Hey guys, I am finishing my undergraduate degree in about a week or so. I am searching for jobs and got a decent offer from a small company. My first question is, if I aim to get my MBA from a top school, should I be concerned about working for a small company? They want to know my answer of whether I accept the offer or not by the end of the week....should I wait and attempt to keep putting in applications at the big name places or just go ahead, accept, and see what happens? My second question is the small company that gave me an offer has not specified a start date however they hinted at probably wanting me to work right after my graduation. I want to take a month off and visit my family abroad...(after all I have just completed my undergraduate I feel like I should take a little break). Should I go ahead and ask them if I can start in July? How should I go about doing this?? Thank you very much for any advice guys.
Tell them that you plan on using the firm for experience only and will be getting your MBA in a minute. Also don't forget to ask your boss for a letter of recommendation on your 1st day.
First off, if you intend on getting an MBA, the sooner the better. The longer you become entrenched in corporate culture the harder it becomes to go back to school. If you are intending to apply for an MBA, current employment in a related industry is definitely a positive, the size of the company you work for should have little to no baring on how potential MBA programs view you. so with MBA talk aside...I would suggest taking the job. this does not preclude you from continuing to pursue bigger and better things. and any company you are applying for will value the fact your are steadily employed. my best advice, if you are joining the corporate world, is to consider yourself a free agent. and continue to pursue the best opportunity for your future regardless of your employment status.
A big company might reimburse you for an MBA, they'll also retain you and move you up even if you stop working. A small company will be pissed to lose you and probably wouldn't hire you if pursuing an MBA meant you'd have to stop working.
I think this is a good point -- big companies have tuition reimbursement programs and small companies do not. (Of course, the big company I worked for screwed me out of my reimbursement, but that's neither here nor there.) So, I don't think a small company will be a handicap to get in -- in fact, it could help because small companies may give you more responsibility sooner than a big company -- but a big company can give you extra help. (Caveat: there are a few companies that have sterling reputations that would help to have on your resume, eg Goldman Sachs, GE, etc.) I don't know about a small company being pissed at you for leaving. That's a bit irrational. As for time off, I'd just ask if they're anxious to get you in asap. If it's a big affirmative, let it go and just start immediately. If they waffle a little bit, then float the idea of taking an additional month to visit family.
General new job advice... strike while the iron is hot. It's just like a new romance with a girl; they want to please you and will bend over backwards to do so. So take advantage of this right off the bat and clarify expectations early on before the honeymoon is over. If you wait, it's going to be much harder to get that regular BJ.
In the current market now is not the time to turn down a job unless you have others to choose from. Take the job, start working, and continue looking for better prospects.
respectfully disagree - first off, OP is going to a small business, and may not get "corporate culture." second, MBA candidates hover around the 27-year old median age, meaning they've got experience. i would argue that an MBA experience is more about exchanging stories and building networks with people that have real-life experience. plus, you can see who are the movers-and-shakers, and develop a relationship with them for a potential future gig together. can't do that with unexperienced MBA candidates. totally agree. do well in undergrad, get good recommendation letters from influential people, nail your GMAT. agree. take the job if you like the industry or you can envision listing it on your resume and listing some important lessons you learned there. as for taking time off, you should definitely ask. it's not an uncommon thing to ask for and you shouldn't be considered wrong for doing it. i jumped straight from undergrad into my job and regret not taking more time to travel and hang out. i got burned out in my first year trying to "prove myself" and never got that post-college breather. you should simply call your recruiter, explain the truth (i want to see my family abroad before i get settled in for work), and request a later start date... have an exact date in mind before you call, and don't negotiate on it. don't try to "make it up to them" by taking anything less than the original offer with regards to vacation time, benefits, or salary. just politely tell them exactly what you want. good luck!
I agree with you. I did an evening MBA program for gus working and getting a degree at the same time. When the recruiters came in, we stole all the jobs from the day-timers because we had more job experience. Getting an MBA early might help dodge a couple of early years of pointless slavery in a dead-end job, but in the end employers prefer experienced workers over the inexperienced. The first job out of your MBA goes a long way to defining what your career will be and having some experience and some wisdom will help make the best of it.
