About Stanton: Stanton Fields (’23) is originally from West Orange, NJ. Prior to Anderson, he worked in financial services at PGIM Fixed Income in a variety of trade support roles supporting the investment team. In his spare time, you can find Stanton playing pickup basketball at one of LA’s many outdoor courts, working on his golf swing, or running along the water in Santa Monica.
As a Consortium student, you have the opportunity to network and participate in early recruiting with top employers during the annual Orientation Program (known as OP). OP typically happens in June, before your 1st year. While it may be daunting to have conversations with employers before you even start your MBA journey, below I listed some advice to make the most out of the experience:
- Use OP as an opportunity to warm-up your networking/recruiting muscles - Don’t feel pressure to secure something right away. You are way ahead of the game. Use this time to practice your 30 second pitch and get comfortable speaking to employers. All that being said, if you see a target company/role at OP that you want, go all in for it!
- Have a game plan - While it’s great that you have access to so many companies in one spot, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Having a list of target companies/roles will allow you to better prepare and make the most of your time during the conference. When interview prepping, always have a prepared answer for “Tell me about yourself”, “Why the company”, and “why the role”.
- Chat with 2nd years - Many have applied to the same roles you’re interested in and can give you advice when it comes to interviews. Anderson specifically has an Anderson Consortium Buddy Program where you are paired up with a 2nd year Consortium student during the summer. This will be your go-to person as it relates to questions about OP, navigating Anderson, and everything in between. When I told my Consortium buddy that I was interviewing for PepsiCo’s Brand Marketing internship, she provided me with previous interview questions people had been asked, a framework for answering certain case questions, and even put me in contact with one of her friends that was interning there for the summer. You hear it all the time, but people are REALLY about sharing success at Anderson.
- Make the most of it - Use each program session and company interaction as a spring. Whether you come out of OP with an offer or not, there is a lot you can learn from the experience. Gain more knowledge about companies during the informational sessions. Reflect on your interview experience and where you can improve. OP is a great learning opportunity overall.
Student Blogger: Stanton Fields ‘23
Undergrad: Boston College ‘14
Pre-MBA: Investment Operations Analyst, PGIM Fixed Income
Leadership@Anderson: Director of Business Development – Sports Business Association, Director of Admissions Ambassador Corps
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