Self-Assessment

Understanding
the Marketplace
Executing Your Job Search
Positioning On-Campus Recruiting
Yourself In an average year, about 45 percent of students who seek summer internships accept
job offers resulting from on-campus recruiting. Most jobs are in the financial services
Networking and consumer products industries.
The Career Management Center (CMC) manages corporate recruiting relationships and
Executing Your the Johnson Talent System (JTS), the Cornell Johnson School online career management
Job Search platform. The CMC coordinates on-campus recruiting, schedules corporate briefings and
interviews, develops relationships with alumni and corporate contacts, and continually
Interviewing researches new companies.

Keys to Successful On-Campus Searches

• Be clear about what you want to do and what you offer.
Graduation/ • Make your résumé ready to submit for formal applications by mid-December.
Succeeding with Offers Job
• Research companies and positions; get a firm understanding of what positions entail.
and Negotiation
• Talk to second-year students who worked at the companies over the summer.
• Act professionally at all corporate functions, including signing up, arriving on time,
dressing appropriately, being respectful, and wearing your Johnson School name tag.
For clarification of these issues, see the Policies of the Career Management Center
(at the end of this workbook) and the Johnson School Honor Code.

Planning Calendar
This planning calendar will give you an idea of what you should be doing when:
August
• Attend Just About Careers
September
• Corporate briefings start
• Second Year: On-campus recruiting résumé drops begin
• Complete PAR worksheet and practice over break
• Reaffirm career goals and review CareerLeader® results
October
• Second Year: On-campus interviews
November
• Second Year: On-campus interviews
December
• First Year: Résumés due for summer internships

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January
• First Year: Internship interviews start

