MBASWORLD OF

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2013 SECTION M

STAND OUTMake face time work atemployer-info sessions, M6

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Kelly Parke’s dragons are poised and ready to pounce. It’s thelast day of class at his innovation through technology anddesign course at the Schulich School of Business, and thegame is on.

There’s a lot at stake: his students are competing for $1million in “Schulich bucks” from the investors. The winning

presentation will get a chunk of (fake)investment money, bragging rights anda half-point bump to their final mark,Parke tells an MBA student, and this isworth a lot.

Projects up for judging range from asmartphone application that would al-low commuters to pay TTC fares by

passing through a sensor gate ratherthan with tokens, to Instacare, a “virtualmedical consult at your fingertips”through FaceTime on an iPhone.

You can tell from the ripples of laugh-ter and the enthusiasm on the faces ofthe presenters that this is not a typicalMBA class. And you can tell fromParke’s sheer joy when he talks aboutthe students’ ingenuity that he gets a lotout of teaching this course.

What makes a great MBA professor?According to a 2012 article based on a

survey of the best MBA teachers inBloomberg Businessweek, students “al-most universally praise” qualities suchas a “compelling classroom presence,”thorough knowledge of subject matter,research proficiency and availability.

Many MBA students have high stan-dards. They’ve already spent time in theworkplace, possibly in a leadership role,and they are often funding their owneducation.

Igniting creative sparksWhat makes a superb teacher? Three engaginginstructors who fire up their ‘dragons’ LISON DUNFIELDSPECIAL TO THE STAR

MBA continued on M2

Professor Kelly Parke at York University is “awesome,” says Jason Pottinger, a Toronto Argo and student. “He definitely knew how to orchestrate the class so that it was very interactive.”STEPHANIE LAKE/CANADIAN PRESS

Peter Todd, dean, Desautels faculty of management, McGill UniversityQ. What helps prospective MBA stu-dents stand out in their application?A. We’re looking very carefully at workexperience. I think we’re looking as wellat motivation and what people are after.We look at references. But beyond that,we also ask each student the question:“What do you bring to the learning expe-

rience of others?” Each student has tobring something that helps other stu-dents to learn as well. Q. What unique specializations are avail-able for Desautels students?A. One is global strategy and leadership . .. (Students) all either do a formal in-ternship, a field project inside a company,or an international exchange which givesthem more of the global flavour we like tohave at McGill . . . students now will do aninternational trip together. Q. More than 85 per cent of faculty come

from countries aside from Canada. Howdoes that influence learning?A. I think having professors that comefrom all around the world means you geta richer diversity of perspectives in theclassroom. I think you get different pointsof view about how business is done indifferent places in the world — how dif-ferent cultures work and so on, and I thinkthe professors help drive that conversa-tion in the classroom. Q. What separates Desautels from otherbusiness schools and MBAs?

A. Our hallmark is our integrated man-agement focus. Rather than starting anMBA and having students study a little bitof finance, marketing, accounting, tech-nology and putting it all together in sec-ond year — if they manage to put it to-gether — we start with the big picture. Q. What is the world market like for De-sautels graduates?A. The last three years, we’ve had thebest placement years for our MBA grads. . . We’ve had the highest placementrates and highest salaries we’ve seen.

Q&A: Diversity brings a global outlook to classroom

“Our hallmarkis ourintegratedmanagementfocus”

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>>WORLD OF MBAS

An MBA is not just for the boardroom. Grad-uates of prestigious MBA programs are notjust applying what they’ve learned in highriseurban offices; many are putting essentialbusiness skills to the test in Canada’s milkingparlours and fields.

The agriculture industry is a lot like anyother industry, says MBA graduate StevenKoeckhoven.

The 29-year-old from Saskatchewan gradu-ated last year from Western’s Richard IveySchool of Business. He helps run his familyfarm and also works for an agribusiness start-up.

“A lot of the stereotypes around agricultureis that it is just family farms, when it’s a wholelot more than that. It’s much more complex,”he says.

