The Self-Directed Job Search
Carlos Pierre
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: Administration
As we head into the final stretch of Fall Semester, we also approach the traditional end to the bulk of on-campus recruiting. Many students have not yet found the position they desired from the on-campus recruiting process. This is typical as about 1/3 of Ross graduating students secure their jobs via the "self-directed" search each year during both good and bad economic times.
We use the phrase "self-directed" search as opposed to "off-campus" to help distinguish the starkly different processes that the two modes represent. While the on-campus interview process is above all else easy to navigate and participate in (bid, sign up, interview, wait and hope), the off-campus search demands a fair amount of personal initiative and effort, but holds the potential for a much better career match.
We have observed over the years that those who secure their positions off-campus seem anecdotally to be satisfied with their positions longer - possibly because one gets to essentially create the position and "sell" themselves into it as the ideal candidate. One of our goals in OCD is to try to make your self-directed search efforts as convenient as possible, given the endemic demands that such a search presents.
Before we discuss some of the upcoming activity related to the Self-Directed search, we can clearly see how the current preliminary results data continue to tell the story of on-campus recruiting during this fall of 2008. Students who received internship offers from their summer experiences have accepted those offers relatively quickly, while the overall economy has made on-campus interviewing across the nation a more difficult proposition.
With 43% of the MBA class reporting, 38% of those responding indicate having accepted an offer. In comparison, at this point last year, with 53% of the MBA class reporting in, only 33% had accepted an offer. Last year at this time, 71% of those reporting had received an offer. That figure compares to 59% this year.
We use the phrase "self-directed" search as opposed to "off-campus" to help distinguish the starkly different processes that the two modes represent. While the on-campus interview process is above all else easy to navigate and participate in (bid, sign up, interview, wait and hope), the off-campus search demands a fair amount of personal initiative and effort, but holds the potential for a much better career match.
We have observed over the years that those who secure their positions off-campus seem anecdotally to be satisfied with their positions longer - possibly because one gets to essentially create the position and "sell" themselves into it as the ideal candidate. One of our goals in OCD is to try to make your self-directed search efforts as convenient as possible, given the endemic demands that such a search presents.
Before we discuss some of the upcoming activity related to the Self-Directed search, we can clearly see how the current preliminary results data continue to tell the story of on-campus recruiting during this fall of 2008. Students who received internship offers from their summer experiences have accepted those offers relatively quickly, while the overall economy has made on-campus interviewing across the nation a more difficult proposition.
With 43% of the MBA class reporting, 38% of those responding indicate having accepted an offer. In comparison, at this point last year, with 53% of the MBA class reporting in, only 33% had accepted an offer. Last year at this time, 71% of those reporting had received an offer. That figure compares to 59% this year.
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