The Johnson School Career Workbook

On-Campus Corporate Functions
Corporate Briefings: These events usually take place in Sage Hall and are held Monday
through Thursday beginning at either 6:15 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. They are an hour and 15
minutes long, including the company’s presentation and a reception. There can be up
to six briefings on any given evening; students need to plan their time wisely to avoid
briefing burn-out.
“Night Before” Briefings: Companies often meet with students the night before their
scheduled interviews. Candidates are usually required to attend. The briefings serve two
purposes: they are opportunities for company representatives to see the candidates in a
more social venue, and for students to have a chance to ask questions about the company
that will benefit all interviewees and enable the next-day interview to be more focused on
a candidate’s skills.
On-Campus Interviewing
Companies have complete discretion regarding details of their visits (length and
number of interviews, closed/open, requirement of U.S. work authorization, etc.).
Logistical changes occur frequently and are posted immediately to JTS. It is the student’s
responsibility to check for changes. Most on-campus interviews are face–to-face, in-
person interviews. Occasionally they are video-conference or telephone interviews.
Companies may conduct back-to-back interviews in which students will have two or
more interviews with different, and sometimes multiple, company representatives.
These interviews are usually, but not always, conducted one after another and normally
take up a block of time longer than the traditional single interview (one to one-and-a-half
hours or more).
There are three types of interviews; companies determine the mix of interview slot types:
Invite Only: Companies select the candidates they would like to interview. The selections
are most often made from résumé submissions, the online résumé book, or from
personal interactions that the company has previously had with a student.
Open for Bid: Students expressing interest in interviewing through bidding. Each
student gets 1,000 points in his or her first year and another 1,000 points in the
second year to bid on open interview slots. There is a minimum bid of one point to be
considered. If you win, you are charged what you actually bid. Students can allocate bid
points however they would like as soon as they have access to JTS. A “winning” bid is
charged to the bid account.
Open for All: Anyone can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis as long as he/she
meets the criteria that the company has specified. These schedules generally occur when
the company’s original schedule has not been filled by the other two types of interviews.
Johnson Talent System (JTS)
The Johnson Talent System is an integrated recruitment, job-search, résumé database;
employer research; and CMC activity system. It is available only to matriculated Johnson
School students. There are training sessions in the fall about the system and the
recruiting process within which it operates.
Quick Reference Guide for JTS
To Apply for On-Campus Interview Opportunities
To see who is coming for on-campus interviews and get details on their interview plan:
• Click on Interviews in the Job Opportunities box.
• From the Interviews tab at the top of the page, select your preferred options to
narrow your search, if desired.
• Click on the Include On Campus box. Click on Search.
• A list of all companies, the jobs they will be interviewing for, and the deadlines
will appear.
• You may access greater detail on the company or job by clicking the hyperlinks.
• You may sort most of the column headings (Title, Company, Application
Deadline, etc.).
To submit a résumé for consideration for a closed interview slot:
• From the Job Search page, click on the Title of any OCR job.
• Select your preferred résumé from the drop-down menu in the My Action box.
• Browse to select your cover letter. Click on Upload Cover Letter at bottom of page.
• Click on Résumé Submission.
To place a bid for consideration for a bidding slot:
• From the Job Search page, click the View link next to the job, or you may click on
the Job Title.
• Click on the Place Bid Tab.
• Select the résumé that you want to submit from the pull-down menu.
• Enter the amount of points you want to bid—up to your total of 1,000. Minimum
bid point amount = 50.
To Confirm and Schedule an Interview
To accept or decline an invitation:
You will receive an email, or you may click My Invites from the On Campus Visit box.
On My Invites:
• “My Status” will be Invited.
• “Action” will be Accept/Decline Invitation—click on this link.
• You may select the résumé you want to use for the interview (if it differs from the
résumé submitted) and then click on the Accept button to accept the interview.
• If you cannot attend, click on the Decline button. This is permanent and cannot
be changed. Be very careful when doing this, because if you decline, then the next
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student on the wait list will move to the invited status.
• If you change your mind after accepting the interview, you will be able to click on
the Decline link under My Status.
 • If you do not accept or decline by the Final Student Deadline, the system will drop
your invitation automatically. This action is permanent, and an alternate student
will be given the invitation to interview.
• Once the deadline has passed for accepting/declining interview invitations, you will
be sent an email with your interview time.
To check your interview status and confirm time slots:
• You will receive an email, or you may click My Interviews from the On Campus
Visit box.
• On My Interviews, the time of your interview will appear under status. In addition
the “final student deadline” will appear.
• You can “accept,” “swap,” or “decline” the time slot.
• If you do not take an action before the “final student deadline,” the system
will automatically drop you from the schedule and your slot may be given to
another candidate.
To swap interview slots:
• You will receive an email, or you may click My Interviews from the On Campus
Visit box.
• Click on the Job Title or the Swap/Cancel Action on the Interviews list.
• On My Interviews click on Swap Requests and the full schedule will be shown.
• Check the radio button next to a time slot that is still open, or click Make Swap
Request next to each student with whom you are requesting to swap (you can select
one, multiple, or all). You can withdraw a swap request by clicking on Withdraw link.
• Click the Swap Request button when you have completed making your requests.
• Emails will be sent, and students must go into JTS to accept or decline through the
Swap Request link under Action in My Interviews.
• Once one student has accepted, the swap will take place automatically (and all other
swap requests will be cancelled).
• Swap requests cannot be made after the schedule is final.
make note of the application deadline. You can use expired jobs as a resource for
learning about other job opportunities.
To research employers:
• Select the Company Research button.
• Several companies have notes and attachments based on staff visits. You should
always review these if they are present.
To see if interview feedback lists are in:
• Click the Interview Feedback link on the dashboard.
• Select the appropriate list, either MBA I or MBA II.
• If the interview feedback has been submitted, you can make an appointment
through the CMC front desk to see an advisor and review your feedback.
Checklist: Are You Ready for On-Campus Recruiting?
q I have correctly completed my “Detailed Profile” in the My Profile section in JTS and
have formally indicated that I’m seeking employment.
In JTS I know how to:
q sign up for a corporate briefing
q submit my résumé and cover letter for a particular job
q accept an invitation for an interview
q decline an invitation for an interview
q arrange to swap interview times
q My résumé is strong and has been critiqued by at least two-second year students,
my Career Work Group coach, and one Career Management Center advisor.
q I am following the news about five companies that are recruiting on-campus and
that really appeal to me.
q I have practiced a strong handshake, my “pitch,” and several PAR stories with
my Career Work Group.