Agriculture is a huge contributor to Cana-da’s economy. A report released last year byAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada showedthe agriculture and agri-food sector, in 2010,directly provided one in eight jobs, employingtwo million people and accounting for 8.1percent of total gross domestic product.

Shelley McPhail was born and raised on a165-acre farm near Almonte, Ont., in the Ot-tawa Valley where she now lives and manageswith her husband, Harold, in addition to an-other 300 acres they rent. They grow springwheat, winter wheat, malting barley, oats,soybeans, canola and hay. They also providecustom planting and spraying services andhave a small trucking company.

In 2005 she enrolled in the University ofGuelph’s Masters in business administrationin agriculture, a mostly online course withsome short residency requirements.

“When I started the MBA program, we hadalready been farming full-time on our ownfor 22 years, and we were doing an excellentjob,” she says.

“I felt if the farm grew and the industrybecame more challenging I needed moremanagement experience, and I needed it to

be at a level that I could be confident with thedecisions I made.”

The business of agriculture is global, highlycompetitive and rapidly changing, says DavidSparling, professor, operations managementand chair of agri0-food innovation, RichardIvey School of Business, University of West-ern Ontario.

That is why learning business skills is notjust important but essential, he says.

“You can’t just go out and do what you’vealways done,” he says.

“You have to think about what is comingnext in terms of trends. How are the marketschanging and how is the competition chang-ing? It’s like any competitive global business,management is important, leadership is im-portant. We’re now getting farmers that domore.”

Getting an MBA opened McPhail’s eyes tothe challenges she and other farmers facedaily.

“To take courses at an MBA level, you’rethinking outside of the box. You’re thinking ofthe whole global market, how it impacts you,the opportunity it presents but also thethreats it presents, and it inspired me to usewhat I knew to help me inspire others.”

McPhail now works for non-profit organi-zation Ontario Soil and Crop ImprovementAssociation as a program representative andworkshop leader. She helps educate farmerson their ever expanding businesses.

“It’s all about helping farmers to decidewhat it is they need to do to move forward,how to make a plan and make those toughdecisions. These are multimillion-dollar op-erations now; they need to be managed likebig operations.”

Farmers are becoming more astute as busi-ness people, says Sylvain Charlebois, associ-ate dean at the University of Guelph.

“There is more and more appetite out thereto learn more about food systems and agricul-ture. I’ve met farmers with a PhD,” he says.“It’s not necessarily about getting the creden-tials, it’s about the knowledge.”

“I’m living proof that anyone can do anMBA,” says McPhail.

“We can all farm, we love to farm, but we’renot all natural managers, and management iswhat is going to make this sustainable, andmake us successful into the future.”

Trading an almanac for an MBA As global agriculture pressuresrise, the modern farmer looksto school for the big picture

FIONA ELLISSPECIAL TO THE STAR

Shelley McPhail completed a masters in business administration in agriculture at theUniversity of Guelph. It opened her eyes to the challenges she and other farmers face daily.

ROBIN ANDREW/UNPOSED PHOTOGRAPHY

Hugh Munro, director of MBA programs atLaurier School of Business and Economics inWaterloo, adds that MBA scholars, especiallythose who are continuing to work whilestudying, are often more demanding. “Thequest and appreciation for knowledge is rich-er.”

Parke’s students say they enjoy his teachingbecause he encourages them to come up withcreative solutions to problems and to imaginetechnology that might not yet exist.

“He asks us questions which really make usthink. Is this making a difference? Is thismaking an impact?” says Kiran Kumar Chad-aram, who took Parke’s course last term andwas part of the TTC app team.

The best MBA instructors encourage classparticipation, say students, and keep classesengaging. “Professor Kelly was awesome. Hedefinitely knew how to orchestrate the classso that it was very interactive . . . it was never adull class,” says Jason Pottinger, another stu-dent in last fall’s technology and innovationcourse and a Toronto Argonauts linebacker.

