Thunderbird Reaches Out

Kip Harrell has been the vice-president for professional & career management at Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management, in Glendale, Ariz., for three years. Before coming to Thunderbird, Harrell oversaw recruitment and hiring for top firms, including Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), for 14 years.

Harrell says the number of company recruiters coming to Thunderbird's campus has risen considerably during his three years there. Although the school has a hard time getting foreign companies to visit, despite its global-management focus, more U.S. recruiters are looking to fill positions at international locations, he says (see BW Online, 11/22/05, "Thunderbird Endures Shrinking Pains"). About 33% of last year's graduates went on to fill international posts.

Harrell recently spoke with BusinessWeek intern Helena Oh. Here's an edited excerpt of their conversation:

What internship or job opportunities are available for international business students in Glendale?
I think the question really assumes that this is a regional school, and it isn't (see BW Online, 1/8/06, "Video View: Thunderbird's Global Outreach"). At other schools, you'll see anywhere from 50% to 70% of graduates going to work in the school's local region. Only 35% of our students are in the Southwest region, and about 65% accept employment outside the region. About 33% of our students went to jobs abroad in the last academic year. There are some international positions in Phoenix, but clearly students are interested in global employment.

Which companies are recruiting for international spots?
Some examples are Hilti, which comes every trimester; DHL, which is a part of Deutsche Post World Net; and Citigroup (C ). In 2005, our graduates accepted jobs in 33 countries.

What types of companies would you like to see more of on campus?
We would love to have more of the New York-based investment banks and private equity firms come to campus. That can be a challenge, because they have incredibly good graduate schools in the Northeast that can supply their needs. But the good news is you can use the alumni network, because many of our graduates end up in those investment banks...



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