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MBAs have to sell themselves first
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-31 13:38 If you have an MBA, there's a good chance that you've come across interview tips and techniques during your education or throughout your career. If not, start looking - you're going to need them. It is a great achievement to have been accepted to, or graduate from, a top business school. But the reality is that there are likely to be a lot of other smart graduates going after the job you want. Recruiters increasingly say that MBA graduates, while strong in the hard skills of finance, marketing and leadership strategies, are weak in the softer skills, including interviewing techniques. For overseas positions Results of a 2007 survey by Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd, a global career and education network, show that a significant number of MBAs want to work overseas, either as a starting position or at some point in their career. Graduates who intend to apply for a job in a country other than their own must know what is expected in that country. Although they're not likely to offend interviewers with a small social faux pas, it is clear that showing they can easily adapt to and operate within another culture will be a massive boost to their chances. But most MBAs look to stay in the country in which they studied or return to their own country, so they should make the most of the career services offered by their schools, talk to recruiters at offices where they were interns or ask alumni from their home countries for leads. In short, they should arm themselves with whatever additional points they can - it just might give them the edge. Know your company Candidates should research a prospective company thoroughly. In-house newsletters provide insight into what the staff is doing. Web searches will reveal a company's approach to corporate social responsibility and a diversity of other policies. What achievements or contracts are appealing? What about the CEO's latest press interview was most impressive? What makes the company stand out from its competitors? A very healthy dose of knowledge about who candidates are applying to and why they want to work there can only be good. They should have questions of their own to ask, especially pertinent and recent ones, perhaps about a recent client, acquisition, piece of international news or a boardroom shakeup. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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