He also appreciated Parke’s use of technolo-gy during Grey Cup week. Since Parke filmedall of his lectures and posted them online,Pottinger was able to watch classes he missedduring training.

Parke, who spent years as a technical pro-ducer with numerous television networks,developed the course in 2009 with Peter Zak,a design consultant. Confident that creativityis a muscle that can be developed, they collab-orated to “teach creativity to people.” Theyfelt creativity was lacking in Ontario MBAgraduates.

At University of Toronto’s Rotman School ofManagement, Joseph Martin is sought afterbecause he enriches his students’ learningexperiences via his depth of knowledge andlife experience. Martin, a graduate of Har-vard’s advanced management program, was alongtime management consultant before hedeveloped the university’s unique Canadianbusiness history program. He had heard fromcolleagues that those coming out of MBAprograms were intelligent, but missing keycontext from the country’s business past.

The course generates buzz because of Mar-tin’s personable style, his willingness to en-gage with students and his high-profile guestspeaker list — from Canadian business su-perstars Red Wilson and Dick Currie to for-mer prime minister Brian Mulroney. His

class is structured so that students are able tolook to the Canadian business past to gleanclues about how it might behave in the future.Speakers, mentors and Martin himself pep-per the class with anecdotes.

“One of the things I really liked about theclass was hearing his stories,” says second-year MBA student Sam Newman-Bremang.

Newman-Bremang also touched on some-thing that makes Martin and other professorsso well-liked — he’s an approachable personwho cares about his students, whether tohand out career advice or talk baseball afterclass.

At the University of Western Ontario’s Rich-ard Ivey School of Business, Prof. Mary Cros-san pushes students to be open and vulnera-ble — they seem to love it.

Rather than a study of other great leaders,her transformational leadership class is aninward-looking program; students are re-quired to think deeply about their own char-acteristics.

“Mary really gets you to be vulnerable andget outside your comfort zone . . . This courseis about understanding your values and char-acter strength and how to make decisions,”says current student Jaclyn Whincup.

Crossan’s pupils discuss and reflect on read-ings that challenge their thinking.

Students come to the first class bringing asymbol of something meaningful to them anddiscuss how that has shaped who they are.

As part of the final mark, they are requiredto do a workshop on a major leadership char-acteristic, such as humility or integrity.

Other unique elements are her “near death-visualization exercise,” in which pupils mustimagine themselves with a year to live andwhat they would do with that time.

“This definitely pushed me in ways I didn’tknow I could . . . this course can be emotional-ly exhausting,” says Whincup.

Teaching MBA courses “is not a get-richprofession in a monetary sense, but it certain-ly is a rewarding one in terms of experience”and meeting interesting people, says Lauri-er’s Munro.

Creativity is a musclethat can be developedMBA from M1

“This course is about understandingyour values and character strengthand how to make decisions.”JACLYN WHINCUP MBA STUDENT

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>>WORLD OF MBAS

Some teachers coach football afterschool, others help struggling stu-dents with their class work. Notmany spend 12 straight hours onSkype helping MBA students, scat-tered across four countries, try towin a gruelling case competition.

About a year ago, Joe Fayt, a mar-keting professor at York’s SchulichSchool of Business and the coach ofthe university’s MBA case competi-tion team, was online from 11:30p.m. on a Friday night until 11:30a.m. Saturday morning helping hisstudents prepare for the prestigiousHult Global Case Challenge.

The competition was taking placein Shanghai, London, Boston andSan Francisco. Because of the timedifferences, he was able to coach allof his teams — Fayt sent four groupsof five students to each location— before they had to present. “I satat my desk for 12 solid hours,” hesays. “One team woke up when theother went to bed and I was able tohelp them all out.”

If that seems a bit extreme, it’sbecause case competitions — a con-test that tests how well MBA stu-dents from different schools canpresent a business case — have be-come a big priority for schools.

