The daily world news of economic struggles and unemployment rates and job reductions definitely hits close to home for all of us as we approach the end of the on-campus internship recruiting season and head into spring break. In the same way that so many of those outside of Ross are faced with the imperative of continuing their job search and finding employment, anyone who has not yet found the position that they preferred through on-campus interviewing is now beginning their own self-directed career search.
While there is some comfort in remembering that even during good economic times, 1/3 of Ross students conduct a self-directed search, it is quite a different story to pursue your job in the midst of corporate reductions.
As you continue your efforts around your job search, today we want to offer a reminder of the wealth of resources available through OCD to assist you.
The absence of on-campus interview schedules regularly leads students to conclude that "all the good jobs have been taken." Most of the world does not hire as far in advance as do our on-campus partners. Rather, it is common for companies to commence their summer hiring needs with the arrival of warmer weather and the kick-off of spring break and for companies that have full time needs to post those opportunities only as those needs truly arise and they want to fill the positions. Accordingly, March, April and May will continue to see job postings come in for students still seeking.
In addition, of course, our OCD staff and counselors are here and available to assist with your self-directed job search. We have pulled together and listed below, resources that you can avail yourself of to assist you along the self-directed path. Before we launch into the list of resources, let me provide you with a quick update on the full-time and internship employment results to date:Employment Results
MBA2 - Of the 337 MBA2s or 78% of the MBA class who have responded to our survey, 69% of those responding indicate having received an offer. 197 students (59% of the respondents) have indicated that they have accepted a job and completed their job search. Those figures are as compared to the Class of 2008 which showed that 75% had received an offer and virtually all of them had accepted an offer at this time last year. That relatively small decline of only 6 points belies the disproportionate affect that the economy has had on our international classmates. Fifty three international students (57% of the 93 reporting) have received an offer. That figure is a stark contrast to the 74% figure that the international students submitted at this time last year (International students - please join us for a discussion of steps to consider in your career searches this Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 in R0210).
MBA1 - Of the 191 first year MBAs who have completed the iMpact survey so far, 36% indicate having received an offer. In contrast, 42% of those responding at this point last year indicated having received an offer. Similar to the 2nd year class, that represents a drop of 6 points.
BBAs - The data remains unchanged for the Seniors with the decline of Investment Banking hiring affecting the undergrads disproportionately. Of the 211 BBAs or 61% of the class who have responded, 77% indicate having received an offer. At this time last year, 63% of the class had reported and 91% of them had received an offer.
Juniors - At this point, we do not have sufficient data to report on the offer status of the internship job search. If you have not yet replied to the Employment Survey http://www.bus.umich.edu/impact/EmploymentSurvey, please go in and update us as to your current status.
Looking Forward
Over the next few weeks, we will continue several activities designed to help you to conduct your job search in the current challenging economic environment.
Dean Dolan is planning personal outreach to members of our alumni boards, as well as to other friends of the school and prominent business leaders to seek understanding of what additional actions students might take to facilitate their searches.
Al has already been on the road to several cities, meeting with companies and with alumni, sharing the situation on campus and alerting companies to expect continued outreach from students regarding job opportunities.
We will also be reaching out with a communication to all alumni to ask them to consider posting positions and hiring Ross students.
In addition, the OCD Recruiting Team continues to follow-up with companies that posted positions previously to offer to share our resume book of students still seeking employment. (If you haven't included your resume in our compilation, please be sure to do so right away.)
Here are some other career counseling resources to assist with the self directed job search.
Self Directed Search Workshop (Small group format)
OCD Self Directed Search 101 - Learn the secrets to an effective self-directed job or internship search in an informal small group setting. Discussion topics: how to maximize your network, approach contacts, let them know what you want (pitch), tell your story (odyssey), become a "trusted inside candidate" through conducting informational interviews, set a timeline to expand your functional/industry focus, the benefits of a geographic preference, Kresge resources, and more. Discussion will be based on needs of students in attendance. Plan to bring your questions and concerns about the self-directed search.
Self Directed Search Workshop (Large group format)
Join Al Cotrone, the Director of Student Affairs to discuss the Self Directed Job Search.
This workshop is designed to help you with the self-directed job search by building on your groundwork of networking skills and etiquette. Wednesday, February 11th, 1:00 p.m., R1220.
is a member of the 
