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Despite the economic downturn, a record number of Chicago Booth students traveled to more than 105 firms in 22 cities around the globe in November and December to network with potential future employers.
The annual winter rite known as “student treks” is a unique part of the job hunt process for MBA students, an opportunity to reach out to firms to learn more about firms where they might like to work and visit with executives at corporate offices. “You get a real feel for employers when you visit them on their home turf,” said Andrew Clark, a first-year student in the Full-Time MBA Program who visited 11 firms in London during Eurotrek. “It’s not about impressing whoever is offering jobs and hoping it works out. It’s really about fit.”
New Countries and Industries Added This Year
Each year, students organize such trips as Brand Week to talk with marketing executives in New York and the High Tech Trek to meet with venture capital firms in and near San Francisco and Seattle. This year, they added visits to India and Dubai as well as investment management firms in California, retailers in New York and Philadelphia, and clean tech companies and organizations in New York and Washington DC — a total of 14 different treks, each packed with company visits.
Students Were “Hosted Seriously”
Students prepared for the trips by researching the firms, sharing questions they planned to ask, and strategizing about how their group could best mine the experience for everyone’s mutual benefit. Their efforts met with success. “We were welcomed and hosted very seriously by all companies,” said J. K. Khalil, a first-year student who organized the inaugural Dubai Trek and described it in detail on his blog.
Omer Dvir, a first-year student who attended New York Bank Week, got firsthand exposure to the recruiting teams. “Meeting personally with many bankers in New York gave us a better sense of the unique culture and work environment in each bank so that we could further evaluate how we’d fit with each firm,” he said. “It also allowed us to deepen personal relationships with bankers we had met previously during the recruiting process, which is extremely valuable in the current economic climate.”
For many students on the India trek, it was a chance to return home to research the possibilities of working there again, according to Nitesh Jain, a student in the Evening MBA Program who led the inaugural trip. “We also had the opportunity to connect with several Chicago Booth alumni at top management levels across India,” he said.
Close Contact with Alumni
Students appreciated the chance to talk frankly with executives about how the economy is affecting various industries. They also welcomed personal success stories from corporate executives including Chicago Booth alumni. “Hearing [Electronic Arts chief information officer] Dennis Self, ’99, speak was the highlight of the trip,” said first-year student Noah Askin, who attended the WestQuest trip to firms in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. “It was great to hear him describe how what he learned in school has directly helped him in his career.”
Alumni Learn from Students
Self, who spent about an hour speaking with students at the firm’s campus in Redwood City, California, said the treks showcase “a goldmine of talent” for firms. “These are very smart kids,” he said. “Ten years from now, 90 percent will be in leadership roles.” Although Electronic Arts hosted students from several top business schools, Self said Chicago Booth students stood out. “They were operating on a higher level,” he said. “You can see how far they’re able to take the discussion.”
Networking with Alumni After Work
Alumni socialized informally with students after work at “Fusion” receptions hosted by the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development in San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, New York, and Minneapolis.
Among those who met with them were Suzy Davidkhanian, ’06, a business manager at Macy’s who was glad to support a retail initiative for students, and Bill Borden, ’05, an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. “Speaking with the Chicago Booth students at the New York Fusion event, I was impressed with their creativity in their plans for using their business school training,” Borden said. “It is clear that these students are on paths to leadership.”
Wesley Barnes, ’06, agreed. Barnes, an associate at AIF Capital in Hong Kong, met students at the Chicago Conversations private equity panel and networking reception. “The current students who joined us at this event brought insightful questions related to the current status of the Asian private equity industry,” he said. “It was great to meet the next crop of bright minds that might join us in Hong Kong after graduation.” The event was hosted by Career Services, the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development, and Admissions.
Organized by Students, Treks Drew from All MBA Programs
The treks are organized by students; for instance, the Retail, Apparel, and Luxury Group ran the retail trek, while a group of students from several Chicago Booth programs organized the Dubai Trek. Chicago Booth staff help facilitate with logistics. The excursions drew a mix of students from the Full-time MBA Program, Evening MBA Program, Weekend MBA Program, and Executive MBA Program.
— Patricia Houlihan