Peter O’Brien, chairman of theboard for Concordia University’sJohn Molson MBA InternationalCase Competition, the world’s lon-gest-running, says that at the firstcompetition in 1981 they only hadfour teams. In 2012 they had 46teams apply, up from 42 in 2011.They only take 36 teams, but, saysO’Brien, more teams clamour for a

spot every year. Part of the reason why more

schools are fielding teams is thathaving a winning group can helpboost university rankings.

These competitions, at least anec-dotally, can also help students findbetter jobs. “I’ve spoken to recruit-ers who tell me that they look forpeople who’ve had this type oftraining,” he says. “Students havealso told me they’ve gotten a betterjob because they were part of a casecompetition team.”

Case competitions are not for ev-eryone, though. While some com-petitions do offer winners money —the John Molson competitionhands out $10,000 to the top team —it’s all volunteer work and a lot oftime is spent in preparation.

Beth Nuniam, a Schulich MBAstudent, is the captain of the teamthat went to the MBA Games, a

Canadian-school-only contest thatfocuses on business cases (there’salso a sports and spirit componentto the contest) in early January. Shesays her 40-person team spent 100hours over two months preparing.

That’s just one contest that Schul-ich is a part of; it plans to attendseven competitions by the end ofthe current school year.

Many schools receive sponsor-ships to help pay for travel costs —RBC gives financial and education-al support to the Schulich team. Butpeople usually have to fork outsome money to get to the differentevents located around the world.

Nuniam says all the costs andwork are worth it. Students learnhow to work in a group and underpressure — they get just three hoursto solve a business problem andprepare a case — they enhance theirspeaking skills and they have to deal

with the unexpected. “It helps withmy planning and managementskills a lot,” she says. “You get a lot ofreal life experiences.”

Team members network with stu-dents from other schools and meetwith business owners and expertswho judge the case studies. Andwinning? Nuniam’s team came infirst at the most recent MBA Gamesat McMaster.

For this year’s Hult Global CaseChallenge, Fayt is skipping the all-nighter and travelling with a teamof five to San Francisco instead.There will be other teams in Bostonand Dubai, and he will coach themonline, but he doesn’t plan to be upuntil dawn.

“This time I’m flying with theteam. I need to be there,” he says. “Ijust love this event — and all thecase competitions. It’s always reallyexciting.”

STRATEGY

Warrior training for case challengesBonding, dealing withthe unexpected, all partof exciting competition

BRYAN BORZYKOWSKISPECIAL TO THE STAR

Marketing instructor Joe Fayt is a coach extraordinaire at how to win a case study.STEPHANIE LAKE/CANADIAN PRESS

At the annual MBA Games, teamstackle case studies in four areas:finance, marketing, crisis man-agement and strategy. The financecase study at the recent gameswas Joe Fayt’s favourite, in largepart because the team came infirst.

The team was “representing”company A, which wanted toincrease its stake in company B.They had to figure out whether thecurrent market value of company Breflected its true potential, toensure a good return on theirinvestment. The team had to eval-uate the takeover business, put avaluation on it and then make arecommendation as to whethertheir “client” should buy it or not.They had to outline what the im-pact of the purchase would be onshare price and market positions.

The reason they did so well wasthat Fayt decided, in practice, tofocus on merger and acquisitionsissues. He had seen that M&Aactivity was picking up. It’s also anarea that covers a lot of differentissues. He and his team got lucky;it just happened that that was thefinance case that came up. “Wecould have picked other topics inthe finance area,” he says, “but itseemed to me that M&A was awise focus of attention.”

WHAT A CASECOMPETITIONLOOKS LIKE

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M4⎮TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2013 ON ON1

>>WORLD OF MBAS

Textbooks, pen and paper don’t cutit as educational tools. And smart-phones mean high-tech mini-com-puters are at your fingertips 24/7.While Angry Birds may be a distrac-tion, smartphone apps can makestudent life more productive.

Rajat Opal, CEO and president ofGazoo Mobile, launched the IveyMBA app in 2010, which allowsUniversity of Western students andapplicants to receive updates fromIvey’s social media channels, newsfeeds and blogs, and register forevents. He says students use apps tostay “current on news and events,and as tools to aid in learning.”

