From Classroom to Plum Job

Babson's head of undergraduate career development talks about why such a high percentage of students land good positions

Talk about success. By six months after graduation, 97.5% of Babson's 2005 undergraduate class had landed a job. Driven by high expectations and bolstered by an improving economy, recent graduates likely asked their employers some tough questions before signing on, says Megan Houlker, director of the Babson College Undergraduate Center for Career Development. Houlker says key concerns for Babson's graduates include knowing how they'll be mentored and whether there will be real opportunities to have a voice at their new company.

After five years working in recruiting for Bear Stearns (BSC), Houlker made the leap to higher education as the associate director of corporate relations and recruitment at Babson. Although she had worries about leaving the corporate world, Houlker quickly found her niche at a school that she says "breathes the business environment."

A little over four years later, Houlker was promoted to the top spot. The next day, she spoke to Business Week editorial assistant Megan Tucker. Here's an edited transcript of their conversation:

How do you attract recruiters to the Babson campus?

We rely on our alumni to get our foot in the door at top companies. If there are businesses we're looking to target, then the first phone call is to one of our alumni. Through our alumni, we can learn what we need to know about the different companies, such as who the important contacts are.

We try to be intentional in choosing which companies we pursue. By identifying companies ourselves, we attract those we believe would be a really good fit for the Babson student. We don't invite companies just to raise the number that recruit on our campus.

Which companies come to campus?

The list is huge, and all of the big names are represented, such as the KPMGs of the world. From the investment banks, we have large institutions like Citigroup (C), and some great smaller banks like Rothschild. Beyond that, we have companies, like Fidelity and Enterprise Rental Cars, that offer many different experiences to our graduates.

What fields are most popular right now for Babson graduates?

Financial services is the leader. Accounting has also been on the rise. That being said, after you look beyond those areas, our students have an interest in a broad range of industries -- from human resources and marketing to consulting. Real estate is also on the map right now for many students.

As you see a rise in some areas, what jobs become less popular for your students?

When there are more opportunities for our graduates in areas like business development, jobs that are strict sales positions tend to be less appealing to them.

Is there a forum for undergraduates to learn from the career experience of Babson's MBA students?

We have a program called Coaching for Teamwork & Leadership, conducted during students' freshman and junior years. Students complete tasks in teams, and each student is assigned a coach, who anonymously observes the student's work.

The group of coaches is comprised of a mix of MBA students, alumni, and other friends of Babson. When the tasks are completed, the coaches give the student direct feedback on what they've observed, such as the student's style of work, [his or her] attitude, and how [he or she is] perceived by others.

How does Babson's philosophy on undergraduate career management differ from the one for your MBA students?

When you're looking at an MBA student, you're looking at a person who knows what they want to do. And so your job is just to help them get there.

With our undergrads, I want to make sure that our students are learning how to do a job search, because they're likely going to have many different careers over their lifetime. We spend an exorbitant amount of time working on that skill development.