We're graduating with MBA's next week. 60% of us have no employment and prospects look bleak. With the economic downturn and hiring freezes in most companies, the situation is extremely disheartening for most of us who gave up wellpaying jobs to come back to school. This is a second tier (Next 25 in Business Week rankings) school. We've networked, contacted alumni, sent out resumes - yet something seems to be missing or wrong. Today's Wall Street Journal has an article about Business Schools going out of their way to help their students - the faculty, the alumni, the dean's offices. Thats what is missing here - its an ivory tower attitude. What can we do? Start our own website with our resumes and emailing the link out? Any advice helpful or even tips on keeping up morale.

-- niti bhan (godavri@yahoo.com), June 05, 2001

Answers

ALL TROUBLES END. YEAH they do end. Best thing to do now,Keep up your morale,Hope & expect the economy will turn around,it will eventually. Now you might have all tried your former companies,if not do it now AND cheeky thing this,instead of looking for a job in ur former comany, get ur friends to recommend yourselves in each others former companies.This might just do it.If not float a consultancy which has you know-all of you,AS CLIENTS and try to get jobs for each other.

-- one guy (talkman@altavista.com), June 11, 2001.

When your in business school, the expectation is that companies will come to the school to recruit. That's certainly something to hope for, but it's not happening, at the right level, anyway.

So you have to go out to the companies. Your MBA itself will not impress them. You have to use what you've learned to research their company and its problems. Demonstrate knowledge, willingness and preparedness to address their problems, without arrogantly suggesting that you have all the answers.

You will do best marketing yourself to companies where you have contacts. If you have few contacts, then you'll have to start going to professional meetings and free business events. I suggest reading Sue Anne Roane's How to Work a Room for tips on making worthwhile connections among strangers.

Good luck, and remember this is only a temporary problem. Later it will seem insignificant. Really really.

-- Theresa Quintanilla (theresa@qviews.com), June 20, 2001.