Kimberly A. Bates, director ofRyerson University’s MBA in themanagement of technology and in-novation, agrees. “Students are in-terested in things that make theirlives easier, that help them get in-formation into a project.

“In particular, part-time MBA stu-

dents need to be able to collaborateand communicate around their in-dividual contributions to groupprojects, especially if they live onopposite sides of the city.”

Three tech-savvy students com-pleting the MTI MBA at Ryersongive the inside scoop on app use.

Christina Diadamo, 24, Maple.Top three apps:1. Google Drive2. iBooks for reading PDFs on iOS3. Kobo/Kindle“The apps I use most are apps that

allow me to do things on the go.When I’m not at home, I use theiBooks and Kobo apps for reading,especially because electronic bookshave become much more cost-effi-cient for students.

I also use the Dropbox and/orGoogle Drive app to quickly trans-fer large PDF files from my com-puter and access required readingsor group reports from my mobiledevices.

“These apps don’t necessarily savetime in the traditional way, but theydo allow me to use my travel timemore efficiently because I can readand review documents while on the

TTC. I actively started using GoogleDrive shortly after starting theMBA program. My group and I im-mediately realized the benefits ofbeing able to easily share files.”

Ryan May, 28, TorontoTop three apps:1. GMAT Club iPad app2. Blackboard mobile app3. Google Drive“The average student has at least

two Internet-enabled devices onthem. I have seen a growing num-ber of students using tablets, andchoosing to use e-versions of anyavailable textbook. Fewer studentsare bringing physical textbooks or

printing out class notes or writingthem by hand each year. Studentsare typically looking for apps tokeep them organized, and on track.School, like in business, requires alot of organization.

“Groups, deadlines and meetingsmust be kept track of, so any appthat can help with that is a plus.Collaboration is huge. As a part-time student, it is amazing to beinside Google Drive with threegroup mates on the weekend at ourrespective homes and truly worktogether to create a report withouthaving to pass a single file aroundfrom person to person.”

David Glazer, 27, TorontoTop three apps:1. Gmail2. Google Drive3. Voice recorders“Primarily, apps help me keep all

my information in one place, myphone. It’s hard to say if they aretime savers; they can be effort sav-ers though. For instance, I use mySamsung Galaxy Note’s stock cam-era application to take pictures ofclass slides instead of taking notes,so I can focus my attention on whatthe professor is saying as opposedto feverishly writing as fast as pos-sible. I also use the Easy Voice Re-corder app to record entire lec-tures/guest speaker events. Thismakes it easy to go back and reflect,especially if you’re required to pro-duce something later.

“I think at this point, people aremainly interested in using apps foremail integration. I’m not sure ifapps are more distracting than pro-ductive. There are fun apps like In-stagram that you may find yourselfusing if you’re bored, but there areproductive apps, voice recorders,etc. The jury is still out.”

Apps help boost productivity and connectivityStudents share favouritesmart tools for schoolFIONA ELLISSPECIAL TO THE STAR

Christina Diadamo, 24, Ryan May, 28, and David Glazer, 27, are allcompleting the MTI MBA at Ryerson University. They credit some of theirsuccess to their regular use of student apps.

HISTORIC FACILITY GETS THE LEED TREATMENTVictorian-style Goodes Hall gains 75,000 square feet of sustainable space

DAVID WHITTAKER PHOTO

Queen’s School of Business inKingston, Ont., recently completed a$40-million, state-of-the-artexpansion of its historicVictorian-style Goodes Hall facility,adding 75,000 square feet ofsustainable LEED-certified space.Peter Berton was the principalarchitect, along with fellowarchitects Nicole Crabtree and ChrisHall, all from Toronto-based VentinGroup (+VG Architects). Continuingin innovation, Queen’s will belaunching a 10-month master ofmanagement analytics program inJune as part of a suite of mastersprograms offered at QSB’s Torontofacility at Simcoe Place.

Global Reach. Innovative Programs. Diverse Perspectives.

Schulich Leads in Rankings Schulich is ranked in the world’s top tier of business schools by The Economist (#16 in the world); Forbes (10th best non-US school); Bloomberg

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MBA surveys. The Schulich MBA is also ranked #1 in Canada by The Economist, Forbes, The Aspen Institute and Expansión.

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www.schulich.yorku.caSchulich Programs: MBA, Accelerated MBA, IMBA, MBA/JD, MBA/MFA, MBA/MA, MPA, MF, MSc (Business Analytics), MAccStudy Options: Full-Time, Part-Time Evenings, Days and Alternate Weekends

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>>WORLD OF MBAS

learning. Our co-op MBA is certainlybased on that. We have a full-timeMBA, an accelerated MBA — if youalready have an undergraduatebusiness degree you can do an MBAin eight months — and a part-timeMBA.Q. What is the world market like forDeGroote grads?A. It’s good. The co-op has a (job)placement rate of over 90 per cent.We put a lot of effort into our careermanagement, preparing people forcareers. We have a 12-person team incareer advancement that works withthe students from day one.

Dr. Leonard Waverman, dean,DeGroote School of Business, McMaster UniversityQ. What helps prospective MBAstudents stand out in their applica-tion?A. Good grades, good GMAT(scores). For full-time students, welook at only one year of work experi-ence. For our co-op MBA, it’s aninterview. So it’s about interviewskills, communication skills, presence— that’s important here.Q. How do DeGroote MBA pro-

grams prepare students for a career?A. The co-op is a wonderful program.Students earn their MBA in 28months while they complete a fullyear of paid work experience. Theycome in and do a term of academics,then they go out and we find themthe jobs. They work for a term, come back fora term . . . The combination of work-ing and doing your MBA is veryeffective preparation. Q. What unique specializations areavailable for MBA students at De-Groote?A. One of the major specializations is

health services management — bothwith health sciences and core busi-ness courses. We have specializationin strategic business valuation, whichblends finance, economics and ac-counting. We have a management ofinnovation and new technologystream, which prepares students interms of thinking of how to take atechnology and commercialize it andlead change within a corporate cul-ture. Q. What separates DeGroote fromother business schools and MBAprograms?A. I think it’s our focus on experiential

Q&A: Paid work, study co-op enhances MBAJACLYN TERSIGNISPECIAL TO THE STAR

Dr. Leonard Waverman

Future MBA students face stiffcompetition to get into the businessschool of their dreams.

A 2012 report released by theGraduate Management AdmissionCouncil — which administers theGMAT, or Graduate ManagementAdmission Test — showed thenumber of Canadians taking the ex-am rose almost seven per cent to7,820 between 2007 and 2012.

It’s an important part of the ad-missions process for more than2,000 schools worldwide, and stu-dents tremble at its power to makeor break a career. But what is theexperience like?

Aaron Barnes, an MBA student atUniversity of Toronto, RotmanSchool of Management, took theGMAT in September 2010. Hespent weeks preparing, working

with a guide. Barnes can’t stress practice

enough: “There is no substitute fordoing mountains of practice ques-tions. The more you do, the moreconfident you’ll be on test day.”

Play to your strengths, he advises.“As you study, you’ll notice thatsome questions come a lot easier toyou than others. Spend less time onthese and focus on weak spots.”

Many students consider taking aGMAT preparation course. But youmight not need to fork over hun-dreds of dollars for something youcan do yourself.

Greg Yantz, director, MBA Re-cruiting and Admissions at RichardIvey School of Business, likens pay-ing for GMAT prep to hiring a per-sonal fitness trainer.

“If you have the discipline to takethe practice tests (workout) and de-velop a study plan (eat right), then aprep class (personal trainer) mightnot be necessary.”

The GMAT consists of four sec-tions: analytical writing assessment(one topic), quantitative (37 ques-tions), verbal (41questions), and in-

tegrated reasoning (12 questions), anew feature added in June 2012.

