What do MBA applicants need to know about the recruiting process into the energy industry? Darren invites Vince Faherty, London Business School MBA ’10, to share his experience moving up from a Marketing Manager to Director at EnerNOC and then moving to Nest & Google, where he is currently Head of Northeast & Midwest Energy Partnerships. Vince shares what it's like to attend business school during one of the worst recessions in history and MBA career lessons he's distilled since attendin...
Aug 15, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 139
Your resume is often what MBA admissions officers first see, and frames how they view the rest of your profile. Follow this checklist of CV 'do's and don'ts' to make make a strong first impression and set the stage for a successful application. This is a re-run of Episode #6 Seven Deadly Sins of MBA Resumes and Rotman MBA's Leigh Gauthier's answer to the question we asked in Episode #100 What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their MBA Application? The "7 deadly sins" 1. Too l...
Aug 06, 2018•22 min•Ep. 138
Rob O'Reilly performed stand up comedy for 16 years. Then he decided to get an MBA. We discuss his journey to USC Marshall. Questions Rob's background (3:25) MBA career goals and positioning (8:00) The GMAT and showing "quant skills" (18:13) Shortlisting business schools (23:06) Communicating your interest to business schools (32:30) Interviews (39:55) The future of entertainment content (45:32) Looking forward to USC Marshall (45:50) About Our Guest Rob O'Reilly worked as a standup comic, produ...
Jul 28, 2018•52 min
Alex Tuininga, HBS MBA '18, discusses his transition from a navy intelligence officer to Harvard MBA to BCG management consultant. Alex also shares his thoughts on MBA recruiting and social life as a married, older student. Questions Alex's background (3:48) Alex's advice to military applicants (12:40) Where Alex applied and why he chose HBS (21:00) The HBS experience (24:28) Social life as an older, married student (35:02) The recruiting process (42:20) Summer internships and full-time offers a...
Jul 17, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 136
Guest Host Sabaina Kamara, Michigan Ross MBA '19, invites her friend and classmate Kashay Sanders to share her experience as a first year MBA student at the Ross School of Business. Listen to get a real-time, inside look into the "MBA1" experience at a top b-school like Ross. Questions Kashay's background (3:32) First year internships and student activities (4:59) Reflections on the "MBA1" year and lessons learned (6:58) Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) at Ross (10:54) Dealing with imposte...
May 21, 2018•33 min•Ep. 135
Guest Host and London Business School (LBS) MBA Mathias Keller invites Dr. Randall S Peterson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and the Academic Director of the Leadership Institute at LBS, to share his thoughts on successful MBA students, how to develop leadership skills, and how to build high performing teams. Don't miss this episode to sample leadership lessons you'd learn at one of the world's top business schools. Questions What makes a successful MBA student? (7:10) How do you develop...
May 05, 2018•42 min•Ep. 134
What do you need to know about MBA recruiting for top media and entertainment companies? Darren invites his good friend Mark Zee, UCLA Anderson MBA '14, to share his experience interviewing and working for companies like 20th Century Fox and the Walt Disney Company, where he is currently Director for Pay TV & Digital Sales. Mark also shares his thoughts on building relationships during and after the MBA. This is Part 7 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click...
Apr 26, 2018•57 min•Ep. 133
How can MBA applicants show evidence of quantitative skills outside of their university GPA and GMAT? Do top b-schools accept online courses like Coursera? Darren invites Admissions Directors from 3 top business schools - Cornell Johnson (USA), IMD (Switzerland) and CEIBS (China) - to share their thoughts. Eddie Asbie from Cornell Johnson MBA (4:20) Paola Eicher from IMD MBA (10:18) Christina Mou from CEIBS MBA (15:44) Darren's Thoughts (20:18) About Our Guests Eddie Asbie is Associate Director,...
Apr 12, 2018•25 min
Could this be the only book you need to prepare for your MBA interviews? Inspired by Dale Carnegie's classic book, The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking , Darren shares a simple 3-part framework to help you choose your best 'material' for your MBA interviews. Checklist Have you earned the right to talk about topic through experience or study? Are you excited about your subject? Are you eager to share your subject with your interviewer? Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://tou...
Mar 16, 2018•21 min•Ep. 131
What do you need to know about MBA recruiting for top Consumer Package Goods (CPG) companies? Darren invites Ana Archbold, Michigan Ross MBA '07, to share her experience working for companies like Kraft Foods, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson, where she is currently a Senior Marketing Director for Neutrogena. Darren and Ana pay special attention to the recruiting process and what applicants can do to maximize their chances of landing internships and jobs. Ana also shares her thoughts on worki...
