via an e-mail/text alert from the school as to whether or not we need to trudge through a foot of snow to campus.

I return home and begin working on my Finance and Operations homework for tomorrow and hit submit on my Hasbro application, all the while anxiously watching the weather channel in anticipation of the storm.

I wake up Wednesday morning at 6:00am to a glorious text from Northeastern saying school has been canceled! I am so excited because that means I can play in the snow today! I get dressed, bundling up in all of my full winter regalia, and head out for a walk. 

Massachusetts Avenue

In between my winter wonderland adventures I work on my Strategy readings and study for my Statistics quiz tomorrow (yes, there is a quiz on the first day of class).  I also start the ball rolling on the Marketing Club consulting project because I’m feeling the pressure to get some real work done there.

I head to bed on a high from my first real snowfall and wondering, possibly, if class will be canceled tomorrow. One can dream.

Thursday I head to class for my Statistics quiz.  I feel relatively confident about the half-hour test but only the results will let me know for sure.  After Statistics I have our longest class to date: Strategy, running 2 and a half hours.  Thursdays are going to be tough.  Luckily, the course is quite engaging and we discuss such topics as the strategy differences between Starbucks and McDonalds.

I have a quick meeting with the Women in MBA Club after class and I learn of some interesting upcoming events which include a salary negotiation speaker visiting campus next week. 

I briefly stop by work to tie up some loose ends before going home and applying to positions for our mock phone and in-person interviews.

It is required for every Full-Time MBA student to complete both a phone and in-person mock interview before they can participate in the Career Fair held on February 8^th.  These mock interviews are a great opportunity for students to get honest feedback from real staffing professionals.  By enlisting hiring managers from companies around the area, we are able to get unbiased feedback on our performance; something that would not be possible if members of the Career Center interviewed us.  What’s more, our in-person interviews are video-taped and given to us for review.  It’s going to be difficult to watch myself, but highly constructive.

Later that night I meet a few friends for Mexican food at Casa Romero.  I order a delicious cactus-stuffed chicken breast with friend plantains and mole sauce. Yum! We end the night at Sonsie on Newbury Street for an espresso cocktail.

Friday in Career Management we discuss interview techniques.  We are given a very helpful list of common questions so we can prepare for our upcoming residency search.  We even watch a video of real life interviews to help us pick out successful non-verbal ques as well as mistakes to avoid.

All day I anxiously watch my e-mail for a notification on the Hasbro residencies.  We were supposed to find out who was invited to interview today.  However, the snow day and subsequent closing of companies around the entire Northeast has forced a delay in their response.  I will just have to wait in anticipation until Tuesday.

A car- I think?

That day I also join a friend on a trip to the Pru for lunch and to do research on catering for the Women in MBA speaker event next Wednesday.

Saturday I wake up early and meet a friend for brunch at Aquitaine.  It was fabulous! For $9.95 you get a pre-fixe menu including orange juice, coffee, cinnamon rolls and any of a variety of omelettes.  Afterward we spend a couple of hours printing assignments at the library, grocery shopping and running errands.

Sunday I have another brunch scheduled, this time for a friend’s birthday! What a luxurious life I’m living this first week of school.  We end up at Metropolis Café which, interestingly enough, is owned by the same restaurateur as Aquitaine.  The brunch there did not disappoint either. After a leisurely three hour meal I join a teammate at the library to hash out our first Finance case.

Since Monday is a holiday I spend the evening watching the Golden Globes and being pleasantly surprised at how relatively relaxing this semester has been so far. But don’t worry, I don’t delude myself into thinking that it will stay this way for long.

*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, it's staff or affiliates.

Welcome Back

Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica

Greetings all! I hope you had as wonderful a holiday break as I did.

It’s been three weeks since I last walked the grounds of Northeastern (I know, a short winter break) and I finally feel fully rested after my crazy first semester.

Just as a quick wrap up: I spent the holidays visiting family in California for about a week before making my way to Panama and Costa Rica for two weeks of warm weather.  It was lovely to work on my tan before heading back to the full-on winter conditions in Boston.

Ruins of old Panama City, Panama

Grades were posted just a couple of days after classes ended and I am happy to say I came out of this term with a 3.73 GPA.  I was actually pleasantly surprised with this GPA, but no complaints here.

While on break I received an e-mail from the Career Center that the Hasbro corporate residencies this year will be on a different timeline than previously anticipated.  In fact, job openings will be posted on January 6^th, resumes and cover letters are due to the Career Center by January 9^th and final applications to the positions are due the 11^th. Wish me luck!

 I also have my schedule for this semester, which is as follows:

	Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday		Friday
8:30
8:40
8:50
9:00
9:10	BUSN 6207				MGSC 6208		MGSC 6207
9:20	Critical Skills				Operations		Data Analysis
9:30	8:30-10:30				8:30-10:30		8:30-10:30
9:40
9:50
10:00									BUSN 6200
10:10									Career Mgmt.
10:20									9:30-11:30
10:30
10:40
10:50
11:00
11:10
11:20	FINA 6208		SCHM 6208		FINA 6208		STRT 6208
11:30	Finance		Supply Chain		Finance		Strategy
11:40	10:50-12:30		10:50-12:50		10:50-12:30		10:50-1:20
11:50
12:00
12:10
12:20
12:30
12:40
12:50
1:00
1:10

You’ll notice we have seven classes this term, instead of the six we had last semester.  Combined with the stressors of our corporate residency search, the Marketing Club consulting project, my part-time job and classroom sessions to prepare for our international field study trip, this is going to be one crazy semester.