“This recently introduced sectionmeasures your ability to analyzeand synthesize data presented innew formats and from multiplesources,” says Teresa Pires, assis-tant director, recruitment and ad-missions, Queen’s MBA, School ofBusiness.

“There are four question formats,many of which require multiple re-

sponses. In total there are 12 ques-tions, and you have 30 minutes tocomplete this portion (integratedreasoning) of the exam,” says Pires.

Aim for a balanced score over thewhole exam since schools want tosee well-rounded skills, says Yantz.

Students are given three-and-a-half hours, but should plan for fourhours to include optional breaks.Barnes, now 27, says, “It’s a neat testin that it adapts to how you answerthe questions.”

“For example, if you get a questionright, the next one will be moredifficult, while if you get one wrong,the next one will be a bit easier.”

A bad exam is not the end of theworld. “Relax a bit. It’s not ideal, butyou can rewrite the test if you reallyfeel you’ve done poorly,” he says.

The business school interview “The business school interview

may be one of the most challenginginterviews in your career,” saysIvey’s Greg Yantz. “Come prepared.Be yourself, but understand whyyou are choosing a particular schooland an MBA in general to meetyour goals.”

Pires says key questions are: Whydid they choose to do an MBA?What are their post MBA plans?What are their short- and long-term goals? And what makes thema good fit for the school?

“An interview is a way to deter-mine not only fit, but also drive forsuccess,” she says.

It’s important to have a good an-swer for: “Why do you want to do anMBA?” says Barnes.

“This does not mean that you haveto have a 10-year career planmapped out, or even know whatindustry you think you’ll be enter-ing after graduation.

“What it means is that you need tobe able to thoughtfully articulatehow you see the MBA fitting intoyour career.”

Acing the GMAT means playing to strengthsPractice, practice andmore practice is the keyto mastering this test

FIONA ELLISSPECIAL TO THE STAR

MBA student Aaron Barnes: “It’s aneat test in that it adapts to howyou answer the questions.”

STRATEGY

thestar.com/life/worldofmbas

For a Q & A with Dalhousie’sdirector of MBA programs,Scott Comber, go to . . .

MORE ONLINE

The MBA that puts CEO within reach.The AU online Executive MBA. www.mba.athabascau.ca

James Malliaros, MBASenior Vice President, TCC Global CanadaHusband, Dad, Guitar Hero, Go-To Guy

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I wanted to advance at work and in life. When Ienrolled in my MBA, I had to balance school withfamily, a demanding career and a passion forplaying music and sports. Thanks to AU’s flexibleonline format, I made the transition from seniorsales guy to senior vice president; more importantly,I did it without putting the rest of my life on hold.

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M6⎮TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2013 ON ON1

>>WORLD OF MBAS

An employer information sessioncan be an MBA student’s ticket to acareer — depending on how youplay it.

Usually small, catered affairs fea-turing time to network with exec-utives, sessions take place on cam-pus several times a year and featurea large employer, usually from fi-nance, management consulting,technology, health care or law, pre-senting their business activities andjob openings.

“These sessions are very much thefirst step in the recruiting process,so students should treat them withthe same level of importance andcare as they would a job interview,”says Erin Miller, associate directorof career coaching and education atthe University of Toronto’s RotmanSchool of Management.

Research employers beforehand,dress appropriately and follow up —but MBA students can use specificstrategies to gain an edge:

BEFORE THE EVENTTip 1: Use your career centre, Millersays. The Rotman Career Centreprovides seminars on networking,job interviewing and creating a re-sumé and cover letter, organizesalumni panel discussions and offersone-on-one coaching.

Career centre training helpedMBA graduate James Larsen, whorecalls participating in mock job in-terviews with alumni working inthe field.

“I met people from different firmsand asked a lot of questions. You geta good sense of what the companiesare all about and what’s required injob interviews,” says Larsen, who

graduated from the Richard IveySchool of Business at Western Uni-versity in 2011.