Feb 25, 2018•49 min•Ep. 130
What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in brand management? Darren invites Michael Schwartz, NYU Stern MBA '16, to share his experience working as a marketing and brand manager at companies like Philips, Unilever and Heineken. Michael has worked in marketing and brand management for 10 years – don’t miss his hard-earned insights into the industry! This is Part 5 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here . Questions Michael's background (2:30 ) ...
Feb 07, 2018•48 min
Massine Bouzerar, a 25-year old Canadian, was backpacking through Myanmar in July when he realized he wanted to start his MBA asap. First round deadlines were looming in September. Within 3 months he wrote the GMAT and submitted a successful application to Insead. What should you do when your back is against the wall? Massine shares his experience and what he did to get accepted to one of the world’s top MBA programs: Insead. About Our Guest Massine Bouzerar worked as a product manager for two l...
Jan 23, 2018•53 min
Sachin Tipnis from the University of Hong Kong discusses what makes the HKU MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for HKU MBAs. Program Highlights (5:15) | Admissions (26:00) | Scholarships (38:36) | Careers (44:27) HKU MBA Highlights (last updated Jan 2018) 14-months, Fall intake, ~60 students/year Typical Class: 5 years work exp / 15 nationalities / 660 GMAT Has 3 tracks: the London track, the New York track, and the Hong Kong/China track. After finishing 9 month...
Jan 10, 2018•58 min
Eddie Asbie from Cornell University's Johnson School of Management discusses what makes the Cornell MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Cornell MBAs. Program Highlights (7:14) | Admissions (29:50) | Scholarships (52:07) | Careers (58:38) Cornell MBA Highlights (last updated Dec 2017) 1-Year Cornell Tech MBA (New York City), May intake, ~50 students/year 1-Year MBA (Ithaca, New York), May intake, ~75 students/year 2-Year MBA (Ithaca, New York), September intak...
Dec 23, 2017•1 hr 8 min
When should you use an MBA admissions consultant? How can you get the most value? What should you look for when hiring one? As a former MBA Admissions Director and Admissions Consultant, Darren shares his thoughts. Questions Why are MBA Admissions Consultants so expensive? Are they worth the fees? (6:25) Should you hire an MBA Admissions Consultant? Which service should you get? How can you get the most value? (13:10) What you should look for from an Admissions Consultant? (19:43) Questions to a...
Dec 15, 2017•27 min
Katie Lloyd from Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business joins the show to discuss what makes the Georgia Tech MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Georgia Tech MBA students. Program Highlights (4:19) | Admissions (21:03) | Scholarships (37:00) | Careers (41:18) Georgia Tech Scheller MBA Highlights Fall intake, 22 months, 80 students/year Class: 80 students / 4.5 years work exp / 25% international / 680 GMAT Students can explore 8 immersive tracks at the i...
Dec 08, 2017•55 min
Vivien Koh from Essec Business School joins the show to discuss what makes the Essec Global MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Essec Global MBA students. Program Highlights (3:28) | Admissions (21:28) | Scholarships (28:22) | Careers (31:02) Essec MBA Highlights September intake, 12 months, 100 students/year Students can study on French and/or Singapore campuses, depending on major Offers 6 majors in Luxury Brand Management, Hospitality Management, Finance, ...
Dec 04, 2017•39 min
Roughly one third of the top 100 business schools have started Masters in Business or Data Analytics programs, in response to the growing need for workers who can leverage data assets for competitive advantage. What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in the growing industry of data and business analytics? Darren invites Shane Rai, Co-Founder of TenPoint7, a machine learning-as-a-service company, to share his experience as a technology consultant turned entrepreneur in the data anal...
Nov 20, 2017•46 min
7 senior MBA Admissions Directors from Berkeley Haas, Cornell Johnson, Virginia Darden, Duke Fuqua, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, and Yale School of Management came to Vietnam this Fall for an MBA admissions panel. Darren shares the questions asked and lessons learned from the event. Questions GMAT or GRE - does it matter? (5:08) How do schools evaluate undergrad transcripts? (5:39) Should only business students apply for MBAs? (6:32) What does the ideal resume look like? (7:33) What do adcoms want ...
Nov 14, 2017•36 min
What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in venture capital? Darren invites his friend Garrett to share his experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into venture capital and as an interviewer for Hewlett Packard Ventures. Garret has worked in venture capital and related jobs in San Francisco for 7 years – don’t miss his hard-earned insights into the industry! This is Part 3 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here . Questions Garrett’...
Nov 03, 2017•56 min
What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in investment banking? Darren invites his friend Scott to share his experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into investment banking and as an MBA recruiter for Wells Fargo Securities. Scott has worked in investment banking for 7 years after his MBA – don’t miss his hard-earned insights into the industry! This is Part 2 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here . Questions Scott's background (3:...
Oct 21, 2017•1 hr 12 min
What is the difference between Full-time, Part-time, Online and EMBA degrees? Which one makes most sense for you? A number of you coming to Touch MBA for school selection help are considering multiple MBA program formats so I thought it would be good to dedicate one short episode to covering key differences from an admissions, curriculum, career and reputation perspective. Dirk is involved in all 4 MBA programs for IE Business School so I played the role of “applicant” and asked him common quest...
Oct 10, 2017•29 min
What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in management consulting? Darren invites his friend Sandra to share her experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into consulting and as an MBA recruiter for McKinsey & Company. Sandra worked in management consulting for 5 years after her MBA - don't miss her hard-earned insights into the industry! This is Part 1 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here . Questions Sandra’s background (3:42)...
Oct 05, 2017•55 min
How can you make a memorable impression on MBA Admissions Officers at MBA recruiting events? Drawing on his experience recruiting at MBA Tours and information sessions, Darren shares 3 tips for how you can stand out. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/interacting-with-mba-admissions-officers Episode Sponsor Ranked among the top public universities in the US, The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business provides an outstanding MBA experience tailored to your inte...
Sep 13, 2017•22 min
Why did an American Ivy League graduate decide to pursue an MBA in China? In 2015 Jesse Miller decided to pursue his MBA at CEIBS, ranked #11 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2017 and China's top-ranked program. Jesse discusses the pros and cons of pursuing a top-ranked MBA in Asia, his experience as a minority American student at CEIBS (Shanghai) and ISB (Hyderabad) where he studied one semester, and how he jumped from working in fashion to the entertainment industry. Jesse also shares his t...
Sep 01, 2017•35 min
Stephen Huber discusses his MBA experience at USC Marshall, from what he did to get off the waitlist, to preparing his wife for an intense first year, to leading the High Tech and Interactive Gaming Associations, to landing internships and jobs in tech and the hard-to-break into entertainment industry. After listening to this talk, you'll have a good idea of what it takes to make the most of your MBA experience, especially as a career switcher. Stephen is also open to answering your questions ab...
Aug 11, 2017•53 min
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t It's not that admissions officers (or readers, movie-goers, consumers) are mean or cruel. They are just busy. How can you reward your application readers for their gift of time and attention? By telling an interesting story. How do you do this with your MBA applications? Inspired by Steven Pressfield's book, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, Darren offers 3 pillars to frame your MBA story: concept, theme, and structure (hook, build, payoff). Darren also dissects 3 su...
Aug 02, 2017•28 min
Your LinkedIn profile could be the first thing business schools see. Darren draws on his admissions experience and shares 7 tips to make a good first impression, reinforce your MBA story, and highlight additional qualities not in your application. MBA programs are looking at your social media, especially your LinkedIn profile. Take 15 minutes to follow these guidelines, optimize your LinkedIn presence, and represent yourself well to b-schools, MBA students & alumni, and future employers. Epi...
Jun 27, 2017•22 min
Many MBA applicants are interested in entrepreneurship, but have trouble reconciling the cost of an MBA with their goal of starting a business. Darren invites 2 recent Wharton MBA graduates, Alex Kubo and Renata Arauz De Stefano, to discuss if an MBA helps you become a better entrepreneur. Alex currently works at Burrow.com, a Y Combinator backed startup in New York City, and Renata started Mwayi, a fashion social enterprise that brings customized, African-print apparel to US consumers. How help...
Jun 19, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Caroline Diarte Edwards and Darren cover best practices for securing great MBA letters of recommendation. Don’t miss this detailed and open-ended discussion between 2 former Admissions Directors so you can sidestep common mistakes and understand what top b-schools consider an excellent letter of recommendation. Questions Why recommendations are important (3:16) Who to select as your recommender (6:06) How to prepare and what to give your recommenders (19:06) Last tips on to get great MBA recomme...
Jun 05, 2017•43 min
