The MBA Student Voice

Days on the job!

UCLA Anderson students storm New York's Times Square

Anderson has been keeping us busy: between on-campus company presentations, homework assignments, midterms and our upcoming finals we had to squeeze in a week for days on the job (DOJ). For the uninitiated, DOJ week is when all first-years take a week off school to visit various companies we are interested in working for. A lot of folks travel all across the country to visit potential employers, and some even travel to international locations such as Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

My trip began in New York on Monday when I flew in with six other Anderson students. We had a few hours to get settled in before our early start the next day so we made sure to visit the very famous Halal Guys food truck for a late-night dinner.

During the trip we were graciously hosted by several New York banks, the likes of which included Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merill Lynch, Citigroup and many more. We spent our days shuttling on the subway between one bank to the next while sneaking in lunches and taking in all that New York had to offer. In two days, we covered 15 banks and we were tired and exhausted — but that didn't stop any of us from sending out our thank you notes to everyone we met. On the final leg of our New York trip, we got a special invite for an alumni mixer at the Yale Club, where we reconnected with some of the alumni who took the time to meet with us.

We used Wednesday as our travel day to travel to San Francisco. After checking into our hotel briefly explored the city for the few precious hours we had to ourselves. The next day we kept our momentum from New York and visited a host of banks in downtown San Francisco. Here, too, we met at prestigious banks such as Credit Suisse, Qatalyst, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Piper Jaffray. Again we were welcomed with open arms at all these banks and at each event we had Parker representatives present to provide us with some much-needed support.

It's worth mentioning how much Parker cares about our career prospects and the lengths they go to to ensure we sustain and nurture these relationships that have been years in the making and will serve future students for years to come.

Overall, our DOJ trip was a great success and we covered about 30 banks over a span of five days. This experience could not have been possible without my fellow students who handled the logistics of the entire trip, and without the support demonstrated by our alumni who make an effort to support and hire Anderson students. I gained insights into the inner workings of various banks, got a feel for the team I could be working with and even bonded with other students who might be working alongside me during my summer internship.

 

Anderson has been keeping us busy: between on-campus company presentations, homework assignments, midterms and our upcoming finals we had to squeeze in a week for days on the job (DOJ). For the uninitiated, DOJ week is when all first-years take a week off school to visit various companies we are interested in working for. A lot of folks travel all across the country to visit potential employers, and some even travel to international locations such as Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

My trip began in New York on Monday when I flew in with six other Anderson students. We had a few hours to get settled in before our early start the next day so we made sure to visit the very famous Halal Guys food truck for a late-night dinner.

During the trip we were graciously hosted by several New York banks, the likes of which included Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merill Lynch, Citigroup and many more. We spent our days shuttling on the subway between one bank to the next while sneaking in lunches and taking in all that New York had to offer. In two days, we covered 15 banks and we were tired and exhausted — but that didn't stop any of us from sending out our thank you notes to everyone we met. On the final leg of our New York trip, we got a special invite for an alumni mixer at the Yale Club, where we reconnected with some of the alumni who took the time to meet with us.

We used Wednesday as our travel day to travel to San Francisco. After checking into our hotel briefly explored the city for the few precious hours we had to ourselves. The next day we kept our momentum from New York and visited a host of banks in downtown San Francisco. Here, too, we met at prestigious banks such as Credit Suisse, Qatalyst, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Piper Jaffray. Again we were welcomed with open arms at all these banks and at each event we had Parker representatives present to provide us with some much-needed support.

It's worth mentioning how much Parker cares about our career prospects and the lengths they go to to ensure we sustain and nurture these relationships that have been years in the making and will serve future students for years to come.

Overall, our DOJ trip was a great success and we covered about 30 banks over a span of five days. This experience could not have been possible without my fellow students who handled the logistics of the entire trip, and without the support demonstrated by our alumni who make an effort to support and hire Anderson students. I gained insights into the inner workings of various banks, got a feel for the team I could be working with and even bonded with other students who might be working alongside me during my summer internship.

Introduction: Naomi Lim

Hello, everyone! My name is Naomi Lim, a first-year MBA student at UCLA Anderson. Below you can learn more about me: 

Undergraduate Major: Supply Chain

Pre-Anderson Career: Since undergrad, I’ve worked in supply chain focused on strategic sourcing. First, I was in Sourcing at Motorola in the Chicago area. I really enjoyed collaborating with multiple functional teams to source and negotiate projects. Experiencing winter and snow-mageddon was key to my personal development. After 3 years there, I went to a nutritional firm to manage contract manufacturers for a mix of protein bars and beverages. They had a very fast product launch cycle, which drove a fast-paced and exciting culture.

Post-MBA Goals:  I want to go back into the tech industry in a product-focused role. One of the amazing things about Anderson is the exposure to multiple functions and industries. You’ll find students here going into a variety of roles, so it really allows you to pursue your career goals however niche they may be. Recently, I participated in DOJ Week, which provides an opportunity for Anderson students to visit various companies by industry. I joined the tech treck to further explore my interests and network with potential employers. One of the many companies that I had a chance to visit was Google. 