To review job listings—an excellent vehicle for learning about job opportunities available q I have communicated with an alumnus/a in each of the companies that I’m targeting.
via on-campus recruiting and off-campus searches: q My suit and shirt/blouse are clean and pressed. My dress shoes are polished.
• Click on the Job Search button at the top of the dashboard.
• If you are conducting an off-campus search, make sure the Include On Campus box
is not selected.
• Select your preferred options for keyword, job location, function, or industry. You
may also conduct an Advanced Search using more options. We recommend you
don’t narrow your search too much.

36
• Remember that new jobs are constantly added to the system; summer internships
are primarily posted in the spring semester
• We keep job postings for 12 months following the application deadline, so please

The Johnson School Career Workbook

Off-Campus Job Search Planning Calendar
On average, approximately 55 percent of students seeking summer internships accept It’s important to start early and plan ahead when conducting an off-campus job search.
offers that result from off-campus job searches or activities other than on-campus A planning calendar will give you an idea of what you should be doing when:
recruiting. Students who are interested in working for companies that do not recruit on
campus should begin networking and planning their job-search strategies early in the August
academic year. You will find that the career search skills you acquire at business school • Corporate Briefings start
will serve you throughout your lifetime. The primary difference with an off-campus September
search is the effort necessary to structure your calendar to include sufficient hours for • Create marketing plan
job-search planning and execution. The earlier you start, the more successful you will be.
October
• Develop list of networking contacts and begin to touch base with them.
Who Conducts Off-Campus Searches? • Maintain a log of each contact, action taken, and next steps.
Everyone should consider an off-campus component to his or her search. Unfortunately,
November
not everyone who tries to get a job through on-campus recruiting will be successful.
• Arrange networking visits for winter break.
Off-campus searches are particularly useful for: • First Year: Practice mock interviews; fulfill requirement of two mocks.
• Students looking for jobs in geographic areas not generally covered by on-campus • Determine job-search commitment for spring semester (for example, what days/
recruiting (such as Chicago) hours to work on job search).
• Students looking for specialized jobs or industries (such as sports-apparel December
marketing or real estate) • First Year: On-campus recruiting résumé drops begin for internships.
• Complete PAR worksheet and practice over break.
Keys to Successful Off-Campus Searches • Rest! Reaffirm career goals and review CareerLeader® results.
• Be clear about your goal and what you’re offering an employer (see the section January
“Positioning Yourself”). • First Year: Network on immersion trips.
• Have a good résumé (see the section “Positioning Yourself/MBA Résumé”) and • Begin networking via email to set up visits during spring break.
know how to write a strong cover letter (see the section “Positioning Yourself/ • Attend student treks.
Cover Letters”). • Join an off-campus job search group.

• Be comfortable presenting yourself, and be prepared for an interview. February

• Just About Jobs events
• Build job-search time into your calendar. Dedicate a certain amount of time each
• Continue to network/arrange spring break visits.
week to job-search exploration, industry research, and networking.
• Check in with a CMC advisor on status.
• Utilize your network effectively and often.
March
• Actively participate in your Career Work Group. • Finalize spring break informational meetings.
• Attend Just About Jobs in Boston or other targeted cities if you are interested in • Conduct informational interviews over spring break.
specific geographic areas. • Just About Jobs event, West Coast
• Attend off-campus recruiting events, such as annual conferences of the National April
Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), National Black MBA (NBMBA), Net Impact, • Continue to network.
Global MBA/Master’s Employment Conference, or other conferences for particular • Provide a status report to individuals contacted in January/February.
industries or sectors in which you’re interested.
May
• Talk with a Career Management Center advisor about your job-search strategy. • Continue to network.
• Provide a status report to individuals contacted in January/February.

