MBA Careers Q&A: The Johnson School at Cornell

Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management believes its relatively small size aids the careers support it can offer MBA students. “Because we are a relatively small school, we get to know the companies very well, and we know our students very well,” explains Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham, executive director of Johnson’s Career Management Center. However, Saunders-Cheatham also points to the great value of the student community in saying that, “one of the best resources for our first-year students, however, is our second-year students,” adding that their experiences with interviews and internships enable them to, “provide a safe place for first years to get the inside scoop on the corporate culture of various companies.” Read on to learn more about the role of MBA careers center at Cornell Johnson.

Does the Johnson career services team work with the MBA admissions team during applicant assessment?

We do work with admissions to review some of the applications. We are closely connected to the recruiters, so we tend to know the skills and experiences recruiters are seeking from students, pre-MBA, and we share this information with admissions.  

When do on-campus corporate recruitment events and interviews typically take place at Johnson?

On-campus interviews typically run January to February for internships. For full-time positions, on-campus interviews take place from September until November. The majority of the corporate briefings take place between September and November for both first and second-year students.

We also have a number of students who decide to attend the various MBA diversity conferences in the fall and for whom we provide career prep.

Are there particular skills that career services helps students to accentuate during job fairs and recruiting?

We work with students on their pitches and ‘PARs’ (Problem Action Result) framework for behavioral questions. We also do a lot of prep with students for case interviews. All functions and industries, not just consulting, give case interviews. So, we review the various frameworks, discuss how to structure their responses, and provide ample opportunities to practice with mock interviews. We have alumni and industry practitioners who are tremendously helpful here. Finally, we encourage students to establish a rapport and to engage with recruiters. We want students to establish a genuine connection with them. 

How does the team help MBA students prepare for recruitment events? In what ways does the careers center help match students with companies that will be a good cultural fit for them?

Because we are a relatively small school, we get to know the companies very well, and we know our students very well. Also, our career advisors have dual responsibility of student advising and corporate outreach. So, when needed, we can help provide direction.

One of the best resources for our first-year students, however, is our second-year students. The second years have interned and interviewed with companies that are of interest to the first years. The second-year students therefore provide a safe place for first years to get the inside scoop on the corporate culture of various companies.

Are there any new companies recruiting on campus? Have you seen a change in industries?

We do have new companies coming onto campus, especially for internship recruiting. We are seeing more tech recruiting, but many tech firms do not do a lot of on-campus recruiting. They tend to work more with virtual briefings and job postings.

What kind of contact does the careers center at Johnson have with MBAs after they graduate?

We offer lifetime career support to our alumni. We have two career advisors who spend a part of their time working directly with alumni. We offer webinars on everything from networking to LinkedIn. We also provide a suite of online resources, such as CareerBeam and Beyond B-School. We utilize the same job posting and résumé book platform for alumni as we do for our students, so alumni can apply for job postings directed at them.