                                                                          

What I’m most excited about: Being surrounded by intelligent yet approachable people is the most exciting part for me. The diversity in background and experience of our school drives meaningful discussions both in and outside of the classroom. 

Why Anderson? The culture and student experience were what drew me to Anderson. The genuine regard for one another in helping us all succeed is truly refreshing. It sounds cliché but we live by our "Share Success" value. I see this through the ACT program, where 2^nd years help 1st years with interview preparation, and when a fellow classmates offers to connect me with someone in their network. I encourage you to reach out to current students through our Connect With A Student portal or sign-up for an upcoming LiveGuide session to hear firsthand how our culture shapes and adds value to the student experience.

I look forward to blogging more throughout my Anderson experience. Stay tuned! 

Few Tips On How To Create a Stunning B-school Application Resume

The significance of a good resume in the MBA application process cannot be overstated. The general tendency with most applicants is to devote only a minimal amount of time to work on their resumes; their thinking is that resumes are not so important since they receive only a quick glance from adcoms. This is wrong thinking! Your resume is the gateway to all the wonderful application materials that you painstakingly put together about yourself in the application package. The resume is typically the first application element an adcom member will read, so it has to be written in such a way to generate interest. It is imperative that your resume makes a good impression. Also, for promising applicants who receive an interview invitation, a good resume is important in the interviewing process to help an interviewer who is assessing your fit with the b-school.

With that in mind, here are some principles to remember as you write your resume:

• A narrative-based resume (rather than bullet-point) is the ideal way to begin this process since this captures maximum content in minimum space. Usually, it should be limited to one page, but as a starter you can extend into a second page and then pare it down to 1 page.
• Use the S-A-R approach. Since you want to identify and articulate your strengths and key accomplishments, the most effective flow is to state (a) the SITUATION – mention the problem you had to overcome (Who/What/When). (b) The ACTION you took or initiated to solve the problem, highlighting the skills you used to complete the tasks. (c) The RESULTS – summarize the outcome in a quantifiable manner.
• Your MBA resume should show you at your best. Include examples of specific times and places when you learned the most, shone the brightest and had the greatest impact.
• DO NOT fall into the trap of just listing all your official job descriptions to date. When top b-school review your resume, they’re looking for career progression, so be strategic in your job listing; include jobs in which you have achieved quantifiable goals, been promoted, and generally made an impact on your surroundings.
• DO NOT include industry-specific jargon or technical lingo that you might include on a job resume. Make the information on your resume as easily assessable to your audience as possible.
• DO NOT offer too much information in your b-school application resume. Including information that is already available from other parts of your application could be a turn off to adcoms and make you appear desperate – no SAT or GMAT scores, no high school information, no references.

It’s worth mentioning that this is not an exhaustive list of steps to adopt in writing your resume. The purpose is to streamline your thought process as you prepare this important aspect of your b-school application. Best of luck!

Introduction: Tiffany Lu

Hi everyone!! I’m totally stealing this questionnaire from my fellow first-year rockstar classmate, Yu Chen, but excited to introduce myself to prospective students (who I lovingly call “prospies” - a word you’ll hear me use when you meet me on campus). 

 

 

Name: Tiffany Lu

 

Hometown: Arcadia, CA but born in Taiwan

 

Prior to Anderson: I did my undergrad at Duke and then spent a few years working in entertainment before transitioning into education. 

 

Why Anderson? Anderson is actually the only school I applied to. I don’t necessarily recommend that strategy because it was very stressful putting all my eggs in one basket, but I wanted to be in LA and after I visited campus and spoke to current Anderson students, I knew I didn’t want to go to any other school. This has been said by so many people so many times, but the students at Anderson are truly what make the school special. I loved the level of respect that students showed for one another during classroom debates, and every student I reached out to showed a genuine interest in helping me navigate the admissions process. It’s a feeling that’s very hard to describe, but one that I couldn’t have ascertained just by reading literature online or attending panels and school fairs. I really had to step on campus and meet the students to get a glimpse of what life would be like in their shoes. 

 

What is one cool/interesting thing about yourself that others would not be able to tell upon first meeting you? I have a scary good memory. 

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Happy. 

 

One thing I hope to accomplish by the end of my first year at Anderson: Form lasting friendships with my classmates. 

 

One piece of advice for prospective applicants: Don’t be afraid to reach out to current students and ask probing questions that will give you a true sense of life at the school. Talk to a mix of first year and second year students if you can. And one more piece of advice: embrace this process of self-reflection and discovery. The more authentic and honest you can be with yourself during applications, the more focused you will be once you actually start business school (aka you won’t have to worry about not knowing what you want to do).  

 

Introduction: Chigozie Muoto

Hi, my name is Chigozie Muoto and I’m in the UCLA Anderson Class of 2017. I’m so excited to be writing this post to introduce myself to you because I believe there’s so much we can learn from sharing our experiences. I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria and attended the University of Lagos for undergrad. Shortly after my undergrad, I moved to Connecticut and attended the University of Connecticut for graduate school. Below are some more facts about me. 

                                                                                                                 

Undergraduate and Graduate Major: Materials Science & Engineering.