So take a deep breath and here we go…

*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, it's staff or affiliates.

The End is Here

Oh my goodness, it's the last week of school!

Monday we have nothing to prepare for Marketing and I relish in the fact that I can just roll into class without any last-minute scrambling. In Marketing we do our final wrap-up and say our good-byes.  I’ll be honest, I got a little nostalgic.  I’ve been so busy recently that I forgot that this is the last week we’ll have these teachers again.

There is also no pre-work for Economics, which is lovely.

After class I spend the rest of the day at the library (from 1:00pm to 10:00pm) finishing our High Performance Organization paper.

Tuesday I turn in our HPO paper in Human Resources and watch the first batch of presenters. The pressure was on to create a professional, yet creative presentation for the class. Even though the presentation portion of this two-part assignment is not graded everyone puts their best efforts forward.  My favorite presentation of the day: the Whole Foods team.  They did a mock employee training session and news program! They even reference several of our class cases in the 'news cast' and had all of us- professors included, laughing hysterically.

After class that day I make it over to a campus food staple for lunch: Chicken Lou’s.  This greasy spoon diner (or rather, single room) is beloved by students for their plethora of fried sandwiches and deliciously unhealthy fare.  I grab a very tasty chicken sandwich to fuel the rest of my day because, while our HPO paper is complete, our work is not over yet.   My group still faces our presentation tomorrow.  After the exemplary show of effort today the bar has been raised and my group is feeling the pressure to perform.

I meet with my learning team after work and we stay on campus until 8:00pm.

I walk to school on Wednesday with butterflies in my stomach.  For some reason I’m really nervous about our presentation.  However, I think it went well and we even got a few chuckles out of our Jack Black anti-piracy ad campaign that we suggested as one of our solutions to fight piracy in the film industry.

After the presentation we head to our last Information Resources class.  That afternoon our professor releases our take-home final: a 300-word essay based on a case from class and incorporating our entire year of readings.  It will be a miracle if I don’t go over the word limit.

After a quick lunch at Au Bon Pain I head back to campus to finalize paperwork for the Marketing Club holiday party tonight.  I also drop by the bookstore because our pre-work for the spring semester, along with our book list, was released today. Unfortunately, only 2 of the 5 million books I need to buy (I’m only exaggerating slightly) were available.  I grill the bookstore personnel on when the books will be in because I’m leaving for California in 5 days and will be out of the country for 2 of the 3 weeks of break.  If I don’t get the books before I leave, that pre-work for all of my 7 classes is just not getting done.  They tell me they don’t think the books will be in until January; great…I’m in trouble.

Frustrated I head to the Curry Center to send out some reminder e-mails about the party tonight and scour the internet for textbooks because I’m certainly not paying $163.79 for a used copy of The Fundamentals of Finance.  I locate it for $75 on Amazon and have it shipped to California.  But there is still the problem of all of our supplemental course packs, case packs, class packs, etc. Those can only be purchased through the school and if they’re not in stock before I leave I really don’t know what I’ll do.

I send out an e-mail to my consulting project team trying to coordinate a time to conference call with our contact at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.  I reserve a time in the Career Center for us to all meet.

Afterward I rush home to change and get ready for the Marketing Club holiday party.

Graduate Marketing Club Executive Board
Photo courtesy of Alex Shafer

I get to the Curry ballroom at about 6:00pm and start decorating tables, organizing the room, etc.  I help bring in our food and our secretary sets up the holiday tunes.  However, to my disappointment, of the nearly 30 confirmed guests only about 15 turn out.  At least everyone gets an abundance of Maggiano’s leftovers.  

On a positive note, my first grade of the year rolls out and it’s an A- in Economics! I’m very excited.

Thursday is my last class of my first semester: Accounting.  It’s so odd because as we file out at the end of class I begin to head down to work as I normally would.  I suddenly realize I won’t be seeing anyone until after break and spend a few moments exchanging goodbyes. 

After work I head to Elm Bank with a couple members of my consulting team.  Unfortunately of the eight members, only three of us take the trip.  Everyone else canceled.  This seems to be the story of my week.

Regardless, it was great to finally get out to Elm Bank and see what we were working with for our project.  While it boasts beautiful grounds, I take note of the dilapidated main building and generally deserted feel of the place.  I rack my brain trying to see how I’m going to sell this place to potential members.

I spend Friday catching up on sleep and working on my Information Resources final paper which is due at 8:00 tonight.  After hitting send at about 7:30 pm with, admittedly, about 100 words over the limit, I gladly join a couple of friends for a celebratory evening.  We grab some Thai food at Wonder Spice Cafe in Jamaica Plain, rent a movie and relax at home, savoring the fact that we have nothing to do.

Saturday morning I wake up early for an adventure on my first commuter rail out to the Natick Mall to meet friends for lunch at the Nordstrom Café and some light shopping. 

Sunday I spend frantically packing for my trip, pre-paying bills and making sure to take the necessary precautions so that my apartment won’t combust while I’m away.

*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, it's staff or affiliates.