Job Hunting Tips

Career counselors from NYU's business school recently answered questions about the current job environment. Here's a transcript of the chat

Katie Volz
Stern School of Business
New York University

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There's no denying that the economic slowdown is worrying undergraduate business students and MBAs alike. Many soon-to-be graduates and internship seekers are searching for ways to protect themselves from being jobless or getting their career off on the wrong foot (BusinessWeek.com, 4/4/08). Some of them are turning to business school administrators and alumni to quell their fears.

Recently, at a live online chat event, Katie Volz (KatieVolzNYU), director of career counseling at New York University's Stern School of Business, and Trudy Steinfeld (TrudyNYU), executive director of the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development, offered advice to an online audience about keeping your career on track in an economic slowdown. They fielded questions from site visitors and BusinessWeek.com reporter Francesca Di Meglio (FrancescaBW) on everything from what employers think of online MBA degrees to the fallout from the Bear Stearns' collapse and sale (BusinessWeek.com, 3/20/08). Here's an edited transcript of the event:

dee4u: I am an international student enrolled in a master's program at OSU. There are rumors that a recession in the job field will be over by October. How true is that? Does it have to do with the elections? Would it be better to delay my graduation until December?

TrudyNYU: No one really knows how long the downward trend in the economy will last. From my experience with past recessions, I think October is very optimistic. If you delay your graduation, it may provide you with more time to secure employment, which can be more challenging for an international student.

julieh: What types of programs/initiatives does Stern implement to ensure the highest percentage of students get internship offers when the economy is slow?

KatieVolzNYU: On the MBA side, the Office of Career Development is dedicated to supporting every student on their career goals, both from a skills/interests and fit perspective, as well as on the employer side—bringing as many recruiters to campus as possible to interview our students. Just one week ago, we had one of our largest career fairs to date, which indicates that recruiters are absolutely showing a strong interest in our students.

TrudyNYU: Many of us at NYU and Stern have been projecting that the economy would be slowing down this year. To make sure that our students had opportunities for internships and other types of job programs, we aggressively targeted employers that were somewhat recession-proof. We also made sure that all the employers with whom we had strong relationships would consider NYU and Stern students early on in the process. It's important to keep every channel open during periods of economic difficulty.

ayosha: I will be receiving a BA in economics from McGill University (Montreal) this May and have decided to return to the States to pursue full-time employment. I intended to find a position in consulting or finance, but a family friend recently recommended I entertain the idea of applying for an MBA in professional accounting at Rutgers University. Do you think it is worth forgoing the opportunity to get an MBA from a top-tier school two to three years down the road to avoid coming out of school during a recession?

KatieVolzNYU: While each student's situation is unique, having the opportunity to gain several years of work experience before starting an MBA is usually highly valued to recruiters, particularly in finance and consulting.