Pre-MBA Jobs: I worked at Intel for about four and half years as a technology development process engineer right after obtaining a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. My passion for being involved in developing the technology that is directly impacting and changing people’s lives drew me to Intel and I really enjoyed working there. I also worked briefly in Nigeria as a network engineer before I moved to the US. I configured and maintained the computer networks of various agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria and the University of Abuja. This was my first job right after college and I felt so privileged to be given such responsibilities. I learned so much at this job.

Post-MBA Career Goals: I would like to participate in a post-MBA rotational leadership program in a high tech company to gain a broad overview of the business. Intel has one of such programs and I will be applying there both for a summer internship and full-time position. After the rotational program, I would like to go into a business development role. I want to help lead a high tech company not only to extend its growth in the developed market, but also to expand its business into emerging and frontier markets such as Africa. I have a passion to grow businesses and create development opportunities in Africa. My long-term goal is to launch a leadership/innovation academy in Nigeria and provide educational opportunities, sponsorships, mentorships, and leadership to young people.

What I’m most excited about: Meeting my classmates, hearing their stories, learning from their experiences, and building strong relationships. Anderson encourages collaboration among peers and it’s really exciting to be a part of a community where the general underlying mentality is “how can we both win”. Also, because Anderson promotes student-driven activities, I’m excited about sharpening my leadership skills in an environment where tolerance and understanding are highly valued.

Why Anderson?: Having a career focus in high tech and a long-term goal to drive economic growth in Africa, I sought for a business school that would create the enabling environment to equip me to pursue my passion. The first thing that attracted me to Anderson was its tagline, 'think in the next' and its defining principles; share success, think fearlessly, and drive change. As I researched more information about Anderson and connected with current students, I understood more about Anderson’s distinctive features and realized it’s the perfect choice for me. UCLA Anderson stood out for a number of reasons: strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation (innovative classes on venture formation and growth, Easton Technology Management Center, Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation), real social venture initiatives (The NetImpact club, Challenge for Charity, and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Disable Veterans), collaboration among peers (there are vast opportunities to learn from your classmates both in class activities - case study, team projects - and in extracurricular activities), diversity (wide mix of students across every spectrum - pre- and post-MBA careers, age, racial background, country of origin, and gender). Also, Anderson sends an unprecedented number of MBAs to the tech industry through the help of an amazing career management team – Parker Career Management Center. All these and more made Anderson my #1 choice.

I’m really excited to be a part of this community and I look forward to sharing more of my Anderson experiences with you as they unfold. Stay tuned!

 

Alumni Spotlight: JJ Haglund

This post is a part of the Alumni Spotlight series where we highlight an Anderson alum and learn what they have been up to since their time at Anderson. We will also get hear about their favorite Anderson memories and get their advice for current and prospective MBA students.

Today we are featuring JJ Haglund, Anderson Class of 2015.

What brought you to Anderson?

What first grabbed my attention about Anderson was the list of top employers and who recruited there. Before I even realized what career I wanted to pursue I was just impressed that so many grads went to Disney, Nike, Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and the like. Then the more I learned about the school and the culture, the more I wanted to be there. The collaborative environment and sense of community really resonated with me. 

 

What have you been up to since graduation?

Since graduation, I started working for Adobe as a PMM for the Marketing Cloud. I moved back to Utah, where Adobe's Digital Marketing headquarters is located (corporate HQ is in San Jose). I've still been able to maintain ties with my Anderfriends though - my job sends me to the Bay Area about once a month. We also took trips to Hawaii and Yellowstone this summer as a family.

 

Snapshots of my life at Anderson

Hello friends!

I am sorry for being MIA for the past weeks, but I am excited to give you a quick walk through of my highlights at Anderson so far. I hope you enjoy the following snapshots!

1. First Case Competition ever

I was lucky to have been chosen to represent UCLA Anderson at the National MBA Human Capital Case Competition sponsored by Deloitte and GE. As I have told you before, my main area of focus within consulting is Human Capital, hence this was an amazing opportunity to get some hands on experience on what it is like to be in an engagement in this practice. For those of you out there who are interested in Human Capital, I have an amazing tip for you: When you are solving a human capital case, do not forget that the business objective drives the solution.

Kudos for my classmates Lindsay Meyer and Tyler Smith for their support and enthusiasm and a big standing ovation to the second years, Jessica Mowry and Richard Wang, who led the team and made this competition an amazing learning experience. 

2. First UCLA Football Game

I have been learning about football for quite some time now and attending this game and actually understanding what was going on was the perfect proof that I am right on track! Unfortunately, the Bruins lost the game against Arizona State. Either way, it was an incredible experience and I cannot wait to attend another game.

3. I am part of the best section of the class of 2017: SECTION D

During orientation the whole class was split into 5 sections and I was blessed with being part of one of the most united, collaborative and creative sections of our class. From producing a Grease spinnoff called Andergrease for our orientation skit to killing it in sports during Game day, people in this section will do great things during the next couple of months! Big thanks to our section leaders, Meredith and Joel, for helping us survive orientation!

 

So far, Anderson is going great! If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out!