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 Activity 14: Preparing for an Off-Campus Job Search
Step 1: Planning
Refer to your CareerLeader® results as a starting point and complete this section. (If you
already have a firm idea of the job function, industry, companies, and geographic location
that you are targeting, skip ahead to Step 2.)
• My ideal job function (or the tasks I’d like to be doing on a regular basis):
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
• I want to work in this function because:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
• My preferred industry (or industries I feel passionate about):
__________________________________________________________________________
• I want to work in this industry because:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
• I would feel most fulfilled working for a ________________ company. (If you’re not sure,
think about the size of company that would make you the happiest—do you want to work
for a Fortune 100 company, a start-up, one that’s public or privately held?)
• I would feel comfortable working ___ hours per week.
• I would like to travel ___ percent of my time. (Think about whether you are interested in
domestic or international travel.)
• In my priority list, money falls ________________________. (It may help to revisit your
“values” list from your CareerLeader® results.)
• I would like to live ____________________________________________. (Consider any
family or relationship factors that weigh this issue for you.)
• I would consider living ________________________________________.
• Given my preferred industry, function, and geographic location, here is a list of
companies that I would like to work for. (It might help to review the section
“Understanding the Marketplace.”)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
The Johnson School Career Workbook
Step 2: Execution
If you’ve made it this far in planning your off-campus job search, you have a clear idea
of the job function, industry, companies, and geographic location that you are targeting.
Congratulations, that’s half the battle! Now you can organize the steps you’re going to take
to help you achieve your goals.
• Finding the right job is not easy. The process is time consuming and often gets pushed
aside to make room for academic and social activities. To keep yourself on track, plan
your time—commit to a reasonable number of hours per day or week and schedule it
into Outlook.
Make a commitment:
I will set aside ___ hours a week for my job search, preferably on ________________
[days of the week] at ____________ [time of day].
• Build your Company and Contact Database. List below the companies you identified in
Step 1. For each company, search the Johnson School and Cornell alumni databases and
indicate if there is one or more Cornell connection. Then search the company website for
possible openings, contact names, and information.
• Prepare to market yourself. (It may help to revisit the section “Positioning Yourself.”)
Think about how you will market yourself to these companies. Write down (and
memorize) your 30-second pitch.
Company: ___________________________________
Cornell connections:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Website information:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Information on company contact:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Company: ___________________________________
Cornell connections:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Website information:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Information on company contact:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Company:___________________________________
Cornell connections:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Website information:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Information on company contact:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Resources
It is not enough to just apply for positions online. It is critical to include a cover letter,
if allowed, so that you can detail how your skills and experience match the job criteria.
It is also critical to reach out to people within these companies to let them know of
your interest—perhaps they will help put you in touch with the hiring manager. These
approaches will help you stand out against the sea of other applicants to the position.
Consider using the following resources:
• Career Search, a database of employers in the United States, which can be searched
by industry, company size, and geographic location
• Various networking databases, including LinkedIn, Plaxo, FaceBook, the Cornell
alumni directory, the alumni directory of your undergraduate institution, and the
Johnson Alumni Connection
• Online job search engines—including indeed.com, monster.com, simplyhired.com,
doostang.com, and mbahighway.com—are good sources. Countless lists specific
to certain industries—for example, idealist.org for jobs in the nonprofit sector, and
onewire.com for finance positions—are also good sources.
• Job postings in JTS, the Johnson School’s career management software
• Career fairs such as those sponsored by Asian MBA, the National Black MBA
Association, and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs
• Don’t forget company websites and region-specific websites for job postings.
The Johnson School’s Management Library has an excellent reference staff able to help
you use various online databases to research industries and companies.
For more information, contact the advisors at the Career Management Center.
U.S. Job Searches by International Students
If you are an international student, you may have plans to return to your home country for
internship or full-time employment. Others may want to pursue career opportunities in
the United States—this section of the workbook is dedicated to helping you with that job
search.
If you are seeking a job in the United States, you are likely to face some or all of
these challenges: written and spoken communication gap, acculturation, and work
authorization. The Career Management Center has dedicated support and programs
that can help with each of these challenges.
Strategies for a Successful U.S. Job Search
Communicate effectively. For every MBA, international or not, your professionalism
and competence can be judged based on your ability to communicate effectively. At this
level, employers expect that their new hires will have excellent to native written and oral
English skills and that you’ll be able to communicate effectively with the highest levels of
management.
• Because the first two minutes are so critical to the ultimate success of the interview,
it is particularly important for you to practice your pitch and initial walk through your
résumé. Practice out loud so that you can improve or move difficult passages.
• Let the right job (based on your interests, motivators, and skills) guide your job
search. Consider all geographic locations. Your first choice may be to find a job in the
United States, but you may also want to consider opportunities in your home country
or other locations worldwide.
• Proactively manage the work visa process. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to working in
the United States is obtaining an appropriate work visa. In recent years it has become
even more difficult. Your best approach will be to become an expert on the U.S. visa
process and an outspoken advocate on your own behalf.
• Understand and promote your advantages. It is also important that international
students not underestimate the advantages that they offer over U.S. students for
some U.S.-based jobs, including multiple languages and global business experience.
• Look for an employer that offers the right “fit.” In the United States, many if not
39
most, hiring decisions are based on the person’s “fit.” Fit reflects how consistent your
personality is with the culture of an organization and how comfortable you seem to
be with other members of that organization.
 Activity 15: International Action Plan 1. Communicate Effectively

