The Ride of Your Life

If you are entering the program this fall, and are nervous about landing the perfect internship, you are not alone. All MBA students in the program have felt this way at one time or another. But, don’t worry; there is hope.

The internship search can be a rollercoaster ride. One minute you are on top of the world after getting an interview with a company you are interested in and the next you are feeling dejected when that same company turns you down for an offer. For this reason, I asked a few second-year MBA students who each landed phenomenal internships late in the winter semester last year to share some ideas on what they did after their first, second, third, (and so on) choices for internships fell through. I have included some of their ideas and some additional thoughts below.

1. Stay focused on your goal and maintain the right perspective. Speaking of keeping the right perspective, one student said “There are so many fantastic companies that don‘t recruit at BYU. One of the main reasons why so many great companies do recruit at BYU is because people found internships at a company that didn‘t recruit here and left a good impression. Not getting an internship with a company that recruits at BYU is a wonderful opportunity to open doors for BYU and make a difference for yourself and future students.” Another student I spoke with said “last year I didn‘t have anything once finals were over but I kept looking and ended up with five offers.” Stay focused on your end-goal and maintain a positive attitude. The results will come.

2. Continue to practice and maintain a sense of urgency. Be humble enough to seek guidance and help from others in your internship search. Take advantage of the insights, expertise, and feedback that your Sherpa, second year mentor, can give to you. But, don’t stop there. Reach out to other first or second year students that can give you different perspectives, feedback, and suggestions. Keep networking and practicing your interviews. You need to be prepared when an opportunity presents itself.

3. Use the alumni database and the Holy Grail (Excel spreadsheet filled with connections to hundreds of companies). Speaking of using the alumni database, one student said “I sent dozens and dozens of emails out and likewise did dozens of informational interviews with people at my top companies, who I found through the alumni database and the Holy Grail…each of these contacts helped me understand the company better.”

4. Last but not least, never give up. Keep working hard. Never stop talking to people inside and out of the MBA program about your internship search. You will get out of the internship search what you put into it.

I love the scripture in Ether 12:6 that states, “Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith”. If we persevere and have faith through tough times and trials, the Lord will eventually bless us. This certainly applies to the rollercoaster ride otherwise known as the internship search process. Stay positive, keep working hard, and put your trust in the Lord. The blessings will surely follow.

Mark Lingenbrink, Class of 2011, OB/HR

Interned at: Cisco

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SHERPA Advice

We asked the MBA Sherpa’s (2^nd year MBA’s who mentor and coach 1^st years through their internship search) to give some advice to the 1^st years entering their second semester of business school. We thought we would share their advice with you:

The Sherpa program has been a lot of fun. I have become friends with several students that I would normally not have much contact with. You are amazing...

“Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good things. Believe that no mountain is so high that you cannot climb it. Believe that no storm is so great that you cannot weather it. You are not destined to be a scrub. You are a child of God, of infinite capacity. Believe that you can do it - whatever it is that you set your heart on. Opportunities will unfold and open before you. The skies will clear when they have been dark with portent.” – Gordon B. Hinckley“

If you wait till the last minute, it only takes a minute.

You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, but dog-gone it, make people like you.

Your focus needs more focus.

My Mama always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you‘re gonna get.”

1st or 2nd years taking the Heaton Beatin‘ next semester, do not be afraid. All you need to do to ace the class is simply ask Prof. Heaton, “You worked at BCG?“ That is sufficient for an A-.

Advice to those searching for jobs: Your future depends on your dreams, so make sure you‘re getting some sleep.

Interviewing for internships is like seeing a proctologist.... it‘s uncomfortable, it‘s awkward, you feel exposed, and when everyone asks you about it later, you‘re just glad they weren‘t there to watch.

It‘ll work out. It always does.

My Mama always said, “Stupid is as stupid does.“

Getting internships is like being water boarded...it feels like you‘re going to die and you keep asking yourself, “How can what they‘re doing to me be legal?”

It still amazes me that just because I‘m a BYU MBA I can reach out to any alumni in any company and get the inside scoop. Awesome!

Pay attention to relationships and don‘t sweat the grades.

Don‘t forget to include your family in your schoolwork and internship search.

The best advice I can give is to ask for help! There are so many people in this world that would love to tell you how unimpressive you really are and how to get better. Benjamin Franklin said, “The first degree of folly, is to conceit one‘s self wise; the second to profess it; the third to despise counsel.“

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Everyone Summits! The BYU MBA Sherpa Program

The greatest climbers in the world don’t do it alone! In fact, they have a significant amount of help along the way from trusted companions who have been to the summit before them and know well the path that leads to the top. Of all the valuable things we take from the BYU MBA program, there may be nothing more defining to setting the trajectory of our careers than the first job experience coming out of school. The ascent to the summit of securing an internship is not always a leisurely stroll up a well-groomed trail. Some encounter unexpected detours, while others find the climb more technically challenging than anticipated. Whatever the path, climbers need not navigate the ascent alone! At BYU, trusted companions who have successfully reached the summit help shoulder the load as first-year MBA students embark in their ascent to the top. Everyone summits!

Congratulations to all who have been admitted to the BYU MBA program! The Sherpa Program, the MBA program’s peer-led mentoring program, is excited to help you navigate your journey to securing an internship. As a first-year student, you will be assigned a ‘Sherpa’, a carefully selected second-year student who has successfully secured an internship, to help guide you through the recruiting process. Recognizing that every ascent is unique, your Sherpa will work with you individually to understand your background and career focus in customizing an approach that will enable you to reach your internship summit.

Despite what many believe, the most important difference between successful and unsuccessful job seekers is not education, skill, age, or ability, but the way they go about their job-search. Together with your Sherpa, you will engage in fine-tuning the necessary skills to be successful on the recruiting trail. As an incoming student, you can expect that your Sherpa will be reaching out to you sometime in June, 2010 to begin internship related discussions and preparation. In addition, the Sherpa Program will also provide a series of conference calls over the summer to help kick-start the process so you hit the ground running when you arrive at orientation! Emphasis will be placed on things such as the following:

· Clarifying career focus

· Targeting companies

· Building effective resumes

· Developing interview skills

· Networking effectively

Ultimately, every individual climber owns his or her own internship search. However, the Sherpa Program provides you the insight, mentoring, and network of somebody who has been to the top and knows the internship search terrain. The greatest climbers in the world don’t do it alone, and with the help of the Sherpa Program, neither will you. Everyone summits!

-Mike Christensen, Head Sherpa, Class of 2011, OB/HR

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