Not so long ago, and not so far away there was a techie gone HR, a.k.a. me. I was a career-changing madman trying to land an internship then, and now, a full-time career in the vast and broad field of Human Resources. I began the MBA experience knowing that the ambiguous, the challenging and dare I say mystic world of HR and Organizational Behavior was for me, but I had no clue as to HOW to turn that into reality. The answer came in the form of a student organization, the Organizational Behavior Student Association (OBSA).
The reader needs to know a little bit about the author to fully appreciate the magnitude of the change. I worked for over 8 years in technology, and at the end of that career was exposed to some advanced org design issues that transitioned my interest from the binary to the strategic. I quit work and began the school year full of optimism and hope, sure that despite the drastic shift in career fields I would quickly find success (this is where the evil Sith Lord laughs).
The OBSA provided support on all fronts: networking, resumes, interviewing, and more (for only $19.99 plus shipping and handling – payable to George Lucas). Armed with positive criticisms and feedback, I took to the job search like a techie at a Star Wars convention. Informational interviews, networking, resume submissions, but in the case of this wayward “Jedi,” the chance to interview never materialized.
As I watched my fellow classmates interview and enjoy fly backs, I felt as if I had not only failed to “use the force,” but had been encased in an “occupational carbonite block,” eat your heart out Han Solo. So I put on a brave face and tried to commiserate with my peers as they shared stories about how hard their interviews were, or how frustrating their fly backs had been, and rejoice in their individual successes. As December began, and I felt like I didn’t even have an Obi-Wan Kanobi for an only hope, the OBSA stepped in a had a few second years speak to us at a ProSem. These particular second years had found their internships late the year before. Their words of encouragement, sympathy and faith were exactly what this “Padawan learner” needed.
Because they took the time to share their emotional, difficult and sometime miraculous stories, I found the courage to keep searching for any chance I could find. My family made it a matter of much fasting and prayer and in the end I found my internship through a connection in the OBSA. As the school year rapidly neared its end, a member of the OBSA presidency reached out to me about an opportunity a connection of hers had in her organization. This company (in the fortune 50) was looking for an HR intern with a technical background, you don’t need to hear the voice say, “Use the force!” to realize that this was the perfect opportunity.
To summarize this epic story, the OBSA is focused on training and preparing the students in the HR track to be successful in the job hunt and in their future careers. This it does extremely well, however, the most valuable asset that this organization has provided me is a network of dependable, successful, and supportive friends. It has helped me build lasting relationships that will be a treasure to me both professionally and personally.
Josh Kruse, OB/HR, Class of 2011
Interned at: Northrop Grumman
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