Step 1 Current Assessment Resources and Action Steps Timeline

Example:
Understand the process for developing an action plan for your job search: Example: Example:
Attend CMC Accent-Reduction
• assess your current skills, motivators, and interests Strong accent Workshop. Fall
• indicate your areas of opportunity and how you plan to act upon the strategy to increase Join Toastmasters.
your chances of career success
Speak up in class.
• specify a timeline
2. Let the Right Job Guide Your Search
Step 2
Current Assessment Resources and Action Steps Timeline
Review this sample action plan that is targeted to five steps in your job-search strategy. Example:
Example: Example:
Develop list of target companies in
Step 3 CareerLeader® high matches United States, home country, and September and
Fill in the remaining boxes in the table to create your own action plan targeted to these include marketing and other international locations. October
five steps. consulting.
Goal is to work in the
United States.

3. Proactively manage the work visa process.

Current Assessment Resources and Action Steps Timeline
Example:
Example: Example:
Attend CMC Visa Workshop.
Unclear on steps necessary Review ISSO website. September and
for filing CPT. October

4. Understand and promote your advantages.

Current Assessment Resources and Action Steps Timeline
Example:
Example: Example:
Research what companies are
Speak eight languages. multinational and which can take October and
advantage of my language skills. November

5. Look for an employer that offers the right “fit.”

Current Assessment Resources and Action Steps Timeline
Example:
Example: Example:
Review Culture Fit results in
Know I want to work in the CareerLeader® to understand Fall

40
United States, but not sure cultures that best suit my skills,
where I best fit. motivators, interests.
Talk to second-year students.

The Johnson School Career Workbook


1. Communicate Effectively
Current Assessment Resources and Action Timeline
Steps
2. Let the Right Job Guide Your Search
Current Assessment Resources and Action Timeline
Steps
3. Proactively manage the work visa process.
Current Assessment Resources and Action Timeline
Steps
4. Understand and promote your advantages.
Current Assessment Resources and Action Timeline
Steps
5. Look for an employer that offers the right “fit.”
Current Assessment Resources and Action Timeline
Steps
Resources
Communication
• Attend the ESL training over the summer to help with language skills.
• The CMC often offers accent-reduction training that can dramatically improve
your spoken English.
• The CMC also has some accent-reduction resources including a DVD/CD titled
How to Lose Your Accent in 28 Days.
• The CMC maintains a list of on-campus tutors.
• CMC advisors can review résumés and cover letters.
• The CMC hires a part-time staff person who takes appointments with international
students to provide business-writing assistance
• Challenge yourself to speak up in class; meet and socialize with your global
classmates; don’t limit your social circles to fellow students from your country.
• Join the Johnson School Toastmasters club to practice public speaking.
• Take the Business Writing and Oral Communication courses.
CMC Programming for International Students
(Check calendar of events for dates.)
• Job Search American Style
• Panel of International Students
• Networking for International Students
• Dining/Etiquette lunch
• Visa program
• Business correspondence
Visa Resources
• Cornell’s International Students and Scholars Office (www.isso.cornell.edu),
with detailed information about visa stamps and visas
• Curricular Practical Training (www.isso.cornell.edu/immigration/f1/cptinstruct.pdf)
• Optional Practical Training (www.isso.cornell.edu/immigration/f1/opta.php)
Other Resources
• Visit the International Students Resources Guide on JTS.
• Read your copy of The International MBA Student’s Guide to the U.S. Job Search
(available from the CMC).
• U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (www.uscis.gov)
41
• American Immigration Network (www.usavisanow.com)
• International job searches
• Management Library