Talking with alumni can generateuseful insights about companiesparticipating in information ses-sions, Miller says.Tip 2: Professors can often provideinsider information on companies’workplace culture, employees andunadvertised job opportunities,says Maurice Mazerolle, associateprofessor of human resources man-agement at Ryerson University’sTed Rogers School of Management.

“Professors know many peopleand companies, so we encouragestudents to tell us which companiesthey’re interested in finding outabout, and we’ll make introduc-tions,” he says.Tip 3:Maximize your LinkedIn pro-

file, since hiring managers fromthese companies will review youonline. Include details about casecompetition wins, scholarships,awards, internships and researchprojects, and other noteworthy as-pects of your MBA experience, saysJennifer McCleary, MBA directorat DeGroote’s Centre for BusinessCareer Development.

“Are you participating in clubs?Are you mentoring a junior MBAstudent? Are you a tutorial assis-tant for a course or professor’s re-search assistant? All those experi-ences demonstrate your skills to anemployer,” McCleary says.

DURING THE EVENTTip 4: Connect the dots. When talk-ing with company executives, usewhat you’ve learned in your re-

search to make connections be-tween your MBA knowledge andexperiences and the organization’scurrent activities and labour needs,Miller says.

“Highlight what your value propo-sition is to the employer. What doyou have that the employer needs?”Miller says.Tip 5: Don’t overlook junior associ-ates. McCleary says students tendto network primarily with seniorexecutives — but it’s usually morejunior associates who can providethe most useful insights.Tip 6: Network broadly. This was apriority for Larsen, who attendedmany of these events while at Ivey,including one held by his targetfirm, global management consult-ing firm Bain & Company.

“I spoke with partners, managers

and consultants. The more peopleyou talk to, the better understand-ing of a firm you get,” says Larsen,who brought business cards provid-ed by his school featuring Ivey’slogo on it.Tip 7: Professors and career centrestaff often attend these events, so ifyou have a question or need someadvice, approach them for help,McCleary says. The career teammay also be able help you meet thedress code, which is usually busi-ness casual or business formal.Where students fall short, McCle-ary’s team can sometimes provide atie, suit jacket, even shoes.

AFTER THE EVENTTip 8: Following up with a thank-you note to a recruiter is a given.Personalize yours by referencingyour conversation or somethingyou learned at the presentation,McCleary says.Tip 9:Mind deadlines: some organi-zations remove job ads at midnightthe day of the event, so you mayhave just hours afterwards to createa customized cover letter and sub-mit it with your resumé.Tip 10: Check emails or voicemails,Miller says, in case the employer orthe school contacts you about a for-mal job interview after the event.You may want to return to yourcareer centre for interviewing tips,she adds.

Ultimately, Larsen says, succeed-ing means taking each step in thisprocess seriously — and he shouldknow. After the Bain event, he wasinvited for a job interview at thecompany’s Toronto office, and washired as a consultant.

“Information sessions are just oneaspect of the recruitment processand don’t necessarily get you a job,”he says.

“But if you do it right, it puts you ina good position.”

STRATEGY

Mobilize MBA edge and get hiredTen tips you need forcampus meet-and-greetsSHARON ASCHAIEKSPECIAL TO THE STAR

James Larsen took part in mock job interviews and was hired by a global management consulting firm.STEPHANIE LAKE/CANADIAN PRESS

You are yourfirst case study.When you think about it, choosing an MBA program is like a business case. You review the facts, assess the

opportunities, and then you make the best decision possible. Let’s consider the facts: you’re ambitious and you

want a level of success that doesn’t come from a typical classroom education. The opportunity: Ivey’s one-year

MBA Program of Case-Method Learning immerses you in real-world business challenges. Every day, you’ll develop

your leadership abilities by learning what it takes to make the right decisions. Ready to make your first one?

Ivey MBAMeet our admissions team this Saturday at theQS World MBA Tour, Intercontinental Toronto Centre.For more details, visit us online at go.